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“THE SERVI STORY”(If you can get thru this, and you agree with our story, we’ll have a great time working together. Let me know at the end — LEW) 1946 -1972Essa (ED) Sabbag returns from WWII service with the US Navy. The family store in Harvard Square was sold during the war, so he begins a new career in the printing industry. Landing a job at Boston’s biggest and best print company was a great opportunity — Buck Printing was the oldest print entity in Boston and they “did it all” — Design, photo, film, letterpress, offset, silk screen, bindery, distribution & fulfillment. Historical side note: In 1972, Buck Printing was a victim of a greedy, corporate acquisition that promised all sorts of good results and new technologies, but only yielded disastrous results for Boston’s most respected printer. The Silver lining — Buck’s demise spawned the “Buck Alumni Club” as I called it, a dozen or so former employees who then went out and started their own print & graphics operations. (Can you tell we LOVE these entrepreneurial stories?) THE IDEA! — & THE PROMISEJan. 1973, The Beginning Ed Sabbag founded Servigraphics, Incorporated. He took his promise of good ‘old-fashioned’ SOLID GOLD SERVICE and combined it with COMPLETE graphics management expertise and execution. SERVICE + GRAPHICS = SERVIGRAPHICS, INC. — the GOLD standard in the management of marketing communications efforts. Today we like the concept of ‘Hi Tech — Hi Touch’; made famous by author John Naisbitt in his 1982 book Megatrends, Ed was well ahead of his time with the idea of a personal touch, service focused business that utilized his graphics expertise and always employed the latest technologies. We take our name seriously and strive to continue that tradition each and every day. SERVI grew and got buy-in from key clients like the Gillette Safety Razor Company, who saw the value in print & graphics managers riding herd on a very complex procurement process; looking out for their best interests, and bringing solution based thinking and strategic buying expertise as Gillette became the premier shaving brand in the world. (*more to follow on that story) SERVI was in fact one of the FIRST companies of it’s type in the northeast. Today; it’s one of the oldest, if not THE oldest, print management firm in New England. May 1983 - Next generation -Servi had consistently grown and prospered through the start-up years in the early 70’s. (remember those gas lines? Nixon’s resignation? “Stagflation”??) With the new decade underway along came LEW SABBAG, Ed’s son. (Lew must have been exposed to way too much ink as he grew up, visiting the print plants with his father) Lew got his degree from Babson College in 1983 after working for Servi during previous summers. He was in the first graduating class of Entrepreneurship majors at Babson. “I knew I’d always be in some type of entrepreneurial situation…from my first lawn mower repair business in the late 70’s, to being past president of the Boston chapter of EO, a global entrepreneurship community. I was always forward looking, interested in business — how they got going & growing. AND, I love to ‘HELP’; fellow entrepreneurs and those with entrepreneurial spirit — brainstorm, solve problems, meet a need and accomplish a goal.” Historical side note: 1993 - The Gillette Years & Dot.Com mania —Lew was now the president of Servi & had the company cooking along. We had grown along with Gillette, working with the other divisions; Shaving, Personal Care, Braun & Duracell, etc. Helping the various departments throughout the groups — Purchasing, Marketing, Sales, HR, R&D, Manufacturing — we were a specialist and utility infielder at the same time — helping with everything from product launches, special R&D projects and even special needs at the CEO level. In 1993 we were honored and recognized as one of Gillette’s best vendors. The 90’s were a growing and rocking time; we started our relationship with Fidelity Investments, really grew our Gillette business, expanded the expertise & capabilities of Servi as our clients asked us to solve more problems and help them meet their objectives. We worked with many of Boston’s best ad agencies on many notable & significant accounts. Our ‘large format’ expertise (billboard/transit/In-Store) got us introduced to many great companies, brands and people. We participated in numerous ‘Top Secret’ projects over the years -- and a notable one for us was the launch of Gillette’s Revolutionary Mach3 Razor. 1999Historical side note: 2003 - The Post 911 years —Servi had it’s best year ever in 2001, but the events occurring that year overshadowed everything, and really took it’s toll on everyone we knew and worked with. It was the start of a really tough time for the marketing and printing professions. So many of our clients & friends really took a hit along with the towers. I’ve never known, first hand, so many people out of work. The Dotcom bubble had burst, Jim Kilts was brought in to “straighten out Gillette”, Boston’s Ad community lost quite a number of it’s small & mid-sized agencies. Many marketing efforts and people were halted in their tracks. The print & communications industry was significantly shrinking and consolidating. “Taking the Package” became all too familiar as big companies ‘shredded’ many of their ‘senior’ personnel, opting for fresh, younger staffing or no staffing at all. The ‘December 31st’s were notable too; because many people got those ‘pink slips’ at years end, often without ‘the package’ to send them off. Boston became significantly less of a corporate HQ town — not quite the ‘Hub’ we used to be… The Present —Servi has persevered, adapted and remained a thought leader in today’s world of ‘marketing resources management’. We strive to stay ‘aggressively’ original and unique. ‘Service AND Graphics’ are wanted more than ever — our ‘HiTech=HiTouch’ mindset appreciates relationships, understanding what you need and the service you want — because it still comes down to good communication, personal interaction and direct contact wherever possible. Combine proven technologies and workflows from Best in Class plants and services — delivering exceptional results — and fulfilling your need for ‘Quick — Easy — Reliable — Cost Effective — Personalized’ service. The Future —Feb 2008 Historical side note: For as much as things have changed since 1973, and will continue to change — Our core values & principles stay the same — we remain Innovative — Integrated — Internet Centric — Intelligent — Involved. Our strength’s will help us continue learning and passing it on to you, staying focused on the future & new opportunities, being a responsible partner, supreme archivist — remembering for you, and working in harmony, while employing our Systems Analysis abilities to bring YOU the best value. Buy Smart — We’ll save you Time, Energy & Money! That’s the ServiSystem. | |||