O’Neil Printing — A Century of Innovation

March 2008 By Julie Greenbaum
Associate Editor

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IN ARIZONA, only one commercial sheetfed printer has a reputation for being “traditionally innovative,” and that’s Phoenix-based O’Neil Printing. Claiming that this business philosophy has made all the difference for the company’s success in the last century, the staff at O’Neil has never lost touch with the basic foundation that William “Bucky” O’Neil set into motion in 1908—going above and beyond for his customers and employees, and keeping an ongoing commitment to the innovative use of technology.

“When William O’Neil decided to open O’Neil Letter Shop in 1908, there wasn’t much in terms of business in Phoenix at that time,” notes Tony Narducci, president of O’Neil Printing. Arizona wasn’t even a state then, and trains had not yet pushed through the rugged territory. “But O’Neil was a pioneer who managed to keep the letter shop afloat, even through The Great Depression,” he adds.

William O’Neil’s daughter, Estelle, and her husband, Harry Findor, took over the business in the 1960s and, in 1996, sold the company to their employees through an employee stock ownership program (ESOP).

“As an employee-owned company, the staff here now has a stake in the company. We share the rewards, the work and the future,” Narducci explains.

When Narducci became president of O’Neil Printing in 2007—after serving as the company’s general manager—he strived to ensure that the firm lived up to the “traditionally innovative” moniker that the O’Neil family set in place. He worked with Dean Toth, O’Neil’s vice president of production, to update the shop’s equipment, supervised the re-launch of the company Website, embraced “green” technology and has continued to support youths in the community through a partnership with rocker Alice Cooper.

In the past three years, O’Neil has made investments throughout its operation, including: a six-color HP Indigo press 5000; a six-color, 20˝ Speedmaster SM 52 perfector with aqueous coater; a Heidelberg ST400 stitcher; a Polar cutter; a 32˝ Stahl folder; and a 38˝ Stahl SSP folding system. Other additions include full-service mailing and fulfillment capabilities, as well as a Web-to-print system called O’NeilDirect.

Creating a Better Dot

In 2007, O’Neil entered the fine arts market, and began producing coffee-table books. “We have been highly successful in the past 12 months in this fine art niche,” notes Narducci. “That is partly due to our ability to color manage what we print very well, especially since there are such high expectations in that environment,” he adds.