First impressions are lasting — any businessperson knows that. But employees of a Richmond data mining company are stepping beyond merely having pressed suits and polished shoes.

Launched in December, Upshot Direct, a subsidiary of Chicago-based marketer Ha-Lo, wows its visiting out-of-town customers before they ever reach its office. The company purchased a Dodge Durango with basic features and jazzed it up. The vehicle now has two television sets, the design of the wheels duplicates the company logo and the interior colors match the color scheme of its office in Richmond. "When a client asks me to tell them a little bit about the company, I can direct them to the television screen," says Max Coates, spokesman for Upshot Direct.

While the company is only 10 months old, it has already attracted the business of key players in the beverage, credit card and technology industries, such as computer giant Hewlett Packard. Upshot Direct uses data mining and modeling to help predict customer behavior, thus enabling a company to develop more targeted, personalized marketing strategies.

The former senior executive vice president of Snyder Communications, a marketing company in Richmond, Coates approached several companies about developing his idea for a more targeted marketing company. Ha-Lo liked the idea, and Upshot Direct was born as its subsidiary.

Coates won’t divulge revenue figures, but he anticipates his staff of 15 will more than double over the next six months. Long-term plans include opening offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco and creating a bigger and better SUV.