Panaprint, inc

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Panaprint Inc. is a provider of printing, binding, and mailing services.

[edit] History

During the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War that John W. Burke ventured into the printing business in Macon, Georgia. A print shop in those days still resembled the primitive environment of Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. Few presses were powered by anything other than a hand wheel or foot pedal, and type was composed by hand, one letter at a time.

The Burke Company built a good reputation and grew to become one of Georgia’s leading printers. By the 1920’s they occupied a prominent building on Cherry Street and had installed electric presses. They did a full line of commercial printing, and book printing was their specialty. The skills of their craftsman were well known.

Edward W. Burke, great nephew of the founder, spent most his youth in China where his father was a Methodist missionary. As a young man, he came to Macon to work at the Burke Company. After an apprenticeship, he became a salesman for the company and later managed their printing operations. Upon the closing of the Burke Company in 1959, Edward and many of the company’s craftsmen joined Southern Press. There he was held in high esteem and contributed significantly to that company’s success through his sales efforts.

Southern Press was formed in 1954, when John Jenkins, Edward Fluker, and Russell Zimmerman purchased the printing operations then owned by American Office Equipment Company. Jenkins was a publisher of the Livestock Breeders Journal, Fluker was a talented graphic designer and functioned as their sales manager, and Zimmerman was a letterpress craftsman and served as general manager. The combined talents of these men led to rapid growth of the company. It was one of the first printers in the Southeast to utilize offset presses. The company gained prominence when it purchased most of the assets of the Burke Company in 1959, and hired many of the company’s employees.

[edit] About the Owner

Wanzie Collins joined the Livestock Breeders Journal in 1961, where he worked in ad layout and composition. He also worked some in the bindery of the Southern Press to earn extra money. Wanzie spent a lot of time in the Southern Press plant after hours studying estimating and the various printing processes. In 1968, he transferred from Livestock Breeders Journal to Southern Press in a customer service position under Edward Fluker, the sales manager. In this role, Wanzie frequently entered orders for Edward Burke and handled the details of production. After a few months, Burke requested that Wanzie be assigned as his full time assistant. He was thinking of retiring and was preparing Wanzie to assume his sales position and accounts.

Time proved that Edward Burke had given Wanzie quite an opportunity. Burke’s accounts would later provide the foundation for becoming a business owner.

In 1973, the opportunity came for Wanzie to purchase a small, 4-man printing company. This purchase was also from American Office Supply, who had established this shop in the 1960’s to provide small printing orders for their office supply customers. Wanzie named his company OmniPress. “Omni” is a Latin prefix meaning “covering all.”

Customers were loyal and the company prospered. In 1979, he was able to purchase Southern Press. That acquisition included a heat set web publication press. By 1985, the name had evolved to Panaprint, Inc.

Wanzie’s two sons, W. Everette “Rette” Collins and Christian T. Collins, both joined the company in 1988. Rette currently serves as sales manager, and Christian serves as publication manager and special projects director. Both are vice presidents of the company and share Wanzie’s passion for the printing industry.

In 1978, Mark Maddox joined the company as a pressman. Today, he is a stockholder and vice president of production. Carolyn Wilson joined the company in 1987 as a bookkeeper. Today, she is a stockholder and corporate security-treasurer.

[edit] Panaprint Today

Today, Panaprint has a 248,000-square-foot (23,000 m²) facility, containing two web presses and two sheetfed presses, saddle-stitchers, in-house mailing, fulfillment services, shipping and receiving, an award winning design team, and customer service. 110 employees keep Panaprint operating at its full potential by using the most innovative technology to create print projects. Visitors are always welcome to drop by and visit, tour the plant, and meet the Panaprint family.

• J.W. Burke Printing Co. 1869 – 1959
• Southern Press, Inc. 1954-1979
• Panaprint, Inc. Founded 1973
• Southern Press acquired 1979

Panaprint, Inc. website: [1]

Print Industry Association of Georgia website: [2]

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