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Pressing On
By Ben T.C. Davis
Walking into Minuteman Press International Inc., I had no idea what to
expect or how this was even going to go. I have never dropped a line
for an audience before, and I have sure never written anything that was
journalistic.
So, feeling like a fish out of water, I jumped into this project the
only way I knew how; with an undeserved sense of entitlement and the
delusions of grandeur.
Greenville’s 415 South Broadway has seen its share of businesses come
through its location. That is no surprise since the building has been
standing since the 1800’s. Mainly occupied by shoe repair shops,
clothing shops, and jewelry stores through the majority of its
existence; it must have been quite a big deal when, in 1983, a
commercial print shop opened up at this location.
John Snell learned his skilled trade as a press operator for a couple
of decades; at McCall’s/ Dayton Press in Dayton, Ohio. After
McCall’s/Dayton Press closed its doors in 1982, John and Sharon decided
to go into business for themselves in a business he was well versed in.
They bought into the new; up and coming franchise, Minuteman Press.
The Greenville location at one time employed 5 different people; which
by my standards is quite impressive by the sheer size of the work
space. Over the years the company has had to become lean in its
manufacturing process to stay competitive. Most of that space is now
being taken up by their state of the art print machines.
It is now run by two men that are sure to work for your business, and
will keep it by their ability to produce the most outstanding products
that are sure to put a smile on all their costumers’ faces.
I had recently started a rumor, that Mona Lisa did not smile until she
saw the work of Nevin Eley, and Greg Tedore.
When you walk into Minuteman Press, you may not find anyone working the
front desk, but if you listen you will hear the state of the art
machines in the back spitting out costumer orders; wedding
announcements, business cards, calendars, or any variety of multitudes
of things, Nevin Eley, and Greg Tedore, are able to do at their
Minuteman Press shop, located on South Broadway, Greenville, Ohio. If
you do not see the two men working away on one of the many machines
they have recently purchased to meet the need of the consumer demand
for better quality, and lower prices, you can hear the two old friends
typing away on costumer’s orders or formatting a page for a costumer.
The two men are not only friends, but co-owners that have been in the
print shop business together for years. Nevin, who went to what is now
known as Miami Valley Career Technical Center to study photography and
commercial art, has a longer history with the shop, working there
through the early 1990’s to make extra money through high school. After
a short stint in the world of production manufacturing, Nevin returned
to the shop in 2007 to buy the Minuteman Press franchise from his once
boss, John Snell. Needing someone to help him run his newly acquired
business, he hired his longtime friend Greg Tedore.
Greg, starting just a few months after Nevin had come back to buy the
shop, bought into the company in 2012.
Greg, a man that rarely complains, and never tires of performing the
best job possible, is truly a sea captain of his trade.
But the commercial print shop business seems to have seen its better
days. It is an old art form that is being crowded out by applied
science and the unstoppable momentum of our consumer greed for quicker
and more inexpensive and sometimes inferior products. It may be looking
downward at the same impending future as the printed word.
I urge you, before you find yourself in front of your personal computer
spending countless hours trying to design your project or going through
multiple ink cartridges because you are copying off 200 wedding
invitations; look up Nevin and Greg at the Minuteman Press shop.
You will not only find two men with extensive knowledge on commercial
printing; you may find that it was cheaper for you or find that the few
extra dollars you spent, was well worth it.
When you see that leaving it to people who do it as a profession, they
are able to produce a product sure to impress you.
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