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The JobYou Needed

Yesterday

Minuteman Press

B

uddy Smith only thought

he was retiring from the working world

when he left his job following a 36-year

career with Roadway Express. Thirteen

years after purchasing a Minuteman

Press franchise and locating it in Mount

Pleasant, he stays busy

running the business, compiling printing

quotes, sending out

invoices and serving

as its only salesman.

And, if you need your printing job

delivered to your door, that task will be

handled by the owner of the business as

well. It’s all part of Smith’s attitude that if

you treat your customers right, they’ll keep

coming back.

“No one will beat our customer service,”

said Smith, who managed Roadway Express

facilities all over the Southeastern United

States before moving to the Lowcountry

from Greenville. “Because we’re small,

we’re flexible. That’s the beauty of a small

operation.”

With Roadway, Smith managed

500 people at a distribution center. At

Minuteman Press, he has only two other

full-timers and one part-timer. One of

those employees is Richard Geisert, a

veteran of the printing business who has

been with Smith since the beginning.

“As luck would have it, I hired Richard

before I even opened,” Smith explained. “He is my

franchise. He really knows printing.”

Geisert’s vast experience is exactly what Smith needed

to launch his new business venture. His own experience in

the world of printing consisted of two weeks of training in

New York after he bought the franchise.

Minuteman Press offers a wide range of printing

options, from business cards to posters, banners,

By Brian Sherman

booklets, letterhead and envelopes, “just about anything

a business would need,” according to Smith. He also sells

promotional products.

Smith pointed out that much has changed in the

printing business since he opened his doors in July 2003.

He said he got rid of his offset press around two years ago,

and everything he prints today is digital.

That means he doesn’t have to charge his

customers to set up a press and that in

quantities of 250 to 1,000, his pricing is

more than competitive. It also means he

can turn a job around in record time.

“I’ve got quality people, but I have

good equipment as well. We have the

latest equipment as far as digital output,”

he said.

Technology also has changed the way

Smith deals with his clients. He said 90

percent of his customers contact him

by email or get printing quotes on the

Minuteman Press website.

“The computer and email are our

lifeline,” he said, adding that customer

service is the heart of the business.

“If you walk in the door and you

need a job right away, you’re going to

get it right away, and we never add a

rush charge,” Smith said, pointing out

that with Minuteman Press, there’s no

delivery charge either.

“When I say free, I mean free,” he

remarked.

And when he says he’ll do whatever is necessary to

impress his customers, he means that as well. Hence

his company’s motto: “Printing for the job you needed

yesterday.”

Minuteman Press is located 920 Houston Northcutt

Blvd., Building A3. To learn more, visit

www.chsmmp.com

or call 843-388-2599.

The full-time employees at

minuteman Press include, top

to bottom: owner Buddy Smith,

richard Geisert and Kayla evett.

Photos by Brian Sherman.

MP Business

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