Time sure does fly when you're having fun…
In December of 1947, Warren and Kenley Steinert received a rather unique Christmas gift from their parents - a 6 x 10 hand operated Kelsey printing press. Warren was 15 and Kenley was 12. With their small press, a few fonts of hand set metal type and a couple of tubes of ink, the Steinert Boys, as they became known, began printing stationery, cards, programs and other items for friends, acquaintances, churches and businesses around Oshkosh. A business was born! Work had to be done on weekends and evenings because schooling was still the number one priority.
Soon the Kelsey press was outgrown, a foot pedal press was added for speed and even more equipment was needed to meet the demand for larger jobs. They added a 12 x 18 motorized platen press in 1948, another in 1949 and a linotype machine in 1950 to do type composition for their letterpress operation. The linotype machine gave them the ability to set type for other printers, including pulling many all-nighters doing linotype composition for Miles Kimball Company during the Christmas rush October through December.
Even more equipment was required. In 1953, an automatic feed Heidelberg platen was added and in 1955 the first offset press, a 10 x 14 Davidson. Also added was a 12 x 18 Little Giant cylinder press. Mom and Dad must have been getting a little crazy with all of this machinery packed into their basement. There were other challenges, too. The only door to the basement was the typical bilko, double cellar doors of the time. All of the equipment had to be completely taken apart and re-assembled to get it in. Try to imagine the 3000 parts that made up the linotype machine all over Dad Steinert's garage before it was re-assembled down in the basement. Yikes! Paper stock was lugged down the narrow steps one package at a time and then lugged back up for delivery.
After completing their schooling, Warren and Kenley made a fulltime job of the business. By 1960, the basement shop was bulging at the seams and it was time to make a move. A 2,000 sq. ft. building was purchased at the corner of Eighth and Ohio Streets. After 12 years in the basement, it felt pretty good to be on ground level.
The business was still just Warren and Kenley, with Dad as support in building tables and cabinets and Mom doing the packaging of finished jobs and their wives, who did the office work and whatever else it took to get jobs out. The new location was all it took for this small company to just take off. The mainstay was still fairly local commercial printing but soon music books for a publisher in Illinois and promotional materials for the Shakey's Pizza chain offered some seriously phenomenal growth. More presses were added; pressmen were hired as well as a camera operator and typesetter. This location served the company well for 15 years establishing Steinert Printing as one of the premier printing houses in the area. Quality and service were key. Jobs were done on time and satisfaction was the top priority.
In the mid 1970s, more space was needed, plans were made and land was purchased on the frontage road of Highway 41. In late 1975, a 10,000 sq. ft. building was built and the new facility opened in July of 1976. This location offered the visibility needed to attract new business and the room to grow. A 2 color Didde web press, a 2 color Heidelberg offset press, 18 x 25 Heidelberg diecutter, two 10 x 15 Heidelberg platen presses, automatic book binders, two large paper cutters, automatic padding equipment, digitized type setting computers and other support equipment was added in these years to 1991. The number of employees increased from 6 to 18. Business increased sevenfold, serving many major corporations throughout Wisconsin.
By 1992, an 8500 sq. ft. addition was needed to accommodate their continued growth. Another 2-color Heidelberg was installed along with an additional Cylinder die-cutter along with two Kluge foil and embossing presses. These presses provided a special look and feel of quality that opened up opportunities to service the packaging industry and other printers in the area.
In the last several years, great changes have occurred in the printing industry such as the need for higher quality, more color, innovative graphic design, new and unusual paper stocks, and quick turnaround times. Computerization has changed almost everything. Steinert Printing has met all of these challenges and more head-on. They know that it takes an organization that can respond quickly to customers needs to get the job done.
For over 60 years, Steinert Printing has made customer satisfaction their number one priority. It has been the secret to their successes. When you begin to consider everything that Warren and Kenley have seen and experienced over those years, you will understand their commitment in continuing to embrace new opportunities to serve customers.
