WRAL Tech Wire

Broadwick Unveils New Name, New Logo, New Slogan - and Nears New Financing ($4M)

Aaron Houghton, left, and Ryan Allis are making some major changes at fast-growing Broadwick.

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By RICK SMITH

DURHAM, N.C. – Broadwick.com, a fast-growing startup focused on e-mail and other means of marketing, is changing the name of its lead product, logo, marketing slogan and is closing on landing new financing.

The company, founded by two college students who met each other at an entrepreneurship meeting, has picked iContact as the name for its lead product. The change from Intelicontact is set for June 5.

The new slogan reads: “We simplify communication.” The old read: “We simplify email marketing.”

The changes are a big move for Broadwick, which has built a customer base of several thousand companies and individual users.

“We are shortening the name to make it easier to remember, easier to spell and easier to say,” said Ryan Allis, one of the co-founders and Broadwick’s chief executive officer. “The name has served us very well the last four years.”

The name change is part of a drive by Broadwick to improve its brand and also will be part of a marketing drive to let customers and potential ones know that the firm is not limited to e-mail tools.

“Icontact speaks to our goals,” Allis said. “We help companies deliver all their online communications in one place. Our communications platform is not just e-mail. We have added capabilities for bloggers, RSS syndication and more.

“We want a brand that we can use on billboards, radio and television,” he added. “We wanted something a little shorter. Realizing that Icontact was within Intellicontact already made it easier for us.”

Aaron Houghton, the executive chairman of the firm and it’s other co-founder, said the change process was methodical and included feedback from customers.

“We think the new name is simple yet it represents the brand very well,” he said. “After seven months of work, it’s a great feeling. The feedback has been great.”

Allis stressed that Broadwick listened carefully to customers. “There is always concern whenever there is change,” he explained. “What we tried to do was listen, figure out what concerns people had, and respond to them.”

Meanwhile, Broadwick continues to make progress on the financing front.

The firm plans to close on $4 million in additional financing by July.

“Everything is moving forward,” Allis said. “It looks like the closing will be imminent.”

Broadwick, which recorded nearly $3 million in revenue in 2006, closed on its first financing ($500,000 from NC IDEA) a year ago. At that time the firm had 22 employees. Now it has 54 employees, and its customer base has more than doubled to 10,500 from 4,800.

The funds will “help us grow faster,” Allis said, with the money being used in part for product development and online marketing.

Houghton and Allis have big plans to grow the company, which recently relocated to new office space in Durham.

“We’ll hire a total of 34 employees this year and end the year with 72,” Houghton said. Hiring plans include additions in customer service, product development and sales.

Income from new customers will also help fund expansion. “We’re now adding 1,100 customers a month,” Houghton said proudly.

That's impressive growth.

The Skinny

WRAL Local Tech Wire Publisher and Editor Rick Smith dishes out tidbits from the local technology sector. Read more articles…