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2009 Grant Request

Personal attention...

In their retirement, John and Susie Colombe continue to have time for their "family" and they have watched with pride as second-generation employees have joined the company.

In 1973 Susie and John Colombe felt they had a better solution for people who needed fast, affordable black and white printing. That year they opened an Insty-Prints franchise in a 900-square-foot space at 3824 Madison Avenue on Indianapolis' south side. The quick-print industry was in its infancy and Colombes provided the personal attention that nurtured the company's growth in its early years.

Within three years, Insty-Prints had expanded to include a downtown location at 134 N. Delaware Street, which was later moved to 114 N. Delaware. In the early years, the business concentrated on 1- and 2-color printing. Later, it expanded to include xerographic copying.

Within the next decade, Colombe's business had grown to include four locations. By 1989, with 7 employees, their operation at 114 N. Delaware had annual revenues of more than $600,000. John credits his wife with their success as he recalls that Susie was "the strength of the business."

A 1991 employee photograph commemorates the expansion of the Delaware Street facility.

A quarter century after they opened their first store, John and Susie Colombe took their first step toward retirement on June 1, 1989 when they sold their Delaware Street operation to Michael O'Brien. Michael, who realized almost immediately that he needed a partner, turned to his brother, Joel. As a favor he had typeset Joel's resume and he recalls telling him, "If I had know you were so qualified, I would have offered you a job." Joel spent two weeks of vacation working in the company and then returned to Wisconsin to resign his position as an agricultural loan officer.

The sale of Insty-Prints had been negotiated over the course of two years and was kept confidential until the day before it occurred. John and Susie had mixed feelings about turning their "family" over to new owners. The employees included manager Libby Robor (Fay), Denise Smith, Becky Eder (Bennett), Linda Lake, Mark Parmenter, Keith Robinson and Tim Gasper. Shortly after the purchase, Mary Jo Lewis joined the company. Today all but Libby (who moved to Kentucky), Denise and Keith (who joined the Navy) are still with the company.

John and Susie believed that their employees were their greatest asset. And it was a philosophy they put into action. According to John, "Before it was a general practice, we tried to be flexible with our employees. We thought of them as part of our family." Being part of the family meant receiving your age in dollars on each birthday.

In later years as the "family" matured, the O'Briens continued that philosophy when they implemented paid maternity and paternity leave as a way to retain employees.

The next decade brought continued growth as a result of a strong emphasis on sales and marketing. Joel and Michael pioneered the concept of personal selling, which was unusual in the quick-print market at that time. In 1991, annual sales exceeded $1 million and the following year the company was named "Franchise of the Year."

In 1991 Susie Colombe (second from right) was honored as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by Insty-Prints, Inc.

John and Susie continued their roles as mentors, not just to the O'Briens and their employees, but also to their peers. Through the years they earned numerous corporate awards, but the one that was most rewarding came in 1991 when Susie Colombe was honored by Insty-Prints, Inc. as "Woman Entrepreneur of the Year". As a business woman, she set the standards for quality that continue at Printing Partners to this day.

To accommodate its continued growth, in 1991 Insty-Prints leased adjacent space at 106 N. Delaware Street. By 1995 the operation had expanded through acquisition to include three locations, and it had become the largest multiple-unit Insty-Prints in the world with annual sales of more than $3 million.

From the very beginning, Joel and Michael divided their responsibilities with Joel focusing on finance, administration and operations and Michael concentrating on sales and marketing. In many ways, their roles mirrored those that Susie and John had played. Susie and Joel tended to be analytical and disciplined. John and Michael tended toward the creative and both were more likely than their partners to shoot from the hip. In both cases the chemistry worked.

A 1997 ARTI award presented by the Arts Council of Indianapolis recognized Printing Partners commitment to the arts which continues today.

By 1998, having outgrown its Delaware Street location, the company purchased a building at 929 W. 16th Street and moved into space it shared with Alexander's Standard Printing. The move culminated a strategic alliance between the two companies that had continued for almost a decade. Dick and Susie Alexander possessed an understanding of the trade that complemented the O'Briens' marketing and sales perspective. Dating back to 1924, Standard Printing had evolved from a letterpress shop into a commercial sheet-fed printer with both 2- and 5-color Heidelberg presses. As mentors, both Alexanders generously shared their knowledge with their new partners.

Shortly after their move, the Insty-Prints franchise was terminated and the company began doing business as Printing Partners. The franchise, and the name associated with it, had become a detriment to a company that was evolving into a commercial printer. That was evidenced in 2000 when a second 5-color Heidelberg was purchased, doubling the company's 4-color process capacity.

Human Resource manager Sheryl Thorpe and typesetter Bob Boyle participate in "Hat Day" at Printing Partners.

In August 2000 the alliance between the two partners was formalized when Printing Partners purchased Alexander's Standard Printing. The purchase brought together two complementary, but diverse cultures. Blending the two created a stronger, more disciplined team. Many of the Standard employees, including Tim O'Brien and Lenard Brown, had been with the company since the early 1970s. All of them were craftsman and as such they set the quality standard for the new organization.

Throughout the 90s, the pace of technological change quickened. By the beginning of the new millennium, the speed and quality of digital printing had dramatically improved. Offset printing saw the introduction of computer-to-plate technology which eliminated the use of film and the need for conventional stripping. The end result was enhanced quality and faster turn time.

Today, Printing Partners has grown to become one of Indianapolis' top ten printers with more than 80 employees generating annual revenues of $10 million at three locations. Its mission, however, remains the same: To provide clients personal attention and professional communications solutions.

Joel and Michael acknowledge that their success at fulfilling this mission is completely dependent upon their employees. "Our most important role is to create an environment in which our employees can work productively and feel appreciated."

The O'Briens consider hiring and training employees to be one of their most important tasks. It has also been the source of some of their most memorable moments, say the O'Briens who recall the prospective employee who came in and announced that, "there was no need for an interview because she was who they needed and they should just hire her." Or the interviewee who walked into their office to say that he was going to work for them and he could start on April 23. Both are still with the company. And both are stellar employees.

Printing Partners today is what Susie and John started it out to be. . .and what Joel and Michael O'Brien have continued. A place to come for professional solutions from people who make you feel like you're part of the family.