Former Printing Industry Leader Norvin Hagan Passes at Age 74

Norvin Hagan

Norvin Hagan, who founded Atlanta-based Geographics Inc. in 1976 with meager financial means, died unexpectedly in Big Canoe, Georgia, on November 27, 2024, as he prepared to entertain family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday.

As his Legacy.com obituary noted, the third of five children, he was born in 1950 to “Frank” and Lucy Fair Hagan. Both an Eagle Scout and an enthusiastically mischievous middle child, Norvin graduated from the Marist School in 1968, where he excelled as a wrestler. That earned him a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Tennessee.

A member of The Vols Letterman’s Club and a self-proclaimed “solid C student,” Norvin earned a degree in business administration in 1972, often reminding friends with a wink that “C students rule the world,” his obituary said.

After graduation, he worked for a bank in Atlanta and then as a mortgage broker, which taught him about borrowing money and the importance of integrity when it comes to sales. Norvin founded Geographics Inc. in 1976 — printing small jobs for local clientele after buying the assets of Ferrell Enterprises from bankruptcy court for $32,000 including an $8,000 deposit.

The son of a coach at the Marist School, he combined his athletic discipline and work ethic with his strong people and communication skills to grow Geographics over the course of more than four decades into one of Atlanta’s largest commercial, direct mail, and catalog printing companies serving a national client base.

A Tumultuous First Day on the Job at Geographics

It’s a good thing, though, that his first day in business at Geographics didn’t portend the company’s future.

As noted in his profile in Printing Impressions following his 2015 induction into the Printing Impressions Printing Industry Hall of Fame, the FBI surrounded his plant on the opening day of business. The Feds weren’t after Norvin, he would soon find out, but rather the used mailing equipment on his shop floor.

The former owner apparently had been jimmying the postage meter, paying postage on just one out of every five or six mail pieces. Hagan didn’t end up in any trouble — that honor, and a seven-year stretch in prison, went to the former owner — but they still confiscated his mailing machinery nonetheless.

Hagan’s father, Frank, was taken aback, as Norvin relayed to Printing Impressions in 2015. “When I told him what happened, he said, ‘Damn, son, going out of business in one day; that’s got to be a record.’ I couldn’t sue the government to get my equipment back because I’d put my last eight grand down on the company,” Norvin recalled.

With limited financial resources, and production capabilities featuring two Multiliths and an old Lum press, Norvin began knocking on doors for business, securing mostly business cards and medium-run work. Although success certainly didn’t happen overnight, by reinvesting in new technology and providing exemplary customer service, Geographics continued to grow its reputation — and its accounts receivables ledger.

One of the watershed moments for Geographics was when it installed a Harris half-web offset press, separating itself from the predominantly sheetfed offset providers in the Atlanta area. That was followed by the installation of a full web and then a 24-page press.

“Customers are still looking for high-quality work,” he pointed out to Printing Impressions. “People say that quality is a given, but that’s a bunch of horse feathers. There’s plenty of bad printing out there. Our customers come to us because [bad printing] is not what they’re looking for.”

Geographics’ half-web press purchase turned into a bit of a headache, however. Two years after being installed, the press was discovered to have been engineered incorrectly; the manufacturer had to pull the press off Geographics’ floor for six months. He credited the patience shown by his customers and his dedicated workforce for helping Geographics to minimize the pain.

Another pivotal moment for Geographics came via the M&A front. Geographics bolstered its presence in the south with the acquisition of three companies from Nationwide Argosy Solutions: Offset Atlanta, McQuiddy (Nashville, Tennessee), and Jones Printing (Chattanooga, Tennessee).

Aside from leading Geographics, Norvin also made time to give back to the industry. He held nearly every office within the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) and also served on the Printing Industries of America’s (PIA) national board, which led to some deserved recognition. The PIAG presented him with its 2002 Ben Franklin Award and he was inducted into the PIA Ben Franklin Honor Society in 2013.

Geographics was ultimately sold to Des Moines, Iowa-based printing powerhouse Mittera on December 31, 2022, marking Mittera’s 19^th acquisition.

Good Wine and Good Friends

Norvin’s commitment as a commercial printer was matched by his love for great wine and the travel and friendships formed on his journey from wine enthusiast to becoming a devoted connoisseur, his obituary pointed out. Those passions combined in support of The High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction where Geographics served as the longest continuous sponsor for 27 years. He also served on the board of directors for the High Museum of Art.

Family and friends were always very important aspects of Norvin’s life. Following the mantra, “you have to be a good friend to have good friends,” he fostered many life-long friendships.

An earlier family photo includes, from the left, Maryann Kelly Hagan, Norvin Charles Hagan, Knox Norvin Hagan, and Elizabeth "Liz" Warfford Hagan.

None were more important than that with Liz Warfford Hagan, his 20-year-long life partner who he married in November 2019, and his two children, daughter Maryann Kelly and son Knox. Sadly, Norvin did not live long enough to attend Kelly’s upcoming marriage to fiancé Alex Haigh.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on December 12, 2024, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, immediately followed by a Celebration of Life reception at the Piedmont Driving Club.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made directly to one of the following organizations with reference to the “Norvin Hagan Memorial”:

• The Frank P. Hagan Memorial Coach's Award at Marist School, 3790 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30319, or donate online.
• The University of Tennessee “My All Fund.”
• The High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309, or donate online.