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This paid piece is courtesy of SiouxFalls.Business.
In a few short years, Sioux Falls-based Direct Companies completed two acquisitions, entered new markets and industries, and grew its team from 38 people to 140.
Things like logos and websites didn’t necessarily keep up with the rest of the company.
“Everything is fast-tracked here, and we realized that it was time to refresh our brand so it reflects the organization we are today,” said Marcia Schmitz, vice president of experience.
“We wanted to ensure we had consistency across our brands so they all looked aligned and were part of the same family.”
It was time, agreed CEO Paul Zweifel, who founded the business as Direct Automation out of his basement with a few co-workers in 2012.
“It felt like a long-overdue process,” he said. “We have changed significantly in 13 years and have more exciting things in the works, so it felt appropriate to refresh. It didn’t hurt that we have a fantastic experienced team on board now that is able to help guide the process while keeping our team and customers in mind.”
The Direct Companies family of business units includes:
All received refreshed logos, new colors and fonts, an updated look and a solidified message “to be able to tell everyone who we are and what we do,” Schmitz said. “Our vision statement is ‘Innovating today for a better tomorrow.’”
As part of the rebrand, the company’s name will be simplified to Direct.
The team celebrated the brand refresh with new swag on their desks, custom cookies and a code to offer them credit at their new online company store where they can purchase new branded apparel.
“With acquisitions and organic growth, we have many new team members as part of our Direct family, so we hope it helps energize our team around the brand and brings everyone together,” Zweifel said. “And, of course, we’re looking to increase brand awareness as we continue to grow and add services for customers.”
The timing also aligns well with Direct’s upcoming move to a single headquarters where all Sioux Falls teams will be housed under one roof. Renovations are underway at a more than 30,000-square-foot building at 3401 N. Louise Ave. It most recently was a bank operations center.
“Our signage will be updated in all our markets, and we’ll be able to incorporate our new design elements into the new space,” Schmitz said. “In our break room, for instance, we’re working with designers to make sure it’s not just pretty colors but has character built into it and reflects the brand so it becomes a place our team enjoys going.”
Workplace I.T. Management, which was acquired in 2023, brought a brand built in the Sioux Falls area for more than 20 years and will keep its name.
“There’s definite brand recognition there, so it’s getting a face-lift but not a drastic one,” Schmitz said. “Colors and fonts are updated, so it looks like part of the family versus a stand-alone division, along with an updated website. All the websites within Direct now will look like they belong together with similar designs.”
Rebranding “can be scary,” Zweifel acknowledged, raising questions about the process, why it’s being done and what the market might think.
“We had a great team helping us with those questions,” he said. “We collaboratively worked through iterations, and I think we landed on something that sticks with who we are both as Workplace and Direct but brings us together as a family. We added some ‘DNA’ from both brands, and I think it shows the commitment and consistency our employees and customers expect from us.”
A refresh ultimately can be as much about team-building as brand-building, Schmitz added.
“We’re still bringing multiple organizations together and merging cultures, and I think every step is critical in helping us move forward together as one team. We now have unified logos, and in the coming months, many of us will be under one roof,” she said. “We’re hoping to create excitement among the team around the future and the possibilities.”