![]() I also answer the phone and deliver products from time to time. My desk is at the front door and I, the owner, greet people as they walk in the door. That’s what a family business requires sometimes.Ĭustomer service has been the biggest key for Witt Print Shop over the years. My wife and two sons, and sometimes friends, will come in to help us out with big jobs that require a bit more help. There are only four of us full-time: Myself (owner since 2000), my “right arm” and general manager, Caroline Scott, and production specialists Derek and Kyle. That we’re the oldest print shop in Columbia and do work for businesses across the country in about 30 different states. That we’re a small, local, mom-and-pop print shop that has great customer service and turns professional products quickly. Tell us something that you think everyone knows about Witt Print Shop. We’re a commercial print shop that handles anything from envelopes, letterhead, business cards, postcards, brochures, mailings, booklets and magazines, to specialty products, laser engraving, and all sorts of signage. Technically, three generations have owned Witt Print Shop, as Thomas Witt was not a family member. How many different generations have owned Witt Print Shop? My cousin Ray Ash and I purchased the business from Uncle Harold in 2000 and when my cousin retired, I became sole owner in 2016 and moved the shop to its current location at 1901 Vandiver Drive in 2017. ![]() Witt, an addition was built to the Missouri Press building, and the Witt Print Shop moved to that location on Eighth Street. My uncle, Harold Nichols, purchased it in 1963 from Mr. Thomas Witt started the business in downtown Columbia in 1926. How many years has Witt Print Shop been in business? Witt Print Shop Derek Schlueter, Brian Kirmse, Caroline Scott, and Kyle Sheppard Topping it off, Kirmse explains, “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to purchase a well-respected generational business that had a long-standing good name like Witt.” “It not only has allowed me to stay involved with my kid’s extracurricular activities due to flexibility of work hours, it has allowed me an avenue to teach and raise my children to understand the importance of hard work and relationships as well as money management, deadlines, scheduling, responsibilities and other lessons in life.” “Having a small, family-owned business has been a blessing in so many ways,” says Brian Kirmse, owner of Witt Print Shop. Witt Print Shop is one example of a multigenerational business that was sold by one generation of owners to another business with multiple family roots, while embodying the best ideals of small business and family success. Louis in 1849), Witt Pri nt Shop, Columbia Welding & Machine, and one of downtown’s most iconic stores and signs - Dryer’s Shoes. Four of those companies are highlighted here: Schmidt Billiards and Game Rooms (with direct roots back to St. Recent studies, including an analysis by the Harvard Business Review, revealed a refreshing new conclusion: Family-owned, multigenerational businesses actually have a leg up on single-entity or corporate-owned businesses primarily because a family-connected business is in a better position to react and respond to market forces, has better relationships with customers and employees, and has more of a vested interested in success.Ĭolumbia is home to several multigenerational businesses. ![]() ![]() Department of Commerce.Ī Brazilian proverb (yes, the myth seems globally pervasive), goes something like this: Rich father, noble son, poor grandson. That conclusion, based on a study in the 1980s, has been quoted and rehashed by sources as reputable as the U.S. There’s a myth in the business world that multigeneration businesses are doomed to fail - that barely one third of family-owned businesses last through the third generation. Columbia’s business landscape features vibrant old-timers. ![]()
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