A Historical Timeline

Spring 1975

1976

1977

Irwin joins City Delivery becoming one of the regions first female LTL drivers and also working as a bookkeeper and dispatcher. She is offered the option to trade some of her salary to buy stock in the company and becomes part owner.

One of City Delivery's accounts was Western Flyer a Periodical publication. The paper was picked up every other week from Suburban Times and delivered to a local mail distribution service bureau in Tacoma. The mailing house decided to move to Seattle and no longer wanted the account. The only other mailing providers were in Seattle.

Irwin and her partner G. Morris pondered how they could diversify and help their client at the same time. "We asked them what the mailing service did for them," explains Irwin. They explained that the service attached labels to the flyers and mailed them at discounted postage rates. Debra began investigating the "lettershop" industry, what capitol requirements would be needed, and how much it would all cost. Without the aid of the Internet and email to do research, she had to call and write letters to potential vendors, the local post office, and potential clients. She asked them how it all worked, how vendors could supply equipment and if they used mailing providers, and how clients were using mailing providers.

"We came to the conclusion that we could cover the cost of a labeling machine and get started on a new company."

November 1, 1979

Mailmedia Inc. receives letters of incorporation from the Washington Secretary of State, its Tacoma business license, and begins operations in a small office in the back of the trucking company. Leasing a $13,000 machine to paste paper printed labels onto flyers in rapid-fire order they begin postal sorting operations.

Without any employees, Irwin and Morris ran the service themselves. They kept it separate from City Delivery. The result was that during the day they ran City Delivery and during the nights and weekends they turned their attention to Mailmedia.

"We built the company using 'sweat capital,'" explains Debra. "We were not taking anything out of the company, but allowing it to pay for itself."

Soon after other customers followed Western Flyer such as Tacoma Actors Guild and University of Puget Sound, the second client, who still uses immedia. Western Flyer is now called Flyer Publications as is being operated by second-generation family.

The USPS begins offering discounts for presorted bulk third-class mail, and establishes new size standards for letters and flats and post cards.

Summer 1980

First employee hired - Margaret Manning.

1981

Mailmedia begins to take advantage of postage discounts offered for First-Class Mail presorted to certain carrier routes.

1983

The USPS introduces ZIP+4 system and Mailmedia begins applying the four digits to its customers' mailing pieces later that year.

December 1984

Mailmedia shows its first profit - Irwin purchases Morris's share, becoming sole owner while Morris continues to run City Delivery.

1985

Mailmedia acquires PM Mailing List Management. PM specializes in data processing of electronic files, duplicate record removal, total data cleansing, CASS certification and postal presorting software. Prior to the acquisition, Mailmedia sent its client files to PM for processing and Cheshire paper labels would be printed in sortation order and returned to Mailmedia for application onto the mail pieces.

This acquisition also brings in clients for Mailmedia and several pieces of equipment that enhance its ability to provide more services.

Mailing lists are now sold to clients after Mailmedia becomes a list broker.

Spring 1990

Mailmedia purchases a Cheshire JetStream II Inkjet Printing system. This technology applies electronic database addresses through ink spray directly onto the mail pieces.

August 28, 1990

Mailmedia deposits the first pre-barcoded mailing in Puget Sound. The mailing was entered into the Tacoma Bulk Mail Center for Ehli Auctions.

With the implementation of the postage rate package for the postage rate package for 1991, Irwin foresees an increase in potential customers wanting to utilize a mailing house who can offer the lowest possible rates. By having the technology now, Mailmedia remains ahead of the demand curve and works out all production "bugs" prior to the influx of demand. Today, barcoded mail is the standard of mail preparation and receives the deepest postage discounts.

Mapping services are sold to clients who want to do radial searches within their own mailing lists to other locations.

Warehousing of materials is offered with the acquisition of a new larger facility.

Summer 1992

Digital printing equipment is acquired allowing clients to merge variable or static data onto forms, letters and other preprinted materials and media. This increases services and allows businesses to connect more one-to-one with their clients. Software and data merge programs send information to the printers pulling the forms required. Today, this technology and service is standard in almost all mailing service bureaus throughout the US.

Mailmedia starts preparing and mailing automated barcoded Flats.

1991

Drop shipment, destination entry postage discounts offered by the USPS. This reduces postage costs for mail entered directly into national, regional and sectional mail processing facilities. Mailmedia takes advantage in early 1993 and clients begin saving hundreds of dollars in postage.

Early 1996

Mailmedia goes through rigorous setup with the USPS to become a USPS detached mail unit. Essentially becoming an extension of the postal service with an office for its postal representative onsite.

This alliance allows Mailmedia to provide onsite mail verification through the postal service reducing the turn time to get mail into postal facilities. All drop shipments are now verified inside the facility and trucked via third party carriers to national distribution centers taking advantage of deeper postal discounts.

Fall 1996

Classification reform enacted - Standard Mail category created - Inspector General appointed by Governors - Postal Service released automated postage software via Internet - Self-adhesive coil stamps sold and used by Mailmedia.

Spring 1998

Small bindery operations begin with the purchase of a folder increasing service capacity for clients and allowing Mailmedia to pickup local printers and bindery operations overflow work.

1999

Mailmedia starts running flats using the new 1000 AFSM (automated flat sorting machine.)

December 2001

Mailmedia expands bindery operations to include an eight-pocket Muller Martini Stitcher with the only inline inkjet addressing system for mail pieces. The stitcher also includes a 4th and 5th knife, small book attachment and loop stitching.

Additional equipment is also added that includes a Lawson 45" fully automatic paper cutter with micro cut, a single hole drill/punch, offline single saddle stitcher, and a continuous feed folder with inline inkjet addressing capabilities. "With the ability to turn the stitched product over before addressing," says co-owner Donn Irwin, "we can process both high and low folio signatures."

Fall 2002

eMessaging service goes live allowing Mailmedia to distribute large volumes of email messages on behalf of clients. This service allows clients to track open rates of HTML email along with click through rates of URL links embedded within the email.

July 2004

Mailmedia changes name to immedia better reflecting its dynamic level of services offered and reducing the stigma of only doing "mail."

An outside branding agency is hired to redesign the entire look of the company from letterhead to signage. They create a unique name that conveys the immediate piece of mind and service level clients feel when using the company. Their research indicates a deep level of commitment to solving clients problems and creating unique marketing solutions. They take these concepts and apply them to the overall direction of the rebranding process.

The logo is changed to better reflect the image of the company. Three colored tiers with a dot for the "i" in immedia signifies three categories of services provided:

• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Project Coordination

New lighter colors are chosen to create a feeling of openness and reduce the stuffy feeling of darker conservative colors. The articles of incorporation for Mailmedia Inc are retained for historical purposes. immedia begins operations as a division of Mailmedia Inc.

Fall 2004

USPS Optional Procedures approved by the USPS for immedia. Optional procedures is a program that permits immedia to avoid lengthy delays such as weighing all mail pieces in verification processes that are used by the USPS. Essentially, this approval means that immedia follows postal regulations so well and "perfect" the mail is approved for acceptance based on paperwork submitted. It is similar to having an ISO certification with the postal service.