EDMESTON, N.Y. — Binghamton–based Dataflow has acquired Prolifiq Sign Studio in a move that gives it four new employees, a new shop space in Edmeston (Otsego County), and expertise in vehicle wrapping and decals. Dataflow has been actively looking for viable acquisitions of businesses that are a good fit for the company by expanding services […]
EDMESTON, N.Y. — Binghamton–based Dataflow has acquired Prolifiq Sign Studio in a move that gives it four new employees, a new shop space in Edmeston (Otsego County), and expertise in vehicle wrapping and decals.
Dataflow has been actively looking for viable acquisitions of businesses that are a good fit for the company by expanding services and adding value, says Steve Cheek, Dataflow’s chief commerce officer, tells CNYBJ. This latest purchase, which closed Dec. 1, is the firm’s fourth acquisition in the past four years.
While Dataflow was actively looking in that particular region, it was actually Prolifiq’s former owner Kim Robinson who reached out to the company, Cheek says. Robinson was looking to retire. “She had a qualified team of people and a good list of clients,” he adds.
While Cheek declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, he says Dataflow acquired Prolifiq’s roughly 2,500-square-foot building, two wide-format graphic Roland print and cut machines, one full-size Mimaki flatbed printer, and retained Prolifiq’s four experienced employees.
“Our expertise in the printing and signage industry combined with Prolifiq Sign Studio’s vehicle wrapping and decals, along with their own printing and sign services, will allow us to better serve businesses of all sizes in Upstate New York,” Dataflow President and CEO Dan Zimmerman said in a statement.
Dataflow got its start in 1958 as a small blueprinting shop. Today, the company is a full-service print and document-management offering services including branding materials, large-format printing, digital document workflows, and sign fabrication and installation.
With the acquisition of Prolifiq, Dataflow will bring its offerings, like large-format products and services to Prolifiq’s clients. It also offers Prolifiq’s vehicle-wrapping and decal expertise to Dataflow clients in the area.
The bottom line is that Dataflow is now able to better serve all those clients, as well as the new clients it hopes to attract, Cheek says.
The new location also improves Dataflow’s coverage between its Binghamton headquarters and Albany office, which will make sign installation more efficient and cost effective, he adds.
Along with the acquisition, Dataflow also recently launched a fully online store to better serve customers, Cheek says. “We are constantly, every week, adding new products and services to that store.” Anything from simple building signage like exits signs to customized products are available from the store.
What makes Dataflow different from an online service like VistaPrint is that customers can order online, at a self-service kiosk in store, working with an employee, or a hybrid of all those methods.
“You can do 80 percent of the work online and say, ‘I need some help here,’” Cheek says. Customers can have their purchases delivered or choose to pick up. People still want to buy local, he notes, so it’s important that Dataflow offers all the ways that customers want to buy.
Along with its Binghamton headquarters and new Edmeston location, Dataflow also operates offices in Endicott, Albany, Elmira, Ithaca, Corning/Horseheads, Utica, and Rochester. The company employs nearly 70 people across all its locations.