Katy will soon be home to the new headquarters of Pointsmith, a 60-year-old point-of-purchase provider of advertising and related management services.
The company is making the move from its current 100,000 square-foot building near Eldridge Parkway north of the Katy Freeway to a larger 240,000 square-foot facility at 21202 Park Row Drive.
POINTSMITH MOVING TO KATY – Troy Smith, executive vice president of Pointsmith, receives an appreciation plaque from Katy Economic Development Council President Lance LaCour during Tuesday’s EDC General Assembly meeting. Smith briefed attendees on Pointsmith’s plans to relocate it headquarters to Katy.
Pointsmith Executive Vice President Troy Smith briefed members of the Katy Area Economic Development Council on his company’s plans during the EDC’s General Assembly meeting Tuesday morning.
Smith said the company was founded as Posters, Incorporated by his grandfather, Carl “Smitty” Smith, in 1947. The company initially specialized in billboard advertising.
Through the years, the name changed and its specialization morphed into point-of-purchase, or POP, advertising typically seen at convenience stores, gas stations and fast food outlets.
“POP is designed to bring customers in to a given business. POP is the advertising posted at the point-of-purchase – where the customers make the decision to purchase goods or services,” Smith said. “Our expertise in POP allows us to manage the complete POP process. We develop strategic advertising campaigns from start to finish; we design, print, package, ship inventory and fulfill.”
Smith noted the company sends out more than 50,000 custom advertising kits to locations throughout North America every month, while Pointsmith’s information services department manages a “mammoth database” on every client’s location.
“For example, our database may reveal that the Shell station on the corner of Mason and Interstate 10 needs one pole sign, eight pump toppers and four column banners. When we pack a custom kit for that station, we will ship only the signage that they need – no wasted time, money or resources,” Smith explained.
Despite working on such a massive scale, the company serves a limited number of clients. That client list, however, translates into an extensive number of retail locations.
Pointsmith’s clients include 7,000 Citgo stations, 13,000 CitiGroup locations, 7,200 ConocoPhillips outlets, 1,037 Murphy USA fuel stops, 1,922 Popeye’s Chicken restaurants, 14,900 Shell Oil USA locations, 1,000 Valero stores, 718 Whataburger restaurants and 10,500 ExxonMobil locations.
Smith also said his company has a history of being a good corporate neighbor, and plans to continue that commitment to the community after the move.
“In Katy, we plan on continuing our tradition of community involvement. On behalf of our clients, we support the children within our community through The Ronald McDonald House, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, United Way, Shell Houston Open Local Children’s Charities and the Valero Texas Open (benefitting) the Children’s Miracle Network,” he said.
Smith pointed out that a number of Pointsmith’s 100 employees are already Katy residents.
“A lot of our employees live in Katy and, after the drive I had this morning, I may be looking (to move) as well,” he said.
Completion of the new Pointsmith facility is expected in June or July.
By: John Pape on Tue, Feb 9, 2010
News