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Nick Lanzi didn’t at all times envision a profession in advertising and communications. With an accounting diploma from Penn State, he spent the primary a part of his profession in finance, serving as CFO for one of many area’s largest direct advertising companies. His publicity to that trade sparked his curiosity in launching his personal enterprise, Direct Selection, in 1995.
Almost three many years later, he and his group have developed a specialised method for assembly the calls for of direct advertising for nationwide and regional manufacturers. Now, as a pacesetter within the LGBTQIA+ enterprise neighborhood, Lanzi sees the impression that investing in and dealing with numerous suppliers can have.
Working with Independence Blue Cross
Lanzi and his group have been doing enterprise with Independence Blue Cross (IBX) for almost 20 years, specializing in digital, direct advert, and mailed advertising campaigns.
“My company works on behalf of our purchasers to establish the best prospects to achieve out to. Then, we create and deploy communications to get these prospects to take motion,” Lanzi mentioned. “With Independence Blue Cross, our work contains renewing people and teams and advertising Inexpensive Care Act and Medicare plans. No matter their want is, we offer an answer.”
Each IBX and Direct Selection profit from working collectively. Direct Selection’s versatile and enthusiastic expertise helps IBX talk with members successfully; and the cooperative partnership has helped Direct Selection acquire purchasers within the trade.
“Having Independence Blue Cross in your record of purchasers is like gold as a result of they’re the gold commonplace, particularly within the Philadelphia market,” mentioned Lanzi. “I’ve been in a position to appeal to different companies as purchasers over the previous 17 years due to our relationship.”
Shared Alternatives
The connection between IBX and Direct Selection is rooted in shared beliefs and a shared dedication to neighborhood. Benefitting extra than simply the 2 organizations, it has helped to advance others within the diverse-owned enterprise neighborhood.
“My vendor companions allow me to offer Independence Blue Cross with high-quality and reasonably priced merchandise that we ship on time,” defined Lanzi. “Not solely does that make me feel and look actually good, it additionally incentivizes Independence Blue Cross to present us extra work — and that rolls downstream to my numerous vendor companions. So, it feeds the system.”
Integrating numerous suppliers into enterprise fashions has helped IBX and Direct Selection strengthen the native economic system, increase innovation, assist the hiring of native expertise, and higher serve members and purchasers by rising illustration for historically underrepresented communities.
“I’m pleased to say that almost 25 p.c of Direct Selection’s annual vendor spend is with women-, BIPOC-, veteran-, and LGBTQIA+-owned companies,” mentioned Lanzi.
At IBX and our subsidiaries, the provider variety program continues to develop, with $317 million spent with numerous suppliers in 2023, a rise of 13 p.c since 2022.
Impression Past “Simply Enterprise”
Lanzi’s dedication to supporting different numerous companies extends past his hiring of these suppliers. He additionally sits on the board of the Unbiased Enterprise Alliance, which is the Philadelphia chapter of the Nationwide LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Lanzi leverages that position to have a higher impression on LGBTQIA+ causes and companies within the space.
“Independence Blue Cross helps the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood in a manner I’ve by no means skilled earlier than. They’re main sponsors of quite a few organizations within the Philadelphia space they usually actually put their cash the place their mouth is,” Lanzi mentioned.
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