ADT

For Advertising solutions that work, call 800-622-0034.

The history of our company is inspiring to small business owners everywhere. In January of 1959, Lloyd L. Hanson began his career in the Yellow Page industry as a sales representative for a large directory company. After being encouraged by some of the telephone companies that he worked with, Lloyd founded his own directory company in January of 1973.

Hanson & Company began as a family endeavor in the basement of the Hanson home in Newton, Iowa. The original employees were Lloyd, his wife Valora, his son Dennis, his daughter Cheryl and his son-in-law Mike. Within the first two years, the company had contracted with eleven telephone companies to publish their directories. Nine of these original companies continue to partner with our company today.

In 1975, the company moved out of the family basement and into the Midtown Building in Newton.

In July of 1978, the company incorporated and changed its name to Hanson Directory Service, Inc. (HDS). In 1979, another son, William L. Hanson, joined the company. Upon Lloyd’s retirement, Bill became President and CEO of HDS.

Under Bill’s guidance, over the next twenty years HDS continued to steadily grow and expand. In January of 1999, the company moved to a new production facility. The company soon outgrew that facility and purchased some land in order to build a new, 25,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility at our current location of 1501 North 15th Avenue East in Newton. In February of 2007 the company relocated to the new location, which is expected to suit their space needs for years to come.

On November 1, 2016, HDS announced that it successfully completed the sale of its assets to DirecTech, LLC.

After nearly 40 years in the yellow page industry, current owner and CEO, William Hanson, decided to retire, and felt the sale to DirecTech was a “good fit for our telephone industry affiliates, our advertisers and our employees.” DirecTech continues to operate the business from the current HDS headquarters in Newton, Iowa.

DirecTech is owned by a Chicago-based investor group led by Anderson Pacific Corporation, with extensive background in the ownership of media and telecommunications service business. DirecTech will produce new print and digital products that will enhance the current services that Hanson Directory Service is offering to their more than 25,000 advertisers.

“We are all about helping our local advertisers sell more,” DirecTech CEO, Andy McKenna, Jr. stated. “By focusing our efforts on revenue growth through expanded product offerings, we will be of added value to our telephone exchange affiliates,” McKenna added.

The shared goal of our staff for each product that we offer is to produce a quality product that the telephone companies we represent, along with the customers and communities they serve, can truly be proud of. You can check out our telephone directories online at

For information on directory publishing, advertising in any of our directories, other product offerings or career opportunities, please call us at 1-800-622-0034 or email us at hanson@

Hanson Directory Service sincerely thanks our loyal telephone companies, our valued patrons and our top-notch staff for your unwavering support and efforts over the years and for your continued role in our sustained growth and success.