CHICAGO, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illinois.com domain name is up for sale, a rare opportunity to scoop up one of the fifty state .com domain names.  Such high-profile, "identity asset" domain names are sought-after online real estate, but most are held privately and seldom available on the market.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a variety of investor classes, as well as media outlets, sports teams, political candidates, and corporations, to stand out from the competition with the purchase of this invaluable asset," said Lou Weisbach, CEO of MERCH TIME LLC, the marketing services and promotional products company retained to exclusively handle the sale of Illinois.com.  "This unique availability is made even more interesting as Illinois' competitive 2018 gubernatorial campaign gains steam.

"Illinois.com is an asset that can be kept in perpetuity as it continues to appreciate in the years to come," continued Weisbach.  "The site's purchaser can realize strong cash flows from the investment, as the site can be valued against an escalating and recurring revenue model.  All in all, this is a significant opportunity to secure a prized geodomain."

A "geodomain" is a domain name identical to a geographic location such as a city, state, or country. Often, geodomain sales are kept confidential via private transactions, similar to private sales of other types of domain names.  There are some geodomain sales figures, however, that have been publicly disclosed:

• LasVegas.com sold for $90 million in 2005. Las Vegas, Nevada drew approximately 42.9 million visitors in 2016 (source: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority).
   
• MyrtleBeach.com sold for $6.5 million in 2010.  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina drew approximately 16.1 million visitors in 2013 (source: Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, 2015).

By comparison, Illinois welcomed approximately 110 million domestic visitors in 2016 (source: Illinois Department of Commerce), with an additional 1.7 million overseas visitors (source: U.S. Department of Commerce's National Travel and Tourism Office, 2015).

"There are endless possibilities when it comes to how Illinois.com could be strategically leveraged and monetized," said Dan Pulcrano, a domain name industry expert and CEO of Silicon Valley-based media holding company New SV Media, Inc.  "It could be the home page for a media outlet, corporation, or political candidate, or used to redirect traffic to a third-party site or for the selling of customized email addresses. Whatever an investor chooses to do with Illinois.com, I expect this domain name to be well-trafficked and successful."

Illinois.com has been owned since 2005 by Josh Metnick, CEO of Navier, Inc., a Chicago-based software development and domain holding company.  Metnick has secured and acquired extensive online holdings over the years, and previously has sold premium domain names such as Chicago.com and Guitar.com.  Metnick, a native Illinoisan and University of Illinois graduate, was raised in Northbrook, Illinois and currently resides in Chicago. 

Metnick chose Weisbach, the founder and former CEO and chairman of Halo Industries and a prominent Chicago philanthropist, to lead the sale of Illinois.com due to Weisbach's marketing, branding, and deal-making expertise. 

"Historically, geodomains have drawn interest from investors across the globe, and we expect a similar response for Illinois.com," said Weisbach.  "It's a privilege to offer Illinois.com to the market, and I look forward to taking expressions of interest from potential buyers both in the United States and from around the world."

For purchase inquires only: lou@merchtimellc.com or 312-520-9022.

SOURCE MERCH TIME LLC