Friends' Merchant Series: Minuteman Press

Editor's note: As part of their annual fundraising efforts, the Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library is asking area businesses to offer discounts to library supporters who join their Friends Merchants program. Friends' Justin Watrel has prepared profiles of participating businesses, which Patch has agreed to publish one to two times per month throughout the year. Patch plays no role in selecting the businesses or writing the profiles.

“When you walk into a store, you want to be treated nicely,” said Tom Colletti, co-owner of . “We offer service that is one on one. We like it that when you walk in to work with us, that you are offered a more personal service. We want to bring high quality commercial printing to a local level. Customers deserve high quality printing.”

Tom Colletti was born and raised in Hackensack and is a Hackensack High School Alumus who runs Minuteman Press, a local branch of large multi-national chain of stores that has locations both in the U.S. and abroad.

He runs the branch in Hasbrouck Heights with partner Bob Skillin, a New York City and Albuquerque, NM raised resident who currently lives in Dingman’s Ferry, PA.

“It is a hike for me every day from Pennsylvania,” said Bob Skillin, “but it is worth it. I enjoy coming into to work every day.”

“Printing is the only industry I know and after 32 years in the business, I am applying my expertise to grow the business,” Tom said. “I got tired of selling printing for other people and felt we should do it ourselves. My partners and I bring in about 50 years of experience to the business.”

“We are very lucky in that we have the right people working here,” added Bob, “we all pitch in to get the job done.”

Tom brings to the business years of commercial design and printing both in New York City and on the local level and Bob is a stationary engineer, who knows how to maintain and work the equipment so that projects can be done on site. All folding, gluing, and cutting can be done right in the store. They bought the business in 2010 and have been growing it ever since.

“I like telling our customers that most everything we do is produced on site here in Hasbrouck Heights,” Tom said. “When there are bigger projects that we can’t do on site, like large banners, we use the Minuteman Central Facility. This keeps all projects being done of a consistent quality.”

“I don’t feel that people should be taken advantage of when they need a project done,” Tom said. “We want to offer a fair price for our services. At Minuteman Press, you will work with the owners of the business. I look at everything that comes out of the store. I want all work to be up to my standards. We will consult with customers to meet their needs within their budget and that consistency in the work makes a big difference.”

Some of the services provided by Minuteman Press are things like black and white copying, fax service, resumes and flyers. Some of the more specialty services offered are items such as calendars, catalogs, holiday cards and wedding invitations, stationary, menus and manuals.

“We are trying to bring branding to a local level,” both Tom and Bob said. “We will work with a small business to help find its identity and its market place. We will work with business owners to find their ‘look’ and help tie it into the brand they are trying to portray.”

Minuteman Press has an in-house graphic designer, John Kennedy, who brings his years of design experience to the business.

“The nice part about working with us is that you deal with the owner,” Tom explained. “I will make all the sales calls and will personally drop the finished work off for approval. This way the customer deals with the owner right on the spot and there is no ‘I have to go back to the office for approval’. I will handle it right there. This cuts a lot of time off the project and in the meantime, we can add our opinions and make changes right there and then. I will drop off the proofs and make changes on the spot. This offers a level of customer service most of the larger chains like Kinkos and Staples can’t compete with when servicing clients.”

“We will offer our customers free design consultation either when they come in or I will go visit them,” Tom said. “They will work with one of us every step of the way and know that they are working with an owner. We stand by our work and if they are not satisfied, we will re-run it. We stand by our work 100 percent. We will go out of our way to produce the best quality job.”

The mission statement of Minuteman Press is “when it comes to business communications, we want to provide the best value to you, no matter the size of your budget. With a complete range of products and services at your disposal, we will help you get your message out to customers, employees and vendors alike.”

“We like being in Hasbrouck Heights,” Bob said. “It has a hometown feeling and gives us time to get to know our customers. It is like mini ‘Mayberry’. People here really appreciate the personal touch we offer. A person who walks in to make one copy is just as important to us as the person who walks in and spends thousands of dollars with us. You never know when that one interaction can lead to business in the future.”

“We will work with people in town and help them the best way we can,” Tom added. “When we first opened, I walked the Boulevard to meet the other merchants and offer our services. We are part of the Chamber of Commerce and work with the local police and fire departments and teachers to offer them the best possible prices and service.”

“We want to grow to include more commercial accounts,” Tom said, “but at the same time, we don’t want to lose our ‘local’ feel. As we grow, we want to include not just small and mid-size companies, but the local resident who needs to send a fax, make a copy or have their resume printed. We want to be part of their success as well.”

Minuteman Press
216 Boulevard
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
201-288-778