USFI
This article is about the advertising agency. For the Fourth International Trotskyist, see Fourth International (post-reunification).
USFI/Safeguard is an multi–national, full–service print and promotional and marketing company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with regional offices in Virginia, Florida, Illinois, and Colorado. USFI/Safeguard is part of the Deluxe corporation, headquartered in Shoreview Minnesota.
USFI serves over 2,600 clients in the hospitality, cellular, electronics, financial services and retail industries. Initially specializing in the design and production of printed items, USFI has grown to become a provider of print and promotional services, and targets both the Hospitality industry as well as B2C companies with 100- 10,000 doors, or locations.
Timeline
- 1984 – Faisal Ahmad leaves Burroughs Corp to start US Forms Inc., acquiring first account, Pearle Vision
- 1986 – Administrative assistant hired
- 1987 – Nancy Henger joins company, acquires Omega Optical account
- 1990 – Steven Sutor hired as Controller
- 1990 – David Porter joins as Marketing Representative and acquires PageMart and Sears Employee Credit Union accounts
- 1991 – Core competencies expand to enable becoming Omega’s Agency of Record, producing Magazine ads and printed four–color work
- 1991 – Dedicated creative department established by Ed Angerstein
- 1993 – Tim VanCleave hired as ninth employee to generate new business – acquired Parkland Hospital account to significantly grow revenue
- 1993 – USFI recognized as one of Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies by SMU Cox School of Business
- 1995 – Steve Ealy hired to manage expansion of newly computerized creative department
- 1997 – USFI Gains GTE Directories, designs and produces directory covers nationwide as well as collateral
- 1997 – Steven Sutor moves from Controller position to build an IT department
- 2000 – USFI launches new cellular provider MetroPCS via print, web, in–store campaigns
- 2000 – USFI surpasses $10 million in annual sales, explores web marketing capabilities
- 2001 – Dedicated Hospitality Division is founded
- 2003 – Hospitality Reps expand to key markets nationwide, company legally changes name to USFI
- 2003 – Robert Lyman joins the company for technology business development and MetroPCS account service
- 2004 – First USFI Distribution Center is established
- 2006 – USFI surpasses $20 million in annual sales
- 2008 – Dan Zipes is hired to convert Distribution Center into Logistics and Supply Chain Division
- 2008 – USFI/GreenWorks is launched, a web–source of green products and information for hospitality, academic and other markets
- 2009 – USFI at 25 year mark receives full identity re–design and positioning
- 2011 – USFI hires Douglas Ritter as VP of Marketing and Business Development
- 2012 – USFI launches new e-commerce effort, Vertical Cubed, based on a Kentico platform
- 2012 – Faisal Ahmad, CEO and President of USFI passes away on Friday March 2
- 2012 – USFI names Douglas Ritter President of USFI on March 5
- 2012 - USFI launches new Health & Beauty division on March 10
- 2012 - USFI shuts down Vertical Cubed and outsources the Digital Design with a partner
- 2015 - Safeguard, a division of Deluxe, finalizes an asset purchase of USFI, now known as USFI/Safeguard
Recent recognition
- 2008 7 Davey Awards
- 2008 6 GD USA Awards (American Graphic Design)
- 2009 11 Communicator Awards
- 2009 6 GD USA Awards
- 2009 9 Davey Awards
- 2010 USFI ranked 14th among National Distributors
Key management
- General Manager is Douglas Ritter
- Chief Financial Officer is Mary Keller
- VP Hospitality is Tim Van Cleave
- VP Sales National Accounts is David Porter
- Creative Director is Barbara Barnes
- VP of Information Technology is Steven Sutor
- Director of Digital Technology is Robert Lyman
- Director of Logistics and Supply Chain is Dan Zipes
- Staff VP of Account Management and Client Services is Caryl Barrineau
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, November 10, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.