Printer stays sharp in digital age

Magna IV’s tech retains a top client for 30 years

Magna IV Chief Executive Officer Kent Middleton looks at some of the items his company printed for Dave & Buster’s.
Magna IV Chief Executive Officer Kent Middleton looks at some of the items his company printed for Dave & Buster’s.

Full color signs alerting patrons to drink specials, discounted menu items and weekly promotions line the walls and hang from the ceiling throughout the Dave & Buster's set to open Monday in Little Rock.

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Ken Doss turns over an item so it can be printed on the reverse side as he works in the wide-format production area at Magna IV.

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Chief Operating Officer Kristi Dannelley (left) and Chief Executive Officer Kent Middleton explain the capabilities of one of the digital printers at Magna IV.

Each of the marketing materials displayed among the TVs, bar tables and video games at Dave & Buster's were printed at Little Rock-based Magna IV. So were business cards for management staff and direct mail pieces being distributed throughout the area.

It was a task in which Magna IV is well-versed. All promotional needs for Dave & Buster's over the past 30 years -- including in-store signage, fliers, coupons and T-shirts -- have been handled by Magna IV.

Magna IV produces materials for national campaigns and location-specific marketing.

Dave & Buster's, which has 85 locations nationwide, produces new menus three times a year. All of those are printed in Little Rock, where Magna IV also handles national and local print marketing needs of hundreds of clients across the country.

Magna IV, which began as a supplier to printing companies, recently purchased a $3 million ultraviolet printer to assist with its work for Dave & Buster's, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Gold's Gym.

"We've never been scared to spend money. That's what separates us from a lot of traditional printers," said Chief Executive Officer Kent Middleton, whose family started the business in 1975. "We started on the pre-press side, which is where the technology was. We were always having to spend money and upgrade. We continue that philosophy today."

That commitment to invest has led to the company adding computer programmers to its roster of 70 employees. Those programmers handle client-specific websites for customers, as well as web portals that are designed specifically for companies to place orders.

Revenue at Magna IV has grown between 10-12 percent annually since 2008, the company said. It is considered among the top 400 printers in the U.S. out of about 20,000 nationwide, Middleton said.

A relationship with Dave & Buster's helped Magna IV grow its national reputation. Magna IV began producing promotional materials for the chain in the 1980s. Senior account executive Lisa Wooten has worked with the business since then.

Wooten knew founders Buster Corley and Dave Corriveau, who operated bars next door to each other in Little Rock in the 1970s. A bill passed by the state Legislature last year increased the limit on arcade prizes from $12.50 to $500, making it attractive for Dave & Buster's to open a Little Rock location.

Magna IV prints more than 200,000 menus for the restaurant chain each year. As a way to better handle Dave & Buster's needs, Magna IV created a specific web portal about 10 years.

Creating a portal that can be accessed by managers across the U.S. has cut out steps in the process of ordering new materials. Messaging and branding are already pre-approved by Dave & Buster's but can be customized by location.

"Dave & Buster's utilizes the Magna IV portal system for customizing marketing materials which allows each store to login and personalize with their store specific information," Dave & Buster's spokesman Alex Purdy wrote in an email. "This technology allows the user to see a proof immediately and with one-click order on-brand printed collateral to market outside the 4 walls of the building."

Similar portals are set up for about 20 clients.

Chief Operating Officer Kristi Dannelley said the company is targeting businesses with multiple locations.

A Northwest Arkansas office is charged with finding clients who are suppliers to Wal-Mart. Magna IV has handled a number of marketing kits for suppliers who need materials mailed to Wal-Mart's more than 4,000 U.S. stores.

"It saves a ton of time," Dannelley said. "Companies are often piecemealing it. They get wide format from this company, postcards from that company. We can do the entire book of business. Our concept translates to any company with multiple locations."

SundayMonday Business on 06/12/2016

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