We know how different we are.
“No more memos, and no more than five minutes to make a decision.” Two of many declarations made by Graphic Communications’ founder Tom Donnelly after establishing us in 1979 as the world’s largest paper and printing service company. This rather unconventional thinking makes it a bit easier to understand why we also have no sales goals or territories, no formal job descriptions, a flattened personnel pyramid and very few rules.
The antithesis of traditional big business and bureaucratic illogic, the 103 of us in 20 U.S. and U.K. offices sell and service annually 1.5 million tons of paper and more than $150 million in printing, with combined sales in excess of $1 billion. It’s amazing what highly experienced, entrepreneurial, service-obsessed people can do for their clients when you just let them. With that kind of autonomy — and extraordinary internal support and teamwork — it’s no wonder we rarely have to say no.
In 2003, Graphic Communications became a privately-held company of Unisource Worldwide, a $6 billion international marketer and distributor of commercial printing and business imaging papers, packaging systems, and facility supplies and equipment. Among Forbes’ largest private companies, Unisource is owned by Bain Capital.
Just ask our employees. Then ask yourself.
Matt Dawley, President
Graphic Communications
“Pay people as much as you can, and give them no reason to leave,” says Matt Dawley, our president since 2000. This proclamation causes business owners elsewhere to gasp for air as it both contradicts and explains two facts: 1) Our prices are nearly always the best you’ll find anywhere. 2) We haven’t had any voluntary turnover in 17 years. Consider what that kind of global buying power and extreme staff longevity and satisfaction can do for our commitment to you. Nothing gets in the way of our gold-standard service.
We come from well-educated, intensive backgrounds in printing and paper sales and service, so we’re very intimate with the intricacies of the business. For those of us who didn’t start our careers here, we certainly hope to end them here. We think there’s no place quite like Graphic Communications in the world — homegrown integrity and authentic values, paired with unrivaled responsiveness and the extensive resources of an international powerhouse.
We’re sanctioned to the nth degree, so we’re very nimble when it comes to finding creative, time- and money-saving strategies for your paper, printing and packaging programs. We take your business — but never ourselves — very seriously. We’re forward-thinking and always thinking about how to raise our industry-best practices to new echelons. All this, and we’re having the time of our lives. We sincerely hope to share our knowledge and this energy with you.