Deluxe Corporation


Deluxe Corporation is an American small business financial services company. Deluxe produces personal and business checks, logo design, website development, hosting, email marketing, social media management, search engine marketing and fraud protection services. Deluxe also offers promotional products, custom apparel, business supplies, retail packaging, shipping supplies, eChecks and printed materials.
Deluxe and its subsidiary brands including New England Business Services Inc., McBee and Checks Unlimited. Deluxe is based in the St. Paul suburb of Shoreview, Minnesota and has facilities in the U.S. and Canada to conduct its printing and fulfillment, call center, and administrative functions.

History

Deluxe Corporation was founded as Deluxe Check Printers in 1915 by W.R. Hotchkiss in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hotchkiss was the creator of some important, speed-enhancing inventions, which included the Hotchkiss Imprinting Press, a two-way perforator, and the Hotchkiss Lithograph Press. He also created the first personal flat-pocket checkbook and holder. Deluxe was originally a check printing company, but in the early 1900s expanded into customer service for businesses.
In 1952, the Deluxe Corporation Foundation was created to contribute to charitable organizations. The company was privately held until 1965, during which time it began using magnetic ink character recognition check printing technology. By the 1980s, the company was facing reduced demand for its products and increasing competition. In 1988, the company incorporated and changed its name to Deluxe Corporation.
Deluxe shifted its focus from printing products to primarily business services in 2008. It launched an employee background-screening service called HireRight and expanded its service offerings through acquisitions. This included the purchase of Hostopia, Logo Mojo, and PartnerUp. Deluxe continued expanding in 2011 with the acquisitions of online printing service PsPrint and web-based marketing firm OrangeSoda.

Company acquisitions

YearCompanyBusinessNotes
1994T/MakerComputer softwareAcquired in 1994; formerly an early personal computer software company. It later sold the software product lines of T/Maker to Broderbund.
2000Designer ChecksCheck manufacturePurchased for an undisclosed amount in 2000
2004New England Business ServiceSmall business service providerPurchased for $747 million in 2004
2005Dots & PixelsDigital marketing and printingPurchased for an undisclosed amount in 2005
2008HostopiaWebsite hostingPurchased in 2008, acquiring 400,000 clients
2008Logo MojoLogo design
2008PartnerUpMarket intelligencePurchased for undisclosed amount in 2008
2009MerchEnginesSearch engine marketingPurchased in 2009 for a reported $30 million
2012OrangeSodaWeb-based marketing
2014VerticalResponseEmail marketingPurchased for $27 million in cash
2014WebSite Building
2014Wausau Financial ServicesFinancial services transaction processingPurchased for $90 million in cash
2016InkHeadPromotional products distributorAcquired for an undisclosed amount in 2016
2016180fusionDigital marketingPurchased for an undisclosed sum
2016Liquid Web Web hostingPurchased assets from LiquidWeb, which later acquired Rackspace's cloud sites web hosting unit. Liquid Web itself was not acquired.
2018LogoMixLogo design
2018MyCorporationConsulation
2018ColocrossingInternet hosting services

Business units

Deluxe Corp and its subsidiary brands are organized and operate within three business units: Small Business Services, Financial Services, and Direct Checks. The Small Business Services sector offers business checks, printed forms, promotional products, marketing materials, and related services and products. The Financial Services sector sells personal and business checks; check-related products and services; customer loyalty, retention, and fraud monitoring and protection services; and stored value gift cards to banks and other financial institutions. It also provides enhanced services, such as customized reporting, file management, and expedited account conversion support. The Direct Checks sector sells personal and business checks and related products and services.