We opened our St. Louis facility in 2016 in a small, 7500 square foot space, with 1 automatic and 1 manual press. Growing a new business in a new market definitely was challenging for us along with Kyle, our operating partner. Identifying the best supporting employees was an ongoing job, along with the newness of these responsibilities. Kyle was joined a few months into this new venture by Gabrielle, who had left her previous job as a graphic designer at a local competitor. She was looking for change and decided to give this a shot. The two of them had much to learn in terms of working together and managing this new business.

Jay would make monthly visits to work with and mentor them, helping with the typical issues that would arise. Kyle would often times arrive at 4 AM to get a head start on their work, always fearful of not completing it on time. His care and concern were a driving force behind their success and loyalty from their customers. All of their customers loved working with Gabby and her cheerful manner. Many months were non-stop, 7 days a week, to do whatever was needed to stay on top of work. After 18 months, we made a decision to expand with the purchase of a building nearby. This allowed them to add capacity with more equipment in each department and space to organize. They really started to grow and show promise with a stable team helping them produce.

In addition to Kyle’s drive for success was his wife, Amber, who also has had many outstanding accomplishments in her field of Bio Sciences. She has quickly become a leading force, passing on multiple opportunities to grow within her organization, locally and Internationally. Amber’s growth inevitably would mean a move somewhere around the world. In order to achieve this, Kyle would need the flexibility to support her and we all agreed that we needed to relieve him of his responsibilities, sooner than later. The void his absence would bring created an enormous challenge for us, with the rebuilding of the management team there. We therefore agreed that the best option would be to close down their business.

This decision has been absolutely bittersweet and we appreciate how well our leads in St. Louis received the news when Jay met with them. They have all found new opportunities already and though, they won’t have the same culture Kyle and Gabby created, they will do well and continue to excel. Thank you for these past four years.