By Ed Avis
When David Fox started Fox Blueprinting in Salem, Oregon, in 1993, the world was different. Running a blueprint shop in those days meant making lots and lots of black & white prints for AEC clients. Fox, who was in his late 20s then, dove into his business
David Fox
and made a success of it.
But that was nearly a quarter century ago. His business today is about 50/50 traditional reprographics and large-format color. Instead of just serving the AEC world, his clients come from all over: artists, students, lawyers, government, etc. And black & white prints? They’re still part of the business, but only a fraction of what they were even 10 years ago.
“Our color department is much stronger these days,” Fox says. “We continue to provide excellent reprographics services for the construction industry, but we also make signs and banners for them. And we do color work for other businesses. We were the first reprographics shop to offer color in Salem with the HP, in 1994, and we’ve held onto the top position.”
Like most repro businesses, a turning point for Fox Blueprinting was the recession. The company went from seven employees to just Fox himself. But he managed to keep the doors open, and things have picked up significantly since then. He has rehired two of his former employees, and the business is again profitable.
New Interests
But Fox is middle aged now, with many other interests, and he’s feeling like it’s time to move on.
“I’m healthy and I’m not super young anymore, but relatively young, and I want to explore some of my other curiosities,” he says. “I just like doing and learning.”
Fox plays bass and sings in a band that plays ‘80s era punk, called City of Pieces. He has discovered culinary talents, and has a side business selling Spanish paella at the Salem farmers’ market and a few other local events. He’s also a long-distance runner – he did the Boston Marathon in 2015 – and he recently finished a six-year stint on Salem’s Planning Council.
In short, he’s a Renaissance man, and the blueprint shop consumes a lot of time he could be spending exploring other worlds.
On the Market
So Fox Blueprinting is on the market. Fox says he’s dug the business out of the hole it was in after the recession, and his asking price is modest.
What does the new owner get? A solid business in the heart of downtown Salem, the capital of Oregon, with about 160,000 residents. The city is just an hour south of Portland, one of the hippest and fastest-growing cities in the country.
The business includes a long list of fairly new equipment from KIP, Epson, Konica and Canon. Older, but still functional, equipment includes a Seal 5500 laminator.
Fox himself says he’s open to staying in the business for a while, and his two employees have combined more than two decades experience.
Perhaps most important, he’s got a loyal customer base in a healthy community with a decent amount of new construction.
“We’re competitive,” Fox says of his business. “We know what we’re talking about, and we take care of people.”
Interested? Call Fox at 503-551-6474 or email him at david@foxblue.com.