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Copresco has celebrated its 25th anniversary in the digital printing
business.
The company was founded in a one-room office in Wheaton by
President and CEO Steve Johnson who believed that the future for commercial
printing was in digital technology. He formed an organization specializing in
the fast printing of publications, books and manuals. Today, the Carol Stream
company is recognized as a national leader in digital technology and on-demand
printing. Copresco's digital presses produce millions of impressions in a
14,000 sq. ft. plant for a diverse range of clients in the general business,
printing trade, technical and institutional fields.
"Long before
on-demand became an industry buzzword, Copresco was turning out high-quality,
short-run documents in extremely short turnaround times," Johnson says. "We
thrive on doing the impossible, taking on jobs that others can't or won't
handle."
Copresco has won an impressive array of awards and honors from
customers, the graphic arts industry and professional organizations.
Achievements include international awards for printing excellence of digital
books and publications as well as recognition for quality and innovation from
equipment manufacturers and graphic communications industry magazines.
Copresco also knows how to deal with adversity, like the stock market meltdown
on the day the company opened for business on October 19, 1987-and the
company's miraculous 48-hour recovery from a Sunday, July 1 weather disaster.
The catastrophe was reported like this: "Mr. Johnson, this is the Carol Stream
Fire Department. The roof has blown off your building. You had better get over
there right away!"
A severe storm with 90 mph hurricane-force winds had
violently battered Chicago's western suburbs, drenching the area with pounding
hail and an inch of rain in 25 minutes. Copresco was one of Commonwealth
Edison's 250,000 customers without power.
When Johnson arrived at his
darkened building, he thought that he was out of business. He found the large
part of a tree down on the lawn, and what was left of the plant roof scattered
across the parking lot and loading dock. He splashed his way through the office
to find the company's digital press and bindery departments and the warehouse
and shipping department soaked with rainwater.
He immediately put
Copresco's disaster relief plan into action. Staff members were told to
rendezvous at the plant as soon as power was restored. A commercial cleaning
and restoration company was notified, while the fire department installed large
tarps to protect equipment. An electronic restoration services crew, flown in
from out of state, worked into the night to clean and service computers and
other digital equipment. Roofers also worked into the night, installing a
temporary waterproof roof system to protect the plant against further damage.
Power was restored during the night. July 2 was spent cleaning up
water, clearing debris and the staff reported back to their regular jobs the
next day.
Despite the catastrophic event, the company's "mission
impossible" spirit prevailed, and Copresco was back in business, printing and
binding clients' work just two days after the storm struck the plant.
"Only one day of production was lost. Many companies would have been
out of business for months, or would have had to go out of business
altogether," Johnson says. "But, Copresco understands how to work under extreme
pressure, deal with unexpected problems and come up with fast, efficient
solutions. Our experienced staff responded quickly and professionally.
"Our quick response to the storm was the result of a preplanned
disaster relief plan that went into action as soon as the fire department call
was received. Our plant is located in a well-established industrial area with
excellent municipal and commercial business services," Johnson explained.
Although the past few months have been peaceful at the Carol Stream
plant, the remarkable recovery from the July 2012 storm will be a
long-remembered event in Copresco's 25th anniversary year in the digital
printing business.
Copresco president and CEO Steve Johnson checks is all smiles
about the way his staff and other professionals came
together to put
Copresco back in action 48 hours after a massive storm struck the Carol Stream
plant. (photo by
Jessica
Pinkous)
Press
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