Your report for Monday, March 1, 2004

Five Sparrows gets serious about Fun: Hartland-based Five Sparrows L.L.C. said Friday that it had a new marketing services agreement with Fun Properties Inc. of Ann Arbor. Under the agreement, Five Sparrows will improve Fun Properties' marketing efforts and Web presence through a variety of initiatives, including Web-based user forums, search engine optimization, ad campaigns and targeted e-newsletters to its existing customer base of more than 30,000 people. The agreement runs for 12 months with automatic renewals each year unless either party wants out. Fun Properties is a hobby and collectibles supplier with stores in Ann Arbor and Jackson. It also operates several Web sites, including www.hobbyxpress.com, www.rcxpress.com and www.rctoyzone.com. Products range from magic tricks and puzzles to trains, kites, rockets and more. More about the vendor at www.fivesparrows.com.