The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

When Tony and Mary Allison Meyer began their printing business in the late 1980s, their goal was to be able to afford a telephone.

“Our dream at that point was to hire somebody,” said Mary Allison.

Today XPress Printing employs eight people plus a bookkeeper and offers state-of-the-art printing capabilities to local businesses and companies around the United States.

The Meyers recently moved their growing business into a building they designed to meet the unique needs of their printing business. The went from a 2,600-square-foot space in the Three Wind Shopping Center to a 6,300-square-foot building by Pine Meadow Village.

The Meyers spent many hours designing their custom space, including touring other printing facilities to see what worked and what didn’t.

“We took a lot of time designing workflow,” said Tony. “The building and business can handle quite a bit of growth.”

Mary Allison said the building is multi-use, explaining that the main floor is for XPress and an office for her Tollgate Vacation Rentals business. Upstairs are two private apartments for rent complete with mountain views and decks.

“It was more than a business, it was an investment,” she said.

Also, as Christians, they wanted part of their new building to have a benefit beyond the bottom line.

“I wanted to tithe a tenth of the land to the Lord,” said Mary Allison. So one large room downstairs is available to nonprofit organizations such as traveling ministries.

XPress offers high quality four-color printing for commercial customers. From automotive and eyewear companies to businesses in the financial industry, XPress prints their brochures, business cards, forms and other materials.

The Meyers made sure their new building was wired for the highest tech needs so they could best serve customers. Also, they recently added a sophisticated new Web site capable of accepting very large customer files in a password-protected area. Customers can upload files easily and even proof files day or night. That cuts down on the traditionally time-consuming task of sending paper copies back and forth between the printer and customer.

“In Central Oregon, he’s on the leading edge of equipment,” said Mary Allison.

“The technology has changed so much in the last 10 years,” added Tony.

They now have three Heidelberg presses with room to add more equipment as business continues to grow. The Meyers stress that their employees are a big reason for the expansion of their business.

“We have one of the best professional staffs in Central Oregon,” said Mary Allison.

They both say their employees really show pride in what they do and can be counted on during crunch times. The employees are enjoying their new offices complete with what Mary Allison calls her “dream kitchen.” They are getting used to finding each other in the spacious building compared with their former cramped space where they had to walk sideways if they met in the hallway.

While the new building functions well, it is attractive too, with elements such as handmade copper countertops.

“This is awesome — this is what I was dreaming of in school,” said Graphic Designer J.J. Walker of the modern new building.

The Meyers are waiting for furniture to arrive and need to complete landscaping.

One area will be landscaped for a special purpose.

This summer, tragedy struck the family when their 21-year-old son Joel Meyer died in an accident over Memorial Day weekend. His mother said friends have asked if they can plant a memorial tree. So on the east side of the new building will be a memorial garden with a walkway and plantings. The side was a very narrow strip until neighboring Les Schwab gave them a few more feet for the garden. Friends are invited to the Saturday after Labor Day to plant and to commemorate Joel.

The Meyers are looking forward to hosting the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce monthly get-together at their new building on October 20. XPress Printing is now located at 664 W. Hood Ave., 549-9321.