CENTERVILLE, Ohio, Jan. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jesse Gaither has been the owner of Minuteman Press in Centerville, OH since September 2016. For three consecutive years, Jesse has achieved double-digit year-over-year sales growth for the franchise. his Minuteman Press. In 2024, Jesse grew his business by approximately 18% over the previous year. He has achieved such consistent sales growth through referrals, acquisitions, consistency with products and services, and being heavily involved in promoting local community events that bring businesses and customers together. Minuteman Press in Centerville is located at 957 Congress Park Drive, Centerville, OH 45459.
Early love of print leads to full circle moment
For Jesse Gaither, his love of print media and the print industry runs deep in the family. He reflects. “My grandparents owned community newspapers on the East Side of Cincinnati, and my parents actually met at their newsstand. My father was an artist and designer, so I grew up with prints.”
Fast forward to 2016, where Jesse found himself at a crossroads in his career that helped him rediscover his love for print while also helping him become his own boss. More on that in a minute. First, let’s hear about Jesse’s impressive background.
Jesse shares, “I received my undergraduate degree in Analytical Chemistry and worked in this field for several years. I decided to take a break from the field and joined the Peace Corp. I studied science and math and traveled all over the world, to Africa, Europe, Asia and Central America. When I came back from Costa Rica, I went to graduate school for Economics and then spent 8 years as a General Contractor when I married into a family of builders.”
He continues, “I became a partner in the firm, but after the 2008 crash, the business closed. From 2008 to 2016, I returned to the field of chemistry, but I was tired of the corporate world and knew I had to make a change.”
It was then that a close mentor of Jesse’s helped lead Jesse back into print. He explains, “Mike Geygan was a family friend and community leader who was my mentor for many years. Mike (who is now retired) owned Minuteman Press in Lebanon, Ohio, and that’s when it hit me. One early morning, I woke up at 5 am and realized that what Mike made was the life I wanted for myself. The printing industry scratches the surface of creative and technical processes and combines artistic and scientific components.”
“I had a breakthrough in May of 2016. I went to my office and saw a business listing for the Minuteman Press in Centerville. I made the request and Regional Vice President Gary Nowak contacted me that morning. I knew I didn’t want to recreate the wheel and wanted something with a solid system, ongoing support and vendor relationship. Having Mike Geygan as a mentor, I asked him what it was like to own Minuteman Press. He was full of praise. I took over the Centerville location in September of 2016, and the rest is history. It was like coming home for me, being in the print media. I had come full circle.” -Jesse Gaither, Owner, Minuteman Press, Centerville, OH
From the new business owner in the ‘Heart’ of Centerville
Since purchasing the business, Jesse has worked hard to build strong connections in the community. He says, “We’ve had a steady growth trajectory since 2016, and much of that is due to the relationships we’ve built in Centerville. We’ve had double-digit growth in the last three years and are up about 18% from last year.”
The Heart of Centerville Washington Township is a networking group that Jesse joined early in his tenure as owner of Minuteman Press. He has continued to lead the group and helped grow membership from 20 members in 2016 to over 330 members today.
Jesse shares, “When I first bought the business, I joined The Heart of Centerville Washington Township. At the time, we had 20 members focusing on business mentoring and helping each other. We didn’t have a lot of horsepower behind the pack, but we knew there was a lot of potential.”
He continues, “We started doing local public events, such as Food Truck Fridays that would help bring in local shoppers. We used to do this four months out of the year and get a DJ or small band to attract people. We started to grow and I joined the management team. We partnered with the City for a series of summer concerts that could be held at the local amphitheater and these events became a huge success. We worked with local breweries to bring in craft beers and invited members to come along and set up a tent to promote their businesses.”
Today, The Heart of Centerville hosts six events a year, with a seventh event on the way this year. Jesse served as the group’s President in 2023 and 2024, and will now be the Strategic Planner in 2025. He says, “The events are a huge hit and keep getting bigger. We now have 50 to 100 booth spaces, with 30% of booth space reserved for service-based businesses. We also invite local nonprofits and other vendors to promote themselves. We now have over 330 members and events have attracted 135,000 attendees. What we’ve done is we’ve flipped the formula from just networking with each other to holding these mini expos that really engage with the community. This year, we are partnering with the Centerville – Washington Township Americana Festival for their 4th of Julyth event and adding a Home & Garden show.”
“For these events, local business owners need logo tents, banners, pop-up screens and promotional tools. I have a passion for business development and didn’t know anyone in the region when I first started. Leaning into the community in this way and being at the center of it all has been really rewarding and fulfilling. We are marketing, promoting and reinforcing the idea of shopping, eating, drinking and investing locally.”
-Jesse Gaither
The Keys to Growth
Through his extensive work in the community, Jesse had built strong relationships that have been a tremendous help in generating awareness and referrals. He shares the following keys to growth:
- “References: This is our #1 source of business. In addition to The Heart of Centerville, I have been a member of the local BNI group for 8 years, as was the previous owner for 10 years prior. Building relationships pays dividends.
- Purchases: I have completed two acquisitions since 2020 and am closing in on the third. These have helped me expand my footprint in the community. One of the acquisitions we made was a promotional products company. Promotion and apparel have been a growth area for us.
- Direct mail: Our direct mail services have increased in 2024; we have an excellent relationship with a local post office. During the pandemic, we also did a lot of posting. It showed that the industry is relatively resilient to the recession. When times are good, people trade. When times are not good, people trade even more.
- Graphic design: 15% of our business is graphic design – logo redesign, rebranding, etc. Our branding and rebranding services help local businesses stand out when it comes to hand-to-hand combat for local attention.
- Voluntary work: I love being part of the fabric of the community. Eight years ago, I joined a local Optimist group that does volunteer work. Last year, another volunteer asked me what I did for work. It turned out that she owned a large financial management company and needed new printing and signage for their rebrand.
- Doing right by customers: I want my team to be empowered to do great work. One of the mantras in our store is that “You’ll never get in trouble for doing what’s right for the customer.” I’ve seen other businesses that nickel and dime. If there is a business card with an incorrect phone number, we will do what is right even if it was their mistake. Customers appreciate such gestures and tend to return to us as a result.”
Jesse explains further, “We’re in the Midwest, and people here see the tactics of selling press in court. We are polite and treat people right. As a result, we have built our business organically, which is more sustainable. For example, I recently met with a client on a substantial 30k business deal. We have worked together for several years and no longer need to submit bids for their jobs. They told me they trust us to do the job right at a fair price. It is the Golden Triangle of Quality, Service and Price that we strive for with all our customers. The best testimony we can get is their trust in us.”
Jesse also credits the support he has received from Minuteman Press International for helping him along the way. He shares: “From the beginning I saw growth potential. The support from Gary Nowak and my field representatives has been very helpful over the years. The advice along with the extensive network of owners and product/vendor agreements are huge benefits to our business.”
Rewards and tips for others
Jesse reflects on his 8 years as a business owner. He says: “The main reason I like being my own boss is that I wanted to create a culture where I want to work and an environment where everyone feels valued. The most enjoyable part is creating a culture that values my team members in a place where we all enjoy working together.”
He shares the following advice for others: “I have a good relationship with other owners in my area and we get together to talk. Everyone has their own style and people run their businesses differently. The most important thing I’ve learned is to find your best rhythm, be true to yourself and find what’s most comfortable for you. Know and leverage your strengths and spend the money to invest in your team. Hire people to do a great job because owners can’t – and shouldn’t – do it all.”
Minuteman Press in Centerville is located at 957 Congress Park Drive, Centerville, OH 45459. For more information, visit https://minuteman.com/us/locations/oh/centerville/
Learn more about the #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunity and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
Media contact:
Minuteman Press International
Chris Biscuiti, 631-249-1370
cbiscuiti@mpihq.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fb34fce4-f2c8-4f2c-8b0e-7e9c89ddec21
