Before the recession hit, Brian Tyll's Allegra Print Imaging franchise in Wixom, Mich., had as many as 50 employees. But by December 2008 -- when marketing budgets all but disappeared -- the headcount fell to 36. In the last year, as advertising dollars have come back, Tyll has started to staff up again. So far, the co-owner of the franchise has added 2 positions in production, and is looking to add another 4. He is in the process of moving his operation into a bigger facility 7 miles away in Plymouth, Mich.
During the recession, what little money was still allocated for advertising went toward low-budget e-mail blasts. Starting in 2010, Allegra's business started gearing up again as companies began paying for direct mailings, print ads, and attending trade shows, Tyll said.
"We produce several magazines, and the publishers are starting to get advertisers back, so we have seen the page count in those publications start to grow," he said.
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