Treasure Chest Advertising

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The growth of the Glendora, California based commercial printer in the 70s and 80s mirrored California's boom as a major printing center. Treasure Chest's primary business was printing of advertising circulars, flyers and inserts for newspapers across the country. The company had 22 printing facilities dotting the map and was the largest printer of retail advertising circulars in the United States. In 1988, Treasure Chest captured 14 percent of the nation's $3.5 billion printing business. Retailers using Treasure Chest's services include K-Mart, Sears, Mervyn's and Circuit City.

Newspapers looked to Treasure Chest for other services besides the production of advertising circulars. The company also printed a host of supplements, including most of America's Sunday comics and television magazines.

Treasure Chest, which consumed 500,000 tons of paper a year, had a modest beginning. In 1967, two brothers, Paul Milhous and Bob Milhous, decided to buy a used printing press and publish a retail advertising circular called the Treasure Chest of Values. Fifteen years later the company employed 3,400 workers and had 25 sales offices.