Suburban native behind FTD sale

Skokie native Mark R. Goldston will return to the suburbs to personally oversee the transition resulting from his United Online Inc.'s deal to acquire FTD Group Inc. this week.

The CEO of Woodland Hills, Calif.,-based United Online -- which has offices in Schaumburg and operates Juno, NetZero and Classmates.com -- said Wednesday he has plans for FTD.com.

He wants it to grow, just like his other consumer Internet services and sites.

"We want to turn it up, not turn it around," Goldston said during an interview Wednesday.

Downers Grove-based florist network FTD agreed Wednesday to be acquired for around $456 million in stocks and cash. United Online then will take on $302 million in debt, plus other expenses, bringing the total value of the deal to around $800 million.

The deal is expected to close by September after regulatory and shareholder approvals. Then, FTD will continue to operate in Downers Grove as a subsidiary, Goldston said.

FTD has about 1,050 employees, with around 450 in Downers Grove.

Known by TV viewers for his NetZero commercials, Goldston said FTD fits well into his company because its profile is similar: about 65 percent women customers and age 30 or older.

"We have a pretty tight acquisition criteria and we see FTD as having a very powerful brand," he said. "It's one of the biggest in its segment, but it has an Internet component that is underdeveloped."

He plans to more aggressively market FTD.com, increase its Internet presence and then provide more programs to empower florists to work more with consumers.

He said he has no plans to change the staffing levels to do so.

"This isn't a manpower issue," Goldston said. "It's a creativity issue and a spending issue."

The only hiring he plans to do soon is replace the FTD CEO, since current CEO Michael Soenen said a few months ago he intended to leave and a search had begun for a replacement.

Spokespeople for FTD declined to comment, and Soenen was unavailable. But Soenen said in a statement that "as a significant advertiser, United Online is the ideal partner to help FTD realize greater efficiencies in media spending and customer acquisition."

Valentine's Day was successful for FTD and that sets the tone for the year, Troy S. Zimmer, an analyst with William Blair & Co. LLC in Chicago, wrote in a March report.

"The valuation is compelling and the company remains an interesting target for strategic buyers," he wrote.