ColorGraphics has doubled its size in a move to Costa Mesa.
The commercial printer formerly was in Tustin. The company needed extra room to add more equipment, said Craig Evans, director of sales.
ColorGraphics’ new 40,000-square-foot facility is at 3186 Pullman St. near John Wayne Airport, which is a good spot for local clients and those visiting from out of the area, Evans said.
The company is ramping up its services, including adding prepress capabilities and printing equipment. The shop recently brought in a new eight-color press called the Mitsubishi 8/C.
The equipment also will help ColorGraphics tackle industry challenges, such as completing complex jobs with tight turnaround times, Evans told the Business Journal in a past interview.
ColorGraphics has been in growth mode.
Evans said that the company picked up a lot of work this past year and added people in every department to handle it.
ColorGraphics had 56 workers, up 19% from a year earlier, according to the Business Journal’s list of commercial printers earlier this year. The company’s Orange County sales were up 12% to $26 million for the 12-month period ended March 31.
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ColorGraphics press: moved to Costa Mesa |
The printer has tried to nab new business by keeping costs low.
ColorGraphics, which started in 1953, has been family-run for three generations. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, which have seen their own upgrades.
The Los Angeles office recently got a new Web press, which has a production speed rating of 50,000 impressions per hour and an automatic plate changing system, among other features, according to the company.
The Seattle operation installed a new digital drum scanner and the San Francisco office got a new eight-color press.
On Track
Mountain bike apparel maker Nema International has rolled into Huntington Beach with a new showroom.
The store, at 16651 Gothard St., showcases the company’s current line of clothes, which includes long sleeve jersey tops, jackets, vests, shorts and socks for men and women.
“Not finding our apparel in the big box stores gives us the ability to pump up, not dumb down, our product,” said Coleen Nobleman, Nema’s director of retail operations, in a press release.
Nobleman said Nema garb “will not be found in the Wal-Marts of the cycling world.”
Buyers can preview and buy Nema clothes from the showroom, which is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Nema also is scouting around for more showroom locations, including in Morgan Hill and Boulder, Colo.
Ad Adds
Tustin-based al Punto Advertising Inc. nabbed two new clients.
The ad shop recently was named Hispanic agency of record for Eden Praire, Minn.-based Lifetouch Inc., an employee-owned photography company, and Vernon-based Clougherty Packing LLC, which processes meats under the Farmer John name.
The OC shop will help Lifetouch, which is best known for its school portraits, sell to Hispanics in the U.S.
“The face of our consumer is changing and al Punto’s expertise in developing categories and brands is a great fit for us,” said Steve Vekich, Lifetouch’s director of marketing.
In the meantime, al Punto already is working on the creative and strategic sides of Clougherty’s Farmer John campaign, which will pitch its hot dogs, bacon and ham.
The shop bested an undisclosed number of agencies in a review to snag the work.
Clougherty wants to go after Southern California’s growing Hispanic market.
“We recognize the significant role of the Hispanic consumer in the success of our products and brands,” said Jeff Frank, Clougherty’s director of retail marketing.
Al Punto plans to launch the marketing campaign in 2006.
Bits and pieces:
W.B. Doner & Co. in Newport Beach recently won a new client: Memorex Products Inc. The OC shop, which operates as Doner, is set to work with its Southfield, Mich., headquarters on the account, according to company officials. Doner won the business in a competitive review. It will focus on making Memorex “more relevant” and contemporary in its marketing, the shop said. The first campaign is expected to break next spring Huntington Beach-based BJ’s Restaurant Inc. is looking to open more restaurants. The pizza and brewery chain has 44 locations, including some in California, Oregon, Colorado and Texas. BJ’s, which posted sales of $129 million in 2004, is looking to open up to 11 new restaurants in 2006, according to recent company filings Foothill Ranch-based Wet Seal Inc. continues to revamp management as part of a turnaround plan. Most recently, John Luttrell was hired as chief financial officer. Luttrell was formerly of Cost Plus Inc.
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MALL to watch: IRVINE SPECTRUM CENTER
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Nordstrom going up at Irvine Spectrum Center: Target is big 2006 opening |
There’s the teaming of the odd couple,Nordstrom and Target. There’s the end of an expansion and loads of much-needed new parking. And there’s a change of focus from entertainment to retail that’s played out during the past few years.
It all adds up to the Business Journal’s mall to watch: Irvine Spectrum Center.
The Irvine Company’s landmark mall will be fully leased when Target opens as expected in summer.
The center will surpass 1 million square feet of space with Target and the mall’s other recent addition, Nordstrom, which opened this fall. Together they added 260,000 square feet of space.
A parking garage was built to ease the traffic headache that has long plagued the mall.
The Spectrum attracts more than 11 million visitors a year. It is the Irvine Co.’s second-largest shopping center behind Fashion Island.
It has evolved from an entertainment center to one that is retail driven. The center is a mix of big-time retailers, chains, boutiques, restaurants and a few entertainment diversions.
The center’s average per square foot of sales is about $400, just above the national average.
,Sherri Cruz
