PrintComm is proud to announce that longtime employee Kevin Naughton has assumed sole ownership of the company following the retirement of former owner Gerald Minarik. The company began operations on Tuesday, Aug. 9 under the new owner.
Naughton has worked in the printing industry for 36 years and has been a PrintComm employee for almost 30 of those years. During that time, Naughton has held many positions at PrintComm in areas ranging from customer service to design. He experienced his greatest success in his role as director of sales and marketing, where he managed not only those two departments, but also the day-to-day management of the company itself. Naughton said, “I didn’t get here by myself. I give a lot of credit to Jerry Minarik, the former owner. And, there are a lot of very smart and talented people working here.”
The company was, at one time, very dependent on automotive business but has reinvented itself at least twice in the last 20 years. Naughton believes the company is well positioned for the future. “PrintComm isn’t a giant company, but I hope that our success can serve as an inspiration to others in Southeast Michigan. There is life outside of automotive. You can make it.”
During Naughton’s tenure, PrintComm has become a full-scale marketing service provider that provides professional results. PrintComm’s clients are from all over the U.S. and Canada. Over 80 percent of the company’s business comes from outside of Michigan. In addition to offering direct mail and other printing services, PrintComm specializes in dealer/agent marketing management. “Kevin Naughton and his team at PrintComm are always looking for ways to outperform their competitors and generate sales for your business,” said Carl F. Mercure, event manager at Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), parent company of Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo and Can-Am. “Methodical and strategic; they get the job done.”
From a three-employee stationery printer (then known as Flint Rotary Press) to a cutting-edge print and direct marketing company, PrintComm has evolved with technology and customer demand over the past 50 years. In 1958, Flint Rotary Press served the local business community as a full-service printer of letterhead, envelopes and newsletters. The original 1,800-square-foot shop was located on Pengelly near Atherton and Saginaw roads on the south side of Flint, Mich.
In 1974, the company moved to its current location at 2929 Davison Road in Flint in a much larger, 6,500-square-foot facility. Twenty-four years and many expansions later, the office/warehouse facility now encompasses 40,100 square feet of space. The company employs almost 50 full-time employees and more than 120 seasonal workers. PrintComm took its current name in 1990 when its scope of services and customers outgrew its original name.
Naughton is proud to have been part of PrintComm’s growth over the last few decades and looks forward to its continued success. He concludes, “We have talked about how it would be cool to be part of something that made a difference. I hope the company can help customers achieve their goals, become a means to fund causes, create jobs in the Flint area (God knows we need them), and provide rewarding opportunities to talented people. These are things we can feel good about. It has to be about more than just making money.”