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“Printing needs to be like a Swiss train,” explains dik Bolger, who spearheads sales and marketing operations at Bolger Vision Beyond Print. “If you’re traveling in Switzerland and the schedule says the train will depart at 1:01 p.m., that train leaves promptly at 1:01 p.m. I want the client to know their printing will be of consistent quality and delivered on time. And I want to bring value-added services to the table. That’s how we can differentiate ourselves.”
Going beyond print has been the staple for more than the 30-plus years that the Bolger brothers have been a part of the vision. Founded in 1934 by John and Genevieve Bolger, the Minneapolis-based company has always followed the value-added mantra, notes Charley Bolger, the company’s financial whiz.
A Family Affair
“Dad always ran a typesetting operation, because he thought buyers wanted more than printing,” he says. “That kind of remains our philosophy today.”
It’s almost easy to forget that sheetfed offset printing is at the core of this multifaceted company. With $30 million in annual sales and two facilities within a mile of each other, Bolger derives about 40 percent of its gross margin from print-on-demand and fulfillment services. Its mailing operation churns out two million pieces per month, while 180 Creative is a design agency that has evolved into providing strategic marketing and branding services.
According to dik Bolger, the ideal customer purchases $100,000 a year encompassing three services offered by Bolger Vision Beyond Print. The true value of the company, he feels, lies within the overall bundle.
But just in case anyone needs to be reminded that a commercial printer exists under all of these layers, Bolger Vision Beyond Print installed a landmark 10-color, 41˝ KBA Rapida 105 five-over-five long perfector that prints and coats both sides of the sheet at once using UV inks. Installed last fall, the press is configured with coating towers placed after the fifth and tenth press units (the first press of its kind in North America) and interdeck UV dryers to run hybrid inks. In addition, a video camera follows the sheet’s path through the press to ensure speed and accuracy.
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