John E. Spenlinhauer III

When John E. Spenlinhauer Jr. passed away, the competition said Spencer Press was finished. John E. Spenlinhauer III proved the competition wrong. BY JERRY JANDA In May of 1972, Spencer Press, then a sheetfed operation, took its first step into the world of web offset with the installation of a Heidelberg Harris M-1000A press. For John E. Spenlinhauer III—chairman, CEO and the driving force behind Spencer's equipment investments—it was a pivotal moment. He realized his Hingham, MA-based company needed web equipment to remain in business. "There was not a full-size web in the metropolitan Boston area," Spenlinhauer says, "and there was a lot of

In this age of mergers and acquisitions,Spencer Press stands alone. BY JERRY JANDA As companies like Consolidated Graphics and World Color continue to absorb plants across the country, printing purists may wonder what the future holds for the family-run businesses that form the backbone of our industry. Such purists should consider taking a trip to Spencer Press in picturesque Wells, ME. Name: Spencer PressLocation: Wells, MEEmployees: 650Annual Sales: $85 millionKey Markets: Catalogs, books, brochures, inserts and magazines.A family business since opening in 1940, Spencer Press is, and intends to remain, privately owned. So proclaims the company's second-generation leaders: brothers John E. Spenlinhauer III and Stephen P. Spenlinhauer. Chairman