New Owner, New Direction for Berkshire Direct

Allen Jezouit has big plans for Berkshire Direct Inc. Jezouit and a partner (who won't be revealed until next week, he says) purchased the 9-year-old direct-mail company from the Storey family last week.

"We plan on expanding our marketing services to better serve our existing clients and to help local and regional businesses, organizations and nonprofits with their marketing initiatives," said Jezouit.

Jezouit was brought on as vice president of business development last September after four years as marketing director for Redstone Properties and more than 18 years in sales and marketing with Praxair Inc. Since his arrival, he's been moving the company's direct-mail foundation to incorporate multiple platforms for local and national clients.

New services include Web site design and development, Web marketing, mail-fulfillment, e-mail marketing, search engine optimization, social media services, video production, television commercials, and a full-service sales and marketing consultancy. The team will provide new types of leads for businesses that once relied on newspapers and direct mail.

"We haven't done much advertising yet, it's all word of mouth, and we're swamped," said Jezouit on Tuesday.
 

Berkshire Direct is an outgrowth of Storey Communication's Gardener's Marketplace, which operated for more than 36 years. Storey Communications, founded by Martha and John Storey of Williamstown, sold the publishing company to Workman Publishing; Berkshire Direct was operated by them and then their son, Matt. The Storeys will continue to collaborate on some projects but Matt Storey will no longer be involved.

Jezouit said he and his yet-to-be-named partner have "both worked for big companies and we're bringing that expertise to small companies."

Local clients include Northern Berkshire Healthcare, MountainOne Financial, Williams College, Williamstown Chamber of Commerce, Williamstown Youth Center, Ioka Valley Farm, Williamstown Physical Therapy, Boston Investor Communications Agency, and New England Landscape and Aquatics. Also on the client list are Camp Dudley YMCA of Westport, N.Y., the longest-running summer camp in the country, National Patient Safety Foundation of Boston and Bucknell (Pa.) University athletics.

"It's definitey mine now and we're just going to grow the heck out it," Jezouit said.

For more information, contact Jezouit at 413-458-1721 or BerkshireDirect.net.