A new building, a new location, a new name and an acquisition - Bass Print Solutions tackled them all at the same time.
A new building for Bass Print, formerly Bass Lithocolor Inc., had been in the works for a couple of years. Business growth and new equipment created crowded conditions on West Cairo Street. By mid-September, a million-dollar, 15,000-square-foot building by Williams Construction Inc. had emerged at 2838 N. Ingram Ave. in northeast Springfield. The move - the third since the Bass family started the print shop in October 1984 - was completed at month's end.
Owner and General Manager Brian Bass says the new name - Bass Print Solutions - had been in the works for a while, too.
"We haven't used the litho color process for a long time, so that name was outdated," he says, noting the new name reflects a broader range of commercial printing services. "We've got the flexibility to handle everything from business cards to wall-size posters, and we can do it quickly."
Print-shop purchase
The purchase of competitor ABC Pictures from Roger Buffington for an undisclosed amount in 2007 was an opportunity that came along at the right time.
"The owner was getting ready to retire," Bass says, "and since most of their work consisted of publicity photos, and we were already doing some of that type of work, we were a logical buyer."
Bass Print Solutions is owned by Brian and Becky Bass, and Brian's parents, Dick and Glenda Bass. Dick Bass is "mostly retired" after nearly 45 years in the printing business, and Glenda Bass works one day a week doing "whatever needs to get done," their son says.
Both Bass Print and ABC Pictures already used a four-color digital printing process, so the acquisition did not bring new technology to Bass Print. But it did bring new markets to the 24-year-old print shop.
"ABC produced digitally enhanced color publicity and promotional-type photos used by performers, for conferences and seminars, and business organizations," Bass says. "It's a highly specialized niche market."
Client variety
That highly specialized market links up to some big names in the entertainment industry. Bass Print has printed publicity photos for Jennifer Lopez's band, members of the Jerry Springer show and nationally competitive wrestler Kurt Angle.
The ABC Pictures buyout also brought three new employees to Bass Print, another reason the extra space was needed.
Although Bass already was handling some promotional photo work, the bulk of its product consists of flyers, brochures, post cards, business cards and other print-on-demand products.
That print-on-demand ability serves iMarlin, a division of Springfield-based advertising agency Marlin Co.
"If we need 500 menus or 1,000 point-of-service photos for one of our bigger customers like (Proctor & Gamble) or Edy's, that copy is transmitted electronically through our system to Bass, and we get a 72-hour turnaround," says iMarlin Vice President Greg Shutta.
Quick turnaround is only one of the reasons, he says, that Marlin's four divisions do a lot of business with Bass Print. Shutta also cites consistent quality.
Other customers include Bass Pro Shops, Silver Dollar City and Noble & Associates.
John Bozek, a producer at Noble & Associates, an advertising agency that handles primarily building and home and food service accounts, cites high-end quality and flexibility as big assets in his business relationship with Bass.
"No job is too big or too small for them. (Bass Print does) a lot of Tyson and Otis Spunkmeyer work for us - even CD covers," Bozek says. "And what's even better is the fact that they're willing to take the time to help us out if we run into a production problem."
Bass Print's business has been steady, with last year's revenue topping out at slightly more than $1.5 million. But Bass expects 2008 revenues of $2 million, factoring in the ABC buyout.
The printing business is not likely to run out of space in the new building, which is more than twice the size of the old space.
"We built here with an eye toward future growth," Bass says. "If we need more room, we'll just knock out the back wall and build on 15,000 square feet more."
