PI 400 Fast-Track Company: Westamerica Employs Client-Driven Strategy for Growth

Westamerica Communications, Lake Forest, Calif.

Most Recent Fiscal Year Sales: $26.7 Million
Previous Fiscal Year Sales: $21.6 Million
Percentage Growth: 23%

Doug Grant is president/CEO.

In business since 1975 – it was originally called The Printing Company – Westamerica serves clients in the financial, nonprofit, member association, municipalities and utilities, health and wellness, and corporate markets. Its 105 employees deliver a full slate of services, including wide-format graphics and displays; commercial lithographic and digital printing; direct mail and online marketing; custom packaging; creative design; strategy and branding; distribution; and fulfillment.

The company is spread out over two facilities; the main plant houses litho and digital printing, packaging, and creative design, while the second facility houses wide-format production and warehouse/fulfillment.

Westamerica Communications today is the result of a successful merger in 2014 between two college friends. Doug Grant, president and CEO, explains, “Each of us had strong reputations and a solid legacy of historical success, but we were both at a crossroads and knew that we needed to reinvent ourselves to stay relevant and to offer new and expanded value to our clients.”  The eventual merger, says Grant, was “made in heaven”— with very little account overlap, the companies served two distinct markets, and the equipment and services each brought to the new business boasted tremendous synergies.

The growth Westamerica is experiencing is a continuation of what was started in 2014. With a corporate mission that states “we exist to help our clients grow,” it intentionally seeks out relationships with clients and vertical sectors that are in growth mode. The company’s solid growth spans across several of its offerings, including wide-format and event graphics; online fulfillment and marketing collateral management; and creative structural design and promotional packaging.

Its slogan “Collaborate, Create, Applaud, Repeat,” describes the company’s client-driven strategy.

“We have a talented team of top-performing employees in every area of our company, most of whom have been with us between 10 and 20 years or more,” Grant acknowledges. “This includes our sales and account management team. Management is committed to supporting our sales team with all the tools and resources they need to effectively share our message with clients and prospects. We want them to have more ‘arrows in their quiver’ than our competition,” Grant says.

So what does Westamerica provide its sales reps?

According to Grant,  “In addition to the broad suite of services and capabilities we offer, we provide them with a constant flow of new marketing collateral, email and digital media support, client open house and tour events, and ‘team selling’ presentations when appropriate.”

Westamerica recently made significant new investments in its wide-format division, to include fabric and dye-sub printing and automated sewing capabilities. “Fabric is the fastest growing segment in display graphics, and we see a lot of potential in this area,” Grant notes. The company is also looking into adding a creative digital agency to its mix of solutions.

“This would help us get a seat at our clients’ marketing strategy table earlier than we’re currently offered,” he adds.

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