Marketer moves to grow

A direct marketing company looking to grow found the space it needed off West Waters Avenue.

Genesis Direct moved this spring from Oldsmar to a new 58,000-square-foot facility on Sunstate Street, almost doubling its size.

The increased space will allow the business to add more employees to its 110-member work force, possibly raising the number by 15 percent to 20 percent each year for the next five years.

Most of the job growth will take place in database services and in areas supporting the creative side, such as graphics, said David Comar, one of the company's founders and principals. Sales and accounts will likely grow, too.

When Genesis was started in 1995, the focus was on production with success measured by the number of mail pieces put out, Comar said.

Although production remains important and the new building offers improved technology for printing, the emphasis today is on targeted marketing with help from extensive databases.

Clients can access their files and run queries, and Genesis can create personalized plans for them based on their audiences.

Some people love responding to offers they get in the mail, Comar said, and others are more receptive to e-mail or loyalty programs that reward them. A mailing for a cruise offer, for example, might include a link where the recipient could go online and watch video of a cruise or virtually tour a ship. It might also include a phone number for people who want to talk to someone directly.

Responses depend on age and other factors, Comar said, which is where the databases come in handy. Genesis also follows up on responses to see what was most effective and develops other offers based on recipients' interests or purchases.

About half of Genesis' clients come from Florida and half are national. Comar said the company will be doing more marketing of itself to expand its base as well.