OneSource Printing & Graphics — Kings of Queens
ONESOURCE PRINTING & Graphics has built its business on offering customers a one-stop shopping experience, while advancing into the digital age at warp speed. Although difficult to implement, moving away from the concept of being a traditional printer is no longer a novel concept.
Still, OneSource has succeeded in becoming one of the premier graphic arts providers in the New York metropolitan area since being founded in 1998.
Headquartered in midtown Manhattan, the company is the brainchild of Andrew Eisberg and Michael Behar. Both owners are printing sales veterans. Eisberg manages the sales and the overall corporate direction side of the business, while Behar is responsible for the operations activities, most recently overseeing the integration of an EFI Logic MIS system.
“Although I just happened into the printing industry, I found it very fascinating that everything could be customized,” shares Eisberg. “Selling projects from beginning to end, and knowing I’m a part of it, is exciting.”
The two met while working in sales capacities for another printer, but were growing frustrated with their employer’s lack of client services. So they decided to set out on their own. OneSource started with only two employees and minimal financial investment. Most of the work was being outsourced—anything from digital to conventional printing. The only work done in-house was a small amount of quick printing jobs.
Growth Spurts
“Within four years, though, we realized we had to bring production capabilities in-house,” says Eisberg. “We needed to make some serious investments. We went from two employees to our current 150 employees in just eight years.”
As jobs from companies like Lancome, Dior and Coach grew bigger than their vendors could handle, the company started purchasing equipment. OneSource’s 40,000-square-foot production facility in Queens, NY, is a 15-minute subway ride from its headquarters. The Manhattan offices house the sales staff, accounting and design departments. T1 lines connect it with the approximately 100 employees located at the Queens plant.
Four distinct departments make up the production capabilities of OneSource. OneSource Offset constitutes the company’s main printing department. The all- Heidelberg sheetfed pressroom is equipped with a six-color Speedmaster CD 102 press with coater, a two-color GTO and a four-color Quickmaster DI.
OneSource Display serves as the large- and grand-format department, handling most of the trade show and retail work, such as in-store displays for companies like French Connection, Sephora and Godiva Chocolate.
The company also has a design department, offering an in-house creative agency and a promotional products division. The promotions company, Push Promotions, provides everything from corporate gifts to custom concepts and sourcing.
OneSource’s 350 clients represent a full range of industries, including banking, retail, cosmetics and fashion. About 75 percent of this business is headquartered in the New York City metro area.
Eisberg also reveals that 2006 was one of the company’s best years from a profitability standpoint, due in part to a focus on a more efficient workflow and the integration of the EFI Logic system.
“Embracing new technology is what our business has been about since day one,” Eisberg stresses. “We are far ahead of the curve on technology. There is not much left for us to buy when I go to trade shows like Graph Expo.”
The company offers its clients Web-to-print solutions, and is developing a handful of Websites, including its online ordering site, www.cheapjacksprinting.com. Eisberg admits these efforts, in part, are to stay competitive with the emergence of totally online print providers. A full launch of this site is expected this year.
To foster best business practices from client to client, OneSource employs a grassroots program when new account executives are brought on board. A six-week printing program is set up for new hires, with a mandatory three weeks spent in the plant, learning everything from equipment capabilities to workflow.
OneSource employs a large staff of account executives, with each assigned a limited number of accounts. Salespeople manage all processes of a job from design to fulfillment so, if there is a problem along the way, it can be taken care of immediately.
As for the future of the company, Eisberg and Behar plan to continue what they are already doing. “We’re not about a product; we’re about service and keeping customers happy so they can grow with our company,” Eisberg adds. PI
