Direct-Mail Firm Buys Building on Elm Hill Pike
January 6, 2006 • by J. Holly Dolloff

Terri and David Hedges, owners of Mailer’s Choice Inc., are marking the new year with the $1.45 million purchase of a building at 1504 Elm Hill Pike.

The 40,000-square-foot building comes with room for expansion for Mailer’s Choice, a marketing company specializing in direct mail production. The Hedges opened the business in 1979 and have leased 25,000 square feet on Air Lane Drive since 1994. Dwaine Anderson of Anderson Co. Inc., brokered the deal on behalf of Mailer’s Choice. Terri Hedges says the search took almost a year.

“In our industry, it’s difficult to find the right space. We’re more in production than we are a warehouse space,” she says.

Fluctuating work demands – an election year, 2006 should provide plenty of business through political mailings – and staffing requirements demand flexible accommodations. Mailer’s Choice has 26 full-time employees and uses up to 15 temporary workers up to three weeks a month.

“They needed a building that was totally air-conditioned, had high ceilings and ample parking,” says Anderson. Finding the space “wasn’t as easy” as many commercial real estate transactions are.

Initially, the Elm Hill Pike building didn’t seem to be a match, says Anderson, noting the ceiling height was a bit low.

But in addition to other requirements, the operation “has to be close to the (main) post office, so we worked hard on addressing the issues before we let the building go,” says Anderson. “The more we looked at it, the more we liked it.”

Hedges says renovations will begin shortly and are expected to be complete by mid-March. Formerly occupied by Nashville Electrographics Co., the building is primarily configured for office use. DWC Construction Co. Inc. will knock out walls, raise the ceiling and add dock space for about $500,000.