KaeL Direct’s founder Karl Lady spent a long career working for large printing and mailing companies with multiple plants around the United States. In the early 1990’s he began to notice a tremendous overcapacity in the marketplace. Furthermore, he became frustrated with a sales strategy that was more interested in filling up their plants equipment than listening to their customer’s needs and specifications. As a result, in 1997 he formed KaeL Direct.
From their inception the key factors in driving business growth have been: 1) identifying overcapacity in the marketplace 2) utilizing their total purchasing power to drive down costs through economies of scale 3) embracing technology to streamline production processes 4) and hiring and retaining the best employees in the business.
The strength of this business model was quickly validated by the marketplace, rocketing KaeL on a path of tremendous growth. The culmination of their hard work resulted in them becoming the primary direct mail vendor for MCI during the launch of their widely successful, “Neighborhood” program. In total, KaeL printed, managed and mailed close to 200 million pieces for MCI.
Along with this rapid growth KaeL was recognized by their industry for numerous awards and accolades. For 2 years in a row they were recognized by Print Solutions Magazine as the fastest growing company in their industry. In 2002, they were also recognized as the 23rd largest distributor in the country.
This growth allowed KaeL to branch out into other markets and continue to diversify their product offering and grow as a company. However, they never veered away from their core competency: purchasing and managing direct marketing products and services better than anyone in the country.
Today, KaeL Direct is recognized as an industry leader in outsource solutions and production management across a variety of markets. Some of their clients include: AARP, Covenant House, Vocus, Chevy Chase Bank, The Boys and Girls Clubs and Sallie Mae. The fact that such a wide variety of clients from so many diverse markets rely on KaeL Direct is a testament to their industry knowledge and business expertise.
