Logan Marketing Group Merges IBS Direct and ClientLink to Create Intellus, a Direct Mail Marketing Services Print Provider

Intellus is not a household name in the digital direct mail, e-commerce, packaging and fulfillment services space yet, but Manny Ortiz, the founder of Logan Marketing Group (LMG) and managing partner of Intellus, hopes to change that. LMG acquired Montgomeryville, Pa.-based ClientLink, a printing and fulfillment supplier, last October and is merging it with King of Prussia, Pa.-based IBS Direct, which it purchased last March, to create a new marketing services company called Intellus.

The merger has already created 70 new jobs at the company’s two existing production facilities and is expected to expand even further with the opening of a new, 52,000-sq.-ft. Digital & Mail Center at 150 Corporate Drive in Montgomeryville next month. Combined annual revenues of the 160-employee Intellus are expected to be in the $47 million to $48 million range.

“Marketing today is so much about digital connection, but most brands still need to connect with people in the physical world,” explains Ortiz, a 40-year direct marketing industry veteran who founded Direct Group in 1995 before it was eventually sold to a private equity firm. “This meeting ground may be a mailing sent to millions of consumers, a very special high-end piece targeted to VIP customers, support for a sales force, fulfillment for an online commerce transaction ... the possibilities are enormous and growing as we speak.”

First Océ ProStream Inkjet Press on East Coast

As part of the expansion to grow its digital direct mail printing and mailing capabilities, Intellus recently invested $8 million in new high-speed production inkjet printing and finishing equipment. Among the investments are what will the first Océ ProStream continuous-feed, high-quality color digital inkjet press operating on the East Coast; an Océ ColorStream 6900 continuous-feed digital inkjet press; and an Océ VarioPrint i300 sheetfed color inkjet press — all from Canon Solutions America. Other major investments include two MBO 525 series digital web sheeters, letter-inserting equipment from BlueCrest and Bell & Howell, W+D converting machinery, various software upgrades and more.

“New equipment is exciting, but it’s all about ensuring that we have the right tools on hand to solve a partner’s challenge intelligently and efficiently,” adds June Busch, Intellus’ senior VP of Client Services. “We have great people at every level who thrive on innovation to get the job done and help our partners succeed.”

One such partner is a national mortgage lender that has been working with IBS Direct for more than 20 years. According to its COO, “We love working with the Intellus team, not only because of their in-depth knowledge of everything you need to know about printing and fulfillment, but also their dedication and the 24/7 support.”

Intellus intends to further build these types of "target customization" vendor-partner relationships through its capabilities in continuous web printing, digital printing, customized special coatings, Website design, promotional items, print-on-demand portals for sales forces, consumer-facing e-commerce portals with complete fulfillment support, and comprehensive logistics management.

Intellus is opening its new 52,000-sq.-ft. Digital & Mail Center in April.

According to Ortiz, Intellus — which is a play off of Intelligent solutions, so Tell Us what you need — the 67,000-sq.-ft. IBS Direct printing operation in King of Prussia will remain open, as will the 65,000-sq.-ft. ClientLink facility in Montgomeryville, which will house the packaging services and fulfillment operations, as well as some mailing capacity. He adds that Intellus will continue to work with outside partners for its data analytics needs, but can handle the creative, print, e-commerce, mailing and fulfillment functions in-house for any kind of customer response program. In addition, Intellus is looking to expand into the wide-format printing market by the end of the year.

And Logan Marketing Group seeks to grow its footprint even more through additional M&A transactions, Ortiz reveals, so Intellus can further expand its direct mail, e-commerce and fulfillment capabilities.

He believes that the convergence of experience, talent and resources represented by Intellus will be a game-changer in the industry. So far, it appears the various pieces are coming together.