Page 8 - Marketing Times v1

Back when the focus of the business was on printing, VP was evolving and using the latest technologies. When Goff brought the newer offset printing technology to the area, large print jobs stayed in the region, which in turn helped support the local economy.
College, Interlochen Arts Academy, Chef Pierre Pie Company, and Milliken’s Department
Store; the Besser Company and Fletcher
Paper Company from Alpena were also early supporters. NMC in particular gave Goff a chance when others might have doubted his abilities or judged him based on his young age. He relied heavily on his industry expertise, and even made his rst sales pitch to NMC with pictures of printing equipment he had yet
to buy. Goff credits the survival and success of VP to these early customers, who worked with him and gave him opportunities when he had little experience running a business.
Those early days were some of the toughest, when uncertainty about the company’s success gave Goff constant doubt. Most businesses fail in the rst ve years, a commonly quoted statistic that was always
in the back of his mind. On many sleepless nights, there was only one way Goff could stop
worrying. “I would just get out of bed, come to work, and sit behind my desk. For some reason that seemed to help,” he recalled. But with
the help of his hard-working employees, loyal customers, and business partners, the business continued to grow.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the development of Village Press has closely mirrored the personal characteristics of its founder in more ways than one. Throughout VP’s history, the culture has been focused on doing – that is, employees see problems as opportunities and meet them with action. It’s easy to see how this approach can be traced to Goff’s technical background. He had been solving problems on the shop oor since he was 19 years old, and that hands-on approach to work permeated the entire company. Goff’s inexhaustible supply
of perseverance, hard work, and commitment to quality are re ected in VP’s team today and the products and services they deliver
to customers. And Goff’s willingness to learn, evolve, and explore new opportunities as
the business grew is still seen in VP’s growth strategy and pursuit of new markets.
EVOLUTION OF A PRINTER
A mix of luck and Goff’s tendency to pounce on any possible opportunities led
VP to evolve into realms far beyond printing. Village Press still has a strong printing business, but the company of today is very different from the company of 1969. As the printing industry shrinks due to increased use of digital technology, VP’s creativity and diversity in its services has allowed the company to pivot and grow in the face of signi cant head winds and disruptive technologies.
Back when the focus of the business was on printing, VP was evolving and using the latest technologies. When Goff brought the newer offset printing technology to the area, large print jobs stayed in the region, which in turn helped support the local economy. Even when serving local businesses, VP’s biggest competitors were much larger printing companies in areas such as Grand Rapids, Detroit, and metro Chicago –
8 Traverse City Marketing Times • Fall 2014
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