Company History

In 1985, Bob and Jan Thornton began Market Distribution Specialists, Inc. in the basement of their home in suburban Atlanta. Starting out with just four employees, MDS developed the company’s first manual system for routing and mapping delivery areas for independent directory publishers.

Within one year the company had delivered over two million directories throughout Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, laying the groundwork for opening its first office in Lilburn, Ga. That same year, MDS developed the innovative Advertiser Assurance Program, providing clients with the peace of mind and documentation that their advertisers were delivered directories. By 1988, MDS had expanded into California, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and was delivering five million directories annually.

In 1991, MDS turned another corner with the development of the Automated Delivery Routing System (ADRS) which enabled editing and mapping of postal carrier routes to make delivery easier and more accurate. By 1994 MDS was delivering 15 million directories per year in 26 states and had opened permanent warehouses in Texas, Oklahoma, and New York.

By 1997 MDS was ready to expand its offices to accommodate growth. A new 6,000 square-foot home was established in Knoxville, Tennessee, providing space to open a centralized call center for verification a year later. By the new millennium, MDS was delivering over 20 million directories per year.

2003 brought the introduction of a new automated mapping system using the latest integrated GIS software and map databases. MDS also installed its first server-based dialing system for delivery verification giving MDS the ability to do IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Predictive Live Agent, or Manual Dialing – even allowing us to blend all three to establish a cost effective method referred to at MDS as "Blended IVR".

By the time MDS celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2005, it had reached an annual distribution of more than 32 million directories and expanded its corporate headquarters to 14,000 feet. Another highlight of 2005 was the implementation of our new Automated Delivery Routing System (ADRS-Plus). Written in .NET and using SQL as its foundation, it is fully customizable and allows for a level of flexibility and distribution coverage unknown in the industry.

Today, MDS employs nearly 200 employees and is looking forward to the next 20 years.