Hanson Directories sold to Chicago firm

Bill Hanson, the owner and CEO of Hanson Directories and son of Lloyd Hanson, the company’s founder, has sold the telephone directory publisher to a Chicago investment firm named DirecTech, LLC.

Bill Hanson has been with the company his father started since 1979, taking over in the late 1980s before his father passed away in 1993.

The successful completion of the sale of its assets to DirecTech took place Nov. 1.

“We feel the sale to DirecTech is a good fit for our telephone industry affiliates, our advertisers and our employees,” Hanson said. “My father started the business in January 1973. Proudly, my family has had a long, enjoyable and successful history of service to the rural telephone industry.”

All 61 Hanson Directories staff members — including about 10 who travel and are not regularly in the Newton office — will remain in their respective positions with DirecTech. The new owners plan to continue publishing each directory under their existing schedules using its same facility in northeast Newton.

“It was really important to me to find a buyer that wanted to keep the company here,” Hanson said.

The company publishes more than 100 telephone directories for 140 telephone companies located in 27 states, with a combined circulation of more than one million total phone books annually.

DirecTech is owned by a Chicago-based investor group led by Anderson Pacific Corporation, with extensive background in the ownership of media and telecommunications service business.

In a news release, DirecTech CEO, Andy McKenna, Jr. said he’s looking forward to his firm becoming a part of the Newton community.

“We are all about helping our local advertisers sell more,” McKenna said. “By focusing our efforts on revenue growth through expanded product offerings, we will be of added value to our telephone exchange affiliates.”

McKenna said DirecTech will produce new print and digital products that will enhance the current services that Hanson Directories is offering to more than 25,000 advertisers.

Hanson said it was important for him to retire while the company was doing well and while he still has good health. He looks forward to spending time with family — especially his recently born granddaughter.

“You never want to have to sell while you’re in dire straits,” Hanson said. “I actually thought this would take a lot longer, but within the first two weeks of having it up for sale, I had two serious inquiries.”

Hanson said his daughter, Veronica, will remain with the company. There was some discussion about her taking over, but that turned out to be too great of a commitment.

“When I took over running the company for my dad in the late 1980s, we were a lot smaller,” Hanson said. “It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com