2008 HOF — A Year to Remember

“I didn’t care much for selling insurance,” he says. “One of the customers I called on was a printer, Creative Printing. Every time I visited, the owner offered me a position. It intrigued me, plus it was something different, and I was ready for a challenge.”

Mayes jumped to Creative in 1974, then tried his hand with a couple of other printers, including the former French Bray in Baltimore. Seeking the stewardship of a company, he got wind of a company in need of a succession plan. So, in December 1986, Mayes acquired ColorCraft of Virginia. At the time, ColorCraft boasted annual sales of $2.5 million. Over the next two years, it posted revenues of $4.3 million, then $5.3 million.