Plese Printing & Marketing, which has been in business for thirty-two years and is independently owned by Kim Plese, has been sold to Spokane natives Christy and Scott Johnson. Christy and Scott have rebranded the business as Minuteman Press – Spokane and are operating out of the same location at 4201 E. Trent Ave.
On the sale of her business, Kim Plese says, “I had no intention of selling my business as we were growing rapidly after the pandemic. Suddenly, my longtime production manager of twelve years had passed away, and I was devastated. He was only thirty-six-years-old at the time of his passing. When Minuteman Press Regional Vice President Chris Jutt contacted me, it happened to be two months later, and I decided it was time to think about selling. I took his call seriously and we moved forward from there.
“My business was my ‘baby’ and it’s an emotional process to sell. Minuteman Press and Chris Jutt’s patience and understanding were enormous in guiding me during this time.”
Spokane Natives Return Home to Realize Their Dream
For Christy and Scott Johnson, buying a business in Spokane enables them to return to their hometown and be near family and friends.
“We enjoy getting to know our customers many of whom are also small business owners,” says Christy. “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to support our customers and the many causes and entities that they represent. Scott is originally from Spokane and I grew up in Cusick.
“Buying this business has allowed us to move back to Spokane, which has been fantastic.”
They chose to buy Plese Printing & Marketing and join the Minuteman Press franchise network so that they could hit the ground running with established business while also being fully supported and trained in the industry.
“We loved meeting with Kim Plese and learning how she built her business over the past thirty-two years,” says Scott. “Minuteman Press has a program that connected us with Kim and helped us transition into ownership of the business. It’s a dream come true to buy this business and also receive training and support along the way.”
Before buying the business, Scott worked as a Mechanical Engineer and Christy worked as an Accountant. “I spent twenty-four years as a mechanical engineer working in semiconductor quality and reliability and building technical teams around the globe,” says Scott. “Christy is an accountant and started in corporate America. Over the last decade, she has been working for small businesses filling many roles in Finance, HR, and Operations Management. She has broad experience working in and with small businesses.
“Several of my family members have owned successful businesses in Spokane so it seemed natural to take this step.”
Currently their services include: Every Door Direct Mail®, variable mail service, banners, yard signs, business cards, product labels, rack cards, tri-fold brochures, personalized letterhead, envelopes, two-part and three-part customized carbonless forms, custom made-to-order spiral bound books, self-covering booklets, and promotional products. “We also offer solutions for branding your physical office space, such as customized wall wraps, window graphics, and indoor and outdoor signage,” says Scott. “We intend to add vehicle wraps in the future. The business we purchased already has the equipment, employees, and capability to do this work.”
When asked what he loves most about owning a business versus having a job, Scott answers, “We love that we set our own schedule and that the time and the hard work we put in is for our own benefit. We have our own vision how we want to run our business as well as the internal workplace culture we like, and owning our own business allows us to make it what we want.”
Reflections on the Purchase and Sale of the Business
With the sale of Plese Printing & Marketing complete, Scott Johnson and Kim Plese reflect on their experiences as buyers and sellers, respectively.
“We had tried to purchase other small businesses in the past, but it’s daunting to evaluate and try to find a good fit,” says Scott. “With Minuteman Press, there was someone available to help with the process, give advice, and answer questions. I would suggest doing a lot of research to find a good fit with your goals and expectations. The education process took many years for Christy and I and to find a good fit, and we found it with Minuteman Press – Spokane.”
Kim concludes, “As the Owner/President of Plese Printing and Marketing in Spokane, Washington for over thirty-two years, I can say without hesitation that my experience with Minuteman Press and Chris Jutt, Regional Vice President PNW, has been amazing to say the least. I was able to sell my business for a fair market price knowing that all my years of hard work was going into good hands. My entire staff stayed on after the sale and my customers are satisfied knowing that they have the great service and quality products they’ve known for years.
“I was able to transition out of the business with ease and now I am able to pursue a career in politics and run for an important seat as a County Commissioner for Spokane! I am so grateful to Chris Jutt for making this happen for me. It’s been a complete pleasure from beginning to end.”
—Press Release
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