The Garvey Group: Poised For Progress Celebrating 87 years as a family-owned and operated business, The Garvey Group enjoys continuity and culture matched by few Chicagoland firms. Now among the nation's fastest growing solutions providers, The Garvey Group is constantly evolving, yet it still remains in touch with its customer-focused roots. 1919: Opening Shop Edward A. Garvey founded Ed. Garvey & Company, which began as an office furniture store with a stationery printing business in the back. "Treat customers like you want to be treated." This adage drove the early Ed. Garvey & Company to develop lasting customer relationships—and this approach still grounds the company today. Late 1940s: Finding a Niche The second generation Edward J. Garvey joined his father's company and began to grow the commercial printing business. Developing a Personality Soon, office furniture was dropped from the mix, and commercial business forms became the company thrust. While the seventies saw a rising Cultural Revolution, the Garvey legacy saw change of its own. After receiving a B.S. Degree in Management from Notre Dame in 1977, Ed. Garvey, Jr., the third generation, entered the business, never expecting he'd become company president when his father died unexpectedly the following year.
As markets changed and new printing technologies emerged, Ed. Garvey Jr. saw the need to regroup, seeking ways to redefine the business and satisfy the needs of increasingly sophisticated customers. Growing Strong A series of partnerships and acquisitions in Illinois and Wisconsin expanded the company's pre-press and printing capabilities, as well as its mailing, fulfillment and distribution services. With strict parameters for how the company was to grow, Ed. Garvey & Company integrated other well-managed firms, keeping focused on their contributions to the larger effort. The result was a merging of top industry talent, high-tech equipment and progressive operations that support all aspects of supply chain management.
Ed. Garvey Company acquires Tru Line Lithographing, Inc. (TLL), a full-service commercial printer since 1965, ranked among Greater Milwaukee's Top 25 Commercial Printers. October 1999 C-Graphic, LLC (CG) and Global Fulfillment Services (GFS) join the mix with full-service commercial printing, warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce solutions. May 2001 Expansion continues with the addition of SOS Forms Plus (SOS), whose reputation for printing large-volume, high-quality business forms brings Garvey's product offering full-circle. The addition of United General Graphics (UGG), a single-source printer since 1979, further diversifies the company's equipment and capabilities. April 2003 The acquisition of Axios adds breadth and depth to the product line with point-of-sale, packaging and other sales promotional services. January 2004 Ed.Garvey & Company spearheads a major consolidation of the recently acquired companies by uniting itself and them under the overall banner of The Garvey Group. In addition, The Garvey Group takes significant steps to add major printing capabilities for the packaging industry. 2005 More strengths, better strategies In 2005, The Garvey Group took major steps toward growth, including the addition of: 3 new cutting-edge KBA presses, an Advertising Specialties Group, a new Marketing Communications Department, and increased synergy between our divisions to strengthen our capabilities. Coupled with new strategic initiatives, these changes promise an even brighter future.
From 2005 through 2006, the Garvey Group continued to take major steps toward cementing the company's place as one of the Midwest's most successful printing organizations with the addition of six outstanding new KBA presses, ranging in from 40 inches to 80 inches and from four to 10 colors. These versatile, top-of-the-line presses operate at speeds up to 15,000 sheets per hour and can print on almost any stock including plastics, metal and stocks up to 48 point in thickness. We also added an Advertising Specialties Group and a new Marketing Communications Department. Coupled with increased synergy between our divisions and new strategic initiatives, these changes promise an even brighter future.
|
