Lifelong Relationships

All businesses focus on revenue streams, especially during difficult economic times. This runs the gamut from shoring up or expanding existing revenue streams to looking for entirely new ones. In the printing industry, it has become common to see commercial printers look to the packaging segment as a source for new and, hopefully, steady revenue. One problem, however, is that the package-printing industry is highly competitive and getting a piece of the package-printing revenue pie is a difficult undertaking.

One company that successfully made the move into packaging is St. Paul, Minn.-based Impressions Incorporated (www.i-i.com). It made the move more than ten years ago at a time when its base business was on a steady increase.

Impressions was founded in 1967 by Mark G. Jorgensen as a small commercial printing operation with four employees. Jorgensen built the company on a foundation of strong relationships with major companies in the Twin Cities metro area.

According to CEO Mark A. Jorgensen, son of the company's founder, Impressions moved into folding cartons in the mid-1990s at the urging of some customers who were dissatisfied with their current packaging providers. "We had a long history of diecutting complex pieces, which made the transition much easier," says Mark. "Packaging now makes up 75 percent of our business."

Impressions is still a privately held, family-owned business that Mark owns and runs with his two brothers—Mike, who serves as president, and Mitch, the COO.

Today's Impressions

Impressions Inc. supplies its mix of packaging and commercial products into various markets, including pharmaceutical/nutraceutical, medical device, food, software, personal care, health and beauty, and private label. Strong relationships are still the key ingredient that drives the company's operating philosophy. "We work with our customers to create a lifelong relationship," explains Mark. "In order to cultivate these relationships, we rely heavily on the internal harmony and trust this company was founded on. Many of our employees have been with the company for 20 or more years and their children are now employees. We trust each person in our company to make decisions and produce the highest possible quality product for our customers."