Nick Lanzi didn’t at all times envision a profession in advertising and communications. With an accounting diploma from Penn State, he spent the primary a part of his profession in finance, serving as CFO for one of many area’s largest direct advertising companies. His publicity to that business sparked his curiosity in launching his personal enterprise, Direct Alternative, in 1995.

Practically three a long time later, he and his workforce have developed a specialised strategy for assembly the calls for of direct advertising for nationwide and regional manufacturers. Now, as a pacesetter within the LGBTQIA+ enterprise neighborhood, Lanzi sees the impression that investing in and dealing with numerous suppliers can have.

Working with Independence Blue Cross

Lanzi and his workforce have been doing enterprise with Independence Blue Cross (IBX) for almost 20 years, specializing in digital, direct advert, and mailed advertising campaigns.

“My company works on behalf of our shoppers to determine the perfect prospects to achieve out to. Then, we create and deploy communications to get these prospects to take motion,” Lanzi mentioned. “With Independence Blue Cross, our work contains renewing people and teams and advertising Inexpensive Care Act and Medicare plans. No matter their want is, we offer an answer.”

Each IBX and Direct Alternative profit from working collectively. Direct Alternative’s versatile and enthusiastic expertise helps IBX talk with members successfully; and the cooperative partnership has helped Direct Alternative achieve shoppers within the business.

“Having Independence Blue Cross in your record of shoppers is like gold as a result of they’re the gold normal, particularly within the Philadelphia market,” mentioned Lanzi. “I’ve been in a position to entice different companies as shoppers over the previous 17 years due to our relationship.”

Shared Alternatives

The connection between IBX and Direct Alternative is rooted in shared beliefs and a shared dedication to neighborhood. Benefitting extra than simply the 2 organizations, it has helped to advance others within the diverse-owned enterprise neighborhood.

“My vendor companions allow me to supply Independence Blue Cross with high-quality and reasonably priced merchandise that we ship on time,” defined Lanzi. “Not solely does that make me feel and appear actually good, it additionally incentivizes Independence Blue Cross to offer us extra work — and that rolls downstream to my numerous vendor companions. So, it feeds the system.”

Integrating numerous suppliers into enterprise fashions has helped IBX and Direct Alternative strengthen the native financial system, enhance innovation, assist the hiring of native expertise, and higher serve members and shoppers by rising illustration for historically underrepresented communities.

“I’m blissful to say that almost 25 p.c of Direct Alternative’s annual vendor spend is with women-, BIPOC-, veteran-, and LGBTQIA+-owned companies,” mentioned Lanzi.

At IBX and our subsidiaries, the provider variety program continues to develop, with $317 million spent with numerous suppliers in 2023, a rise of 13 p.c since 2022.

Impression Past “Simply Enterprise”

Lanzi’s dedication to supporting different numerous companies extends past his hiring of these suppliers. He additionally sits on the board of the Unbiased Enterprise Alliance, which is the Philadelphia chapter of the Nationwide LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Lanzi leverages that function to have a larger impression on LGBTQIA+ causes and companies within the space.

“Independence Blue Cross helps the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood in a approach I’ve by no means skilled earlier than. They’re main sponsors of quite a few organizations within the Philadelphia space they usually actually put their cash the place their mouth is,” Lanzi mentioned.