Greenville -based company has identified three growth areas: direct mail, flexible labeling and signaling for customers at home and national.
Greenville – sitting in his office in Greenville, Brian Reimer is optimistic about graphic composition.
April 1 will mark the second anniversary since Reimer won the 80-year printing business. Since taking over, he has described his story as one of the survival and adaptation, moving away from traditional oppression while preserving existing customers and exploring new growth opportunities.
He said he also received the “secret sauce” from the former owner: lessons that helped the company navigate digital technology growth in the last few decades.
Now, the 39-year-old is taking it a step further by diversifying the business in three main areas: direct mail, labeling and signaling, and marketing directed to help customers reach their target audience. And as the father of two, he also appreciates the balance of work and life for his employees.
“You know that anything that will enter the future, you can change and fit,” he said. “The owner decides to run the business, but all employees are the ones who make it happen.”
Narrowing 800 businesses to find the perfect fit
Reimer co-owned the business with his wife, Sarah Reimer, overseeing a team of about 30 employees. Growing up in a family -led business, he was a first -hand witness how his father, Dennis Reimer, led Winneconne -based Midwest specialized products, specialized in available napkins, bath towels and industrial wipes.
He was later involved in family business operation in the 20s and early 1930s.
Inspired by his father, Reimer wanted to start his own business, producing something tangible and keeping money circulating within the community.
Reimer sent 800 letters to business owners throughout the Fox Valley, making a personal appeal in the hope that they would read his two -page handwritten letter. Eachdo, he said, included a first page listing the types of businesses he was looking for, while the second page was a brief self-presence along with a photo of him, his wife and their two children.
He received 10 to 15 answers and narrowed them into two purchase options, one of which was the graphic composition. He was particularly looking for a diverse customer base, where no single client calculated more than 20% of total income, a sustainable and predictable income and a strong and supportive team.
With the help of the Federal Elementary Credit Program 7 (A), through the administration of small business, Reimers gained graphic composition.
The small business administration program is designed to help small businesses receive funding, providing a wide range of business goals, including business expansion and inventory purchases. A SBA participant can support up to $ 5 million, and low payment is often as low as 10% of the loan amount.
Learn what makes graphic composition special
The graphic composition has been working for nearly 80 years, learning a series of industry challenges. Reimers bought the company from Mark Jungen and spent six to nine months learning what made the business special and how it had succeeded in the printing industry since 1946.
The Jungen family was related to newspapers printing. Originating from Oshkosh, Mark Jungen’s father, Leo Jungen, decided the kind for the criminal before he moved to Kenosha Times, according to the post-crescent report on June 23, 2004.
Leo Jungen bought a small store printed in Menasha in 1956 and built a 5,100 -square -foot plant on the Midway Road in Menasha in the early 1960s, focusing on the printing of hot and white white metals. At its peak, the company hired 70 people and operated three shifts, providing high -speed typography services to clients across the county.
Mark Jungen bought the company from his parents in 1996, and in 2002, he received financial incentives from the city of Greenville, which allowed him to build a 23,000 -square -foot structure that included the office, production and space storage. This expansion involved the installation of a direct press of Heidelberg direct images to facilitate digital pressure skills.
The type of growth and innovation was one of the things that impressed Reimer.
“When a technology leaves, you can either choose to die as an oppressor or any other business, or you can redefine yourself,” he said. “In order to survive over 80 years in the printing industry, they must evolve.”
Embracing this philosophy, Jungen directed in the packaging label sector, taking a press release of the labels shortly before selling the business in Reimer.
Graphic composition expands in mail, label and direct signage
Despite a general decline in the printing industry, the Greenville -based business is finding opportunities in direct mail, labels and signage, Reimer said. The Direct Mail has become the fastest growing segment of the company, serving customers in the cheese, banking and non -profit sectors both in the country and in the national one.
The company helps clients optimize their mail campaigns – identifying target demographics, analyzing income ranges and taking into account household sizes. Reimer said his team ensures that the direct mail reaches the right audience and clients see higher levels of response, leading to repeated business.
He said his team tried to get a 1% response rate by sending one million mail to people, and now the company can distribute 700,000 but get a higher response rate.
“This is where I see the biggest innovation in our industry coming from is by direct mail,” he said. “But if we can be experts in our industry, we will grow only by being experts despite the general industry falling.”
Labels are another area of tremendous growth, and the company has purchased new equipment to support tags printing cheese, wine and food packaging. Among its customers is Green Bay based on Titlewn Brewing, for whom the beer prints can label.
For Reimer, work brings a sense of fulfillment by helping customers express their brand and marketing through the work of graphic composition.
“When I came on board, it was literally so cute to see our work everywhere in the community,” he said.
Zhen Wang is a business reporter for post-criminal. Reach it with tips for history and feedback in zwang@gannett.com or 920-993-7117.