February 10, 2021 – After the success of the HP PageWide T240 installation at Preferred Direct, HP reached out to the company to discuss the history of Preferred Direct and the ROI of the new print technology. Here’s the article content:

If Preferred Direct can be described in one word, it’s surely passionate.

As an industry-leading print, direct mail and digital communications company, the Norfolk, Virginia company thrives on an innovative spirit – something their Director of Operations carries in abundance. Kristen Hollar has worked at Preferred Direct for 18 years, standing ready to meet the marketing and communications needs of any commercial organization in direct mail, digital or, mixed media. She continually looks for new ways to help her customers succeed on all marketing fronts with the help of the HP PageWide We Press T240 HD. But forward thinking has been Preferred Direct’s hallmark for 34 years.

The company was started as a mail shop by owner Bill Nee’s parents out of a spare bedroom in 1987. Bill Nee, Sr. spearheaded the company’s entrepreneurial drive, having worked for years with different mailing, printing and software firms. He determined to write his company’s own software and streamline as many processes as possible. By 1992, the Nees had expanded their offerings into printing, as they found themselves waiting constantly for printers to deliver, which impacted drop rates.

In the ensuring years, as has been their history, Preferred Direct kept innovating, quickly adopting personalization and incorporating variable data processing into production. That dedication to forward thinking served the printer well in a challenging economy. Kristen saw how the 2007 recession impacted competitors that had not yet transitions to digital printing. Kristen kept fulfilling orders, handling runs of any size on short deadlines, and helped her company get through tough times. She believes strongly that customers will always choose vendors with newer ideas, lower costs and speedier turn arounds.

As digital printing came of age, Preferred Direct’s next step was the installation for the HP PageWide Web Press T240 HD. Of its speed and versatility, Kristen says, “It allows us to print on a much larger scale, the color is tremendous, and we can print roll-to-roll on different substrates. When someone comes to us with a need for 100,000 pieces in two days, the HP press makes all the difference.”

Today, with the T240 HD at hand, customers can bring in complete integrated campaigns. With the advent of email, display ads, and SMS, Preferred Direct has watched digital communications grow to 40 percent of their business. But direct mail will remain the heart and soul of their operations.

As Kristen says, “Our evolution into digital marketing happened because we’re always staying on top of technology as it comes to market – always reinvesting in the company and our processes, procedures, and equipment. We believe it’s important to have everything under one roof.

Preferred Direct is an industry-leading commercial print, direct mail and digital communications provider founded by Bill Nee, Sr. in Norfolk, Va. in 1987. Now, 35 years in and in its second generation of family ownership, Preferred Direct is a HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant partner to the healthcare, insurance, finance and other industries nationwide. Learn more at www.preferreddirect.com.

December 11, 2020 – Norfolk, VA – Aiming to bring some relief to families experiencing hard times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, Norfolk-based Preferred Direct, a family-owned commercial printer, has donated $20,000 to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore (SEVA). The funds will help provide 50,000 meals to people in crisis in the SEVA community.

”It has been a very difficult year for so many people,” says Bill Nee Jr., president of Preferred Direct. “We feel fortunate to be in a position to hopefully make a difference and show our commitment to our community.”

He added: “We knew that the SEVA Foodbank is helping meet the immediate needs of numerous households affected this year. We are honored to be a part of the meaningful work they do.”

Preferred’s donation comes at a crucial time. According to SEVA Foodbank President Ruth Jones Nichols, “This year, food donations are down by 1 million pounds.” Meanwhile, the economic effects of the pandemic mean more Americans are experiencing food insecurity for the first time in their lives. “Feeding America has projected about 59% of people facing food insecurity, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, won’t be eligible for federal nutrition programs,” Nichols explained. This means SEVA Foodbank’s mission is more critical than ever.

SEVA uses cash donations like Preferred’s to make bulk purchases, which it then assembles and distributes. This includes fresh, frozen, canned, boxed, and prepared foods. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEVA Foodbank has supplied nearly 6.5 million meals to those in need.

Nee said that despite the detrimental effects COVID-19 has had on many businesses, Preferred Direct — which has been providing essential printing, direct mail and digital communications services to businesses locally and nationally since 1987 — was able to maintain healthy operations. He hopes that the company’s donation will spur more giving.

“This pandemic is a reminder that life is unpredictable. Your situation can change in the blink of an eye. We wanted to give when we could, because we never know when we’ll be the ones in need of help We hope others will be inspired to give as well.” Nee said.

To learn more about the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, visit: https://foodbankonline.org/

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Preferred Direct is an industry-leading commercial print, direct mail and digital communications provider founded by Bill Nee, Sr. in Norfolk, Va. in 1987. Now in its second generation of family ownership, Preferred Direct is a HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant partner to the healthcare, insurance, finance and other industries nationwide. Learn more at www.preferreddirect.com.

Preferred Direct Enhances Speed and Efficiency with Transformations’ Uluro Customer Communications Platform

July 22, 2020 — Transformations Inc., a software solutions company based in Franklin, TN, announces that Uluro, its front-to-finish customer communications management (CCM) platform, has been selected by Preferred Direct, a full-service print service provider based in Norfolk, VA. Preferred Direct is a family-owned company, 35 years in business, launched in 1987 by Bill Nee, Sr. As the management of Preferred Direct passed to Bill Nee, Jr. in 2015, the company, known for its end-to-end offset and digital capabilities, recognized an opportunity in offering high-volume transactional services for its clients that encompass a wide range of industries. Preferred Direct chose Uluro for its advanced automation, which is making it possible to eliminate manual processes and enhance the speed and efficiency of the company’s print and electronic services.

“We produce customer communications for a lot of non-profits, health insurance and mutual fund companies, which means we work within very tight SLAs. As the volume of work from these clients began to increase, we knew we needed a more advanced technology for document processing, especially when you get into processing multi-million pieces within a month’s time,” said Kristen Hollar, director of operations at Preferred Direct. “Expanding our capabilities with Transformations’ Uluro software was a no-brainer for us because everything’s automated with Uluro. Not only does it open up the ability to take on multiple files and projects, but our printers are also able to access files and start processing and printing and inserting immediately. We are going to press with a multi-million-piece file approximately 24 to 48 hours sooner than before by using this software.”

The Uluro platform is delivering on Preferred Direct’s requirements for speed, efficiency and productivity, not only in its production environment but with its data as well. The company processes variable data applications with multi-sheet variables of data included, a plethora of statements and invoices, postcards, newsletters and even incorporates variable data into booklets and surveys. With the increased productivity Uluro is delivering, Hollar predicts they will be able to take on twice as much work as they have been able to handle in the past.

Preferred Direct’s president, Bill Nee, added, “Streamlining workflow and enhancing efficiency are two of the biggest initiatives in our company. Uluro isn’t a product that’s off-the-shelf—it can be customized to fit a company’s unique requirements. With that in mind, we worked with Transformations to configure the best solution set that would satisfy our existing customer needs as well as those of potential new customers. This is a very exciting time for us. We’re really looking forward to taking advantage of everything that Uluro has to offer.”

“We strive to meet the current and emerging communication needs of our customers, so the fact that Uluro is able to help make Preferred Direct’s production processes easier and more efficient for both print and electronic delivery is an excellent example of the platform’s flexibility,” said Bill Tidwell, CEO of Transformations. “We look forward to helping Preferred Direct continue to be successful and innovative in meeting market demands as they grow and change in the future.”

ABOUT TRANSFORMATIONS

Transformations, Inc., based in Franklin, Tennessee, is a software solutions company and developer of Uluro. Uluro is an award-winning, comprehensive front-to-finish Customer Communications Management (CCM) platform for creating, producing, delivering and tracking critical customer communications. Uluro’s mission is to provide the most secure delivery solution available and provide customers a significant competitive advantage that can help them grow their businesses and increase their market share. For more information visit: LinkedIn.

ABOUT PREFERRED DIRECT

Preferred Direct is an industry-leading commercial print, direct mail and digital communications provider founded by Bill Nee, Sr. in Norfolk, Va. in 1987. Now in its second generation of family ownership, Preferred Direct is a HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant partner to the healthcare, insurance, finance and other industries nationwide. Learn more at www.preferreddirect.com.

Preferred Direct adds HP PageWide T240 HD to deliver high-quality color direct mail

September 14, 2017 – Preferred Direct Marketing Services purchased its first HP PageWide Web Press at PRINT 17 Chicago to expand its direct mail color printing capabilities and deliver high-quality, color direct marketing applications with increased content variability.

The Norfolk, VA-based company chose the HP PageWide Web Press T240 HD for its ability to print on any substrate usig HP Thermal Inkjet technology, allowing use of cost-effective off-the-shelf paper.

The HP PageWide Web Press T240 HD uses High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) printing with 2400 nozzles per inch and dual drop weight to deliver benchmark inkjet quality.

“High-quality color, especially flesh tones, are incredibly important to our customers. The new HP PageWide Web Press T240 HD will enable us to deliver the value they require,” said Kristen Hollar, Director of Operations.

Preferred Direct Marketing Services, founded in 1987, is a full service printing, mailing and fulfillment house that serves customers nationally. It specializes in managing variable data for the healthcare, insurance and financial service industries.

The new Performance HDK mode announced at PRINT 17 for the HP PageWide Web T240 HD offers improved quality in color or mono at full press speed of 500 feet per minute. As a result, more high-quality digital pages can be economically produced on inkjet for publishing, direct mail and commercial print.

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Preferred Direct is an industry-leading commercial print, direct mail and digital communications provider founded by Bill Nee, Sr. in Norfolk, Va. in 1987. Now in its second generation of family ownership, Preferred Direct is a HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant partner to the healthcare, insurance, finance and other industries nationwide. Learn more at www.preferreddirect.com.

PRESS RELEASE originally published on WhatTheyThink.com