by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
With the City’s help, Mike Hartley is expanding his printing business beyond Jacksonville’s borders.
The Hartley Press is a fixture within the City. Several City Council members earlier this week credited Hartley with helping spur growth in the area surrounding his 30-year-old St. Augustine Road office.
“Mr. Hartley has been an anchor for redevelopment on St. Augustine Road,” said Council member Lad Daniels.
But Hartley’s latest planned expansion, funded by $7 million in City-issued bonds, targets customers outside the City. The addition of a technologically advanced printing press should allow Hartley to keep large projects local and compete for business throughout the South.
“Now if I get a large order, something 40,000 or 50,000 in quantity, that work has to go out of town,” said Hartley. “This equipment we’re talking about will allow us to keep that work local.”
For instance, Hartley had to farm out much of the work on an order from Fidelity National Financial for 70,000 copies of its annual report. The addition of a full-size heatset Web press will allow Hartley to do that work at his local office. It should also bolster Hartley’s business in larger markets like Orlando and Tampa.
Hartley entered those markets in 1999. Then, it was the addition of a $2.7 million lithographic printing press that enabled the expansion. Like Hartley’s current plans, that expansion was paid for with City-issued bonds.
But Hartley said the City isn’t playing favorites in the local printing market.
“This deal isn’t threatening anyone’s business,” said Hartley. “Seventy-five to 80 percent of the work is going to come from outside of Jacksonville. They’re jobs that wouldn’t come here otherwise.”
In fact, Hartley said his competitors would have more reason to worry if his current plans don’t pan out. The alternative is to expand his traditional business.
Hartley still needs Council approval before he pushes ahead with the expansion. But the deal has already been approved by the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. So far, the bill has cruised through a pair of Council committees.
The bill was unanimously approved by the Finance Committee Monday and the Economic Community and International Development Committee Tuesday. In both cases, the only delay was caused by Council members’ enthusiasm for the project and for Hartley.
ECID chair Art Graham called the discussion of the bill a “lovefest,” as fellow committee members lined up to endorse Hartley. Finally, even Graham had to join in.
“I normally don’t get involved in these lovefests,” said Graham. “But I am enthusiastic about supporting manufacturing. In my experience, manufacturers put down roots in a community. They can’t just unplug the computers and leave.”