The origin lies in three companies founded in the early 1970s: In 1984, Bob Kyle pitched the idea of a national financial training and publishing business to Longman, Inc., a multibillion-dollar British publishing company owned by Pearson PLC.
Prior to these acquisitions, Longman had only minor operations in the United States, and planned on using the firm as its U.S. entry.
In 1985, Longman purchased R&R Newkirk, an Indianapolis-based company that developed print products for insurance licensing and continuing education.
The firm dated back to 1914 as Research and Review Service of America, a provider of insurance sales and product training.
Over the next four years, Longman acquired more than a dozen small training organizations, merging them into LFSI.
Among the more notable acquisitions during this time were Fleur, Inc. and Golle & Holmes, Inc., both of which are described below: Problems arose because of the multiple locations, multiple systems, overlapping target markets, and differing philosophies, ultimately impacting profit margins and resulting in Longman looking for a way to exit the business.