After spending over ten years developing and implementing many of the original applications for print-on-demand and mailing in the laser printing business, Tom Coggin founded Datadirect in 1989 and became a print and mail broker in an executive office.  True to the Datadirect name, Tom's first two employees were a programmer, Scott Coggin, and an account executive from the largest local direct marketing agency.  Datadirect's first mailing solutions focused on statement printing for regional stock brokerage firms and lead generation programs for physician recruiting firms. 

Datadirect quickly expanded to four executive offices and had to move to accommodate their growing staff in data processing and account service.  Note that up to this point all offset printing, laser printing, and lettershop services were purchased from outside sources.  This changed in 1995 when Datadirect purchased a lettershop and took over their 10,000 sq. ft. facility on Armour Circle in Midtown.  Datadirect was now a full service mailhouse with high speed inkjets, inserters, and bindery. 

Then one morning in 1999 Tom came to work and found a letter stuck in the frame of the door.  It was a letter from MARTA telling him that they were taking over the Armour Circle Industrial Park to build a rail yard to service the North Line that was under construction.  After much negotiation with MARTA and extensive planning, Datadirect moved in 2000 to their current 17,000 sq. ft. building off Peachtree Industrial just north of 285.  This gave them the opportunity to design office and production space with their workflow in mind, including a separate laser room, soon to be renamed the digital printing room. 

The next two major events again exemplified Datadirect’s roots and core strengths in data and direct.  Gary Halperin joined them in 2003 after spending nearly 30 years supervising direct mail campaigns for major clients at Grizzard, one of the 10 largest direct marketing agencies in the nation.  Shortly thereafter Gary and Scott acquired large clients that required significant data management and personalization on preprinted coated stocks.  Datadirect already had two 100-page-a-minute laser printers, but in 2005 they installed the first of two high volume B&W digital printers specifically designed to run preprinted coated stocks.  This immediately made Datadirect a leader in hybrid digital printing, the ability to economically personalize highly colorful promotional postcards and selfmailers. 

But the story is not done yet, Datadirect now offers full four color variable data printing and is engaged in broadening it's services to include integrated direct mail, web, and email solutions through the use of an advanced suite of direct marketing automation tools.  Data, direct, and now digital...Datadirect will keep growing to meet your needs!