In late August of this year, a heartfelt letter was released to the Central Oregon community stating that after 35 years in business, Action Typesetting and Printing would be closing its doors at the end of the month.
Owner Mike Lancaster lamented that he was too ill to continue to run the business he had taken over from his parents and that he had chosen Minuteman Press to take over the accounts and continue to provide printing services to the community that he so dearly loved. Lancaster has moved closer to his family and since provided Minuteman Press with all the art files and print job information for each of the customers he serviced throughout the years.
From day one of reopening the doors, Renee Mansour, owner and operator of Minuteman Press has been committed to maintaining the strong relationships Lancaster had with his customers, who say that he personally helped their businesses grow and assisted them through difficult projects. Mansour moved to Bend in 2004 with her husband and three children from La Crosse, Wisconsin. “We visited Bend in February of 2004 and within one week of returning home, we had sold our house in Wisconsin and made arrangements to move to Bend,” says Mansour.
Tucked behind Dutch Bros. Coffee on Wilson, Minuteman Press designs, prints and promotes business of all sizes. “We value our customers and take special care in sticking to their branding guidelines and helps businesses grow by providing a one stop shop for all marketing needs,” says Mansour. Services include commercial printing, promotional items, mailing, and branded apparel. The company has a strong social media presence, keeping old and new customers engaged in all things Minuteman.
Franchise Family
While the business is a franchise, each office is individually owned and operated and the focus is to help local businesses in the community succeed. Franchise owners in smaller towns truly have a vested interest in local businesses, as it is the only way for them to remain successful.
“It doesn’t go without saying that being part of a franchise gives us a competitive edge over other locally owned print shops. We not only have the power of the franchise, which offers us better pricing on products we use daily to run our business, but we also have tremendous support not only from corporate but from other Minuteman Press owners,” says Mansour. “When a customer comes in and wants a difficult job done that we may have not done before, I don’t have to rely on myself to figure it out, I have hundreds of people with years of experience to help us navigate through these projects. This gives us the ability to never turn away a customer and make their vision a reality,” she adds.
Community Minded
Like many business owners in our area, Mansour has seen tremendous growth in the 14 years she’s lived in Central Oregon, not only in population but also the economy. “[Central Oregon] is not only a beautiful place to live but boasts an array of culture. There’s the outdoor active lifestyle, arts, culture, and let’s not leave out beer! The people in our community are laid back and care for one another,” says Mansour.
Fulfilling Lancaster’s passion and legacy also means staying connected to the community he was deeply connected to. Mansour and her employees take pride in providing excellent customer service in and out of the office. Minuteman Press currently sponsors The Ronald McDonald House’s largest fundraiser event and the Bend Film Festival, while also providing discounts to local non-profit organizations.
