Official Show Daily • Cygnus Graphics Media
Miller’s Minuteman Press Presstek helps printer move to the forefront
n July 1999, Keith Miller relocated from South Africa to Baltimore, arriving in a new country without any business contacts and a very limited social network. Not knowing American business practices and hav- ing a limited network of family and friends to draw on, Miller decided to follow the franchise route in establish- ing a business. Miller located a Minuteman Press franchise that was for sale in Balti- more. This business had been operat- ing for many years, but the owner was in semi-retirement. Miller purchased the business in December 1999. In 10 short years, Miller has substan- tially grown the business by acquiring four additional stores—Westminster in 2005, Towson in 2006, Hunt Valley in 2007 and Lutherville in 2010—along with establishing a central production- facility in September 2008. His perse- verance, leadership, networking, and his dedicated team of employees have been key contributors to his success. Today, his company is recognized as #64 on the Quick Printing Top 100. The company, the third youngest in the list, was also recognized as one of the leaders in sales growth, with the fourth largest sales growth at 33.33% over the previous year.
I
Raising the bar Miller’s story starts with a mar-
keting and sales effort that consisted of building customer relationships through cold calling, leads and net- work groups. As he grew the business and acquired additional sites, he deter- mined that he needed a more formal marketing approach and established a marketing division. In the fall of 2004, his father, Lester Miller, moved from South Africa to help with the sales and marketing effort. One of the first tasks as new sites were added was to develop an integrated identity for all of the locations in all marketing materials. In 2009, Miller opened a new production facility and implemented a graphic arts department within the company. He also hired Leigh Lieman, a marketing professional, to help with this effort and to keep the momentum going. Miller also did not shy away from
investing in equipment and technology to accelerate growth. In 2000, the busi- ness’s investments in equipment and technology were less than $50,000. By 2009, that number had grown to more than $2 million.
Miller had been running the business with a combination of digital toner- based printers from Xerox, Ricoh, and Canon, three ABDick 9995 two-color presses, a Presstek DPM34 polyester platesetter as well as a full complement
of bindery equipment. “We noticed increasing demand for
four-color work,” he says, “and while we could address some of it with our digital toner-based devices, we could not achieve economies of scale as run lengths grew beyond 1,000-1,500. In addition, we struggled with some of the applications which were not appro- priate for toner printing, either because the sub- strates would not run well through
the devices or because of special bind- ery and post-processing needs. So we added two Presstek 34DI digital offset presses to address these shortfalls.” Finally, Miller upgraded mailing capabilities, adding a full service mail- ing department in 2006, enabling the company to offer customers a seamless service from concept to fulfillment. This is augmented by a level of person- al service above and beyond the indus- try norm that has developed long-term relationships and a high level of trust, with minimal customer attrition rates. Today, Miller has structured his
business as a hub-and-spoke operation, with the Central Production Facility supporting the network of five stores. He also offers marketing services, graphic design, a full bindery, mailing and a promotional products division. This is reflected in the company’s web- site,
www.millersmmp.com, which offers an interactive customer expe- rience where customers can request estimates, place orders, submit files and view proofs in real time. This Web interface is built on Versa-Doc. Planned for this year is the addition of a Digital Communications Division that will allow customers to deliver their messages not only in print, but also via email blasts, Web marketing and more. Miller’s Minuteman Press is a ter-
rific example of a company on the move. Miller came into the business without any preconceived notions or heavy background in printing and restructured the company based on what he saw as critical customer needs that his business could address. He has not stood still over time, staying current with technology, keeping his skills base updated, and ensuring that every employee understands the com- pany’s mission and works to deliver the promise.
The future is bright for Miller’s Min- uteman Press. The company continues to rank in the top 5% of the Minuteman network, has accumulated an impres- sive array of awards and recognition, but most importantly, is moving to the beat of dynamically changing custom- er needs, ensuring customer retention and long-term growth.
GRAPH EXPO • October 3, 2010 ■ 59
Ricoh Brings Timely Solutions to GRAPH EXPO
Visit booth 2017 for the unveiling of Ricoh’s newest print technology
D
iscover the latest in print production solutions, we invite you to “Connect with Ricoh” and join us in booth
#2017. Experience different solutions that address issues and needs facing both customers and the production printing industry overall, as well as bridge the gap between the realm of print and advanced document man-
agement solutions and services. At the booth, you will go through a
variety of environments that demon- strate Ricoh’s long standing history of delivering top of the line equip- ment and providing ongoing consul- tative services which help organiza-
tions achieve cost savings. By part- nering with customers to implement solutions that reduce costs, Ricoh’s production print solutions address the ever changing industry landscape and economic environment. In addition to a new product which will be released at the show, the booth will feature the Ricoh Pro C900, com- bined with the powerful Creo C-80 front-end
technology, as well as the Ricoh Pro C720 and the Ricoh Pro 1357 EX. Partnering with InfoPrint Solutions, a Ricoh company, at GRAPH EXPO the booth is also offering a first hand look at the IP 5000, IP C900 with ADF, IP 100 and IP 1357.
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