SPC Stays Current in the Marketplace

Specialty Print Communications (SPC), located in Niles, Ill., is a third generation, family-owned printing company founded in 1995-1996 as a commercial sheetfed printer. The privately held company is currently owned by CEO Paul LeFebvre and his three sons: Adam, president; Dustin, executive vice president of strategic initiatives; and Ryan in sales. Because of tremendous growth over the years, SPC is also a direct mail production specialist.

SPC’s “DNA is direct mail. Staying abreast of new approaches, new regulations and the dynamics of reaching the targeted consumer is all in a day’s work at Specialty,” according to a company statement. Their goal for the future is to continue to build direct mail programs that get results and client relationships that get stronger over time. SPC now has more than 300 employees.

“About seven years ago, we decided for our clients to enter the full web market. During the last three to four years, we also added inline capabilities by modifying our equipment to expand inline production. The technology increases our formats to include open- and closed-end mailers, scratch-offs, scratch-and-sniffs, clean-release cards and more. The inline technology enables us to produce personalized, complex direct mail that’s highly impactful and engaging while delivering maximum value and time efficiencies. We added UV coating,” explained Dustin LeFebvre.

SPC’s inline capabilities offers several benefits to direct marketers. “The technology compresses the production schedule dramatically. There are efficiencies on virtually every level, so now you don’t have to be in the Fortune 500 to generate high-impact direct mail and achieve lift in your retention, loyalty and acquisition programs,” Dustin LeFebvre said. “This technology allows us to offer the formats at an affordable price,” he pointed out.

Adding New Facilities

“Most recently, we acquired Michigan-based Batson Printing earlier this year. It is our third facility dedicated to lettershop services,” Dustin LeFebvre continued. The new location is one block west of its corporate headquarters. Truman Pope, an industry veteran, was recently hired to manage the lettershop division as vice president of mail operations.

Pope comes to SPC from World Marketing Chicago, where he was COO since October 2004. He has been in the industry for more than 20 years and ran his own lettershop business in the past.

“I think it’s great to work for a family business again. It brings new changes from working in the corporate world. The LeFebvres understand the business, and we work well together. Before I was selected to head the lettershop, they approached me and started talking about it, saying it would be a good fit and beneficial to the end users,” said Pope.

He also emphasized the importance of digital technology in the marketplace: “Digital technology is a little more costly, but in the long run it saves the end user money. With the shorter runs, you don’t have extra stock, plus it is more personalized. The quality has really improved in the past year. As the technology keeps growing, costs will drop.”

The new 73,000-sq-ft facility is ideal for data security, featuring a restricted access, physically protected data room; a server room with interior facing walls; a 24/7 digital security camera system with rewrite and backup; keyless entry; and fiber optics. A dedicated generator for emergency backup was installed so all data is secure from disasters and fire.

The lettershop facility includes sheetfed and roll to roll laser imaging, inkjet personalization, multiple format inserting, matching capabilities, CD tipping and card affixing. Additional services include wafer sealing, label-aire, hand work, and fulfillment. SPC also moved its four-color variable digital department, including Kodak NexPress machines, to the lettershop facility.

“Bringing lettershop services in-house provides greater control, and quality assurances, while reducing time to market and streamlining the entire process,” said Dustin LeFebvre. “This customer- driven expansion enables SPC to be a valuable, single-source solution from DM concept to in-home delivery.”

According to the LeFebvres, market reception has been extremely positive, and the division is on target to hit its fifth-year projection in its first full year of operation. An industry open house is planned for the fall.

“Our company has grown a lot. We were at about $600,000 in revenue year one and now we’re about $65 million,” said Adam LeFebvre. “During the past few years we’ve completely revamped our equipment line. There’s not one press or piece of digital equipment that’s older than five years old.”

Changing the Thinking

Dustin LeFebvre noted that SPC “is exploring other ways to change the corporate philosophy on knowledge and learning. We’re doing Webinars and sales meetings for our clients and positioning ourselves as knowledge-based consultants. We’re also not just looking at direct mail—we’re looking at digital integration.”

During the next six months, they will continue to integrate more channels, such as direct mail and pURLs. Direct marketers are getting savvier at using Facebook and Twitter to refine their marketing efforts. Marketing is now more geared to reducing quantities and becoming more relevant to fewer people. “Because budgets are constrained, we have felt a very strong momentum within direct marketing. It has to be more targeted,” he said.

“Printing is very dynamic. There’s plenty of opportunity now because things are changing. Marketing is changing so much,” he commented.

“We are definitely one of many printers who have made the transition from ink on paper to media services provider. We want to add value and provide lifetime relationships with customers by being a strategic partner for them and help them drive revenues. At SPC, we wanted to remove ourselves as a price-driven service,” said Adam LeFebvre.

He stated that the company hopes to see an increase in marketplace activity during the next six months. “We’re going to see continued consolidation, so some of our competition will disappear. Business is going to pick up in a different way: The digital platform will continue to grow and serve clients as a resource. We’re going to continue to use minimal workforce to get maximum output. Our customers will need our support to make sure they make money,” he explained.

Part of SPC’s success is because of flexibility. The company is “customer-centric,” meaning everything it does is built around its customers.

“The real message we bring from the heart is that we believe in an industry that’s not going to go away, but it will be tested. People who are willing to learn new things will succeed. We will continue to put ink on paper for years to come. We’ll always look at print as a core to our business,” said Adam LeFebvre.