The Lineage Story
How we expanded our possibilities, and aren’t stopping anytime soon
From Modest Roots In Buffalo, NY To A Premiere Provider Across The Nation
Our story isn’t that of an underdog, nor one of a hero. Rather, our story is humble and steady. It’s moderate and reliable, yet progressive and aggressive. It involves bridging “old-school” values with “new-school” technology. It looks like the consistent building of enterprise operations with the preservation of small business service. It’s more than machines stuffing pieces of paper into an envelope. It’s made up of people, and, more importantly, the endless individual stories of our people.
At Lineage, we want to expand what’s possible. We offer expertise, knowledge, and know-how to help you navigate through challenges, and we share best practices and tools to leave your business better off than we found it. Here’s how we’ve done it over the years.
Where We Began To Where We Are Now
Since our founding in 1984, Lineage has always been about doing what best serves our clients.
Richard Willams’ (Lineage President & CEO) parents founded Lineage in Buffalo, NY. The company was small: 5 people, 500 clients, and $250,000 in revenue. Lineage has since grown to over 15,000 clients, more than 140 employees among 8 locations, and increased its revenue tenfold.
Richard bought Lineage from his parents in 2016 and took the company to new heights internally and externally. What started as basic mailing services has expanded to a versatile range of hardware and software solutions in the mailing, addressing, printing, and document management space. Richard’s forward-thinking business acumen has led him to open new locations, acquire industry-similar companies, take advantage of business-adjacent opportunities, and bring in new talent.
He’s done this while newly incorporating a bright and revitalized faith-based culture into the company.
Our Purpose, Mission, And Core Values
Growth
Family Culture
Pursuit of Excellence
Compassion
What do these mean for Lineage?
Our leaders act with these values in mind when making internal business decisions. When working externally and making connections outside of our offices, we stand tall with these values leading us forward. All of our team members are expected to adhere to them in the efforts that they make.
At Lineage, we take our purpose, mission, and core values seriously in our culture. We don’t let them pass us by like tossed papers flowing through the wind. Rather, we commit ourselves to them in every aspect of our business because it’s by abiding by these that we can successfully come through for our customers.
Yes, we come through for our customers. We come through for each other. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night, nor a heavy workload, nor even a really, really bad cold will stop us from the swift completion of our mission. We come through. Because for Lineage, the important things never change.
A Faith-Based Organization
How does Richard do this? By creating a “caring culture” developed by roots in his faith.
He uses this conviction, as well as significant collaboration with company leaders, to create a culture that cares in more ways than one.
This culture of caring at Lineage is one where the company generously gives to and invests in its employees to the point where they never question that they’re cared for. It’s a culture where the people involved genuinely care about each other. Care about each others’ success. Care about each others’ wellbeing. Care about each others’ growth and stability.
Read more about how we do this with our Caring Team below.
This is why many of Lineage’s employees have decades of tenure with the company and why over a thousand of Lineage’s customers have worked with the company for over 10 years. It’s also what helps Lineage’s customer service be as excellent as it is.
Richard firmly believes team members who feel like they're a part of our company family will treat clients like they’re also a part of that same family. This is why we embed a “family culture” value alongside our caring culture. It’s also why they have been and will continue to be an integral part of the Lineage culture.
Our purpose states, "Honor God by serving, supporting, and caring with excellence." You don't have to be religious to work at Lineage. All we ask is that you align with the rest of the purpose to serve, support, and care with excellence. We are an equal-opportunity employer and respect all people, viewpoints, and backgrounds.
Our Clients
Person-to-electronic communication isn’t personal and, as we all know, is a pain to deal with.
This is why Lineage dedicates itself to making all client interactions be with real people and in-house employees. Our customers pay top-dollar for our services, so they deserve top-dollar customer service too.
When it comes to our clients, we treat every single one with integrity. We don’t sell them what they don’t need, obscure the truth, or treat them like a number. We treat them like honest people, and all people deserve fair treatment.
Our Caring Team
What is the Caring Team?
Richard hates this idea and that many businesses have this philosophy with their employees. This, as well as our overarching caring culture, is why Richard and company leadership started the Caring Team at Lineage.
Each office has its own dedicated team, made up of volunteer representatives within the company, that operate as a communication conduit, initiate employee care, and manage volunteer efforts.Team members can contact their respective Caring Team leader when they need financial assistance so they don’t have to sacrifice work or care for their families. It could be a gift of money, a loan, or counseling.
Lineage takes care of our clients and our team members because, to us, you are family.
