John Lynch of Woolverton Printing Company in Cedar Falls, Iowa, can proudly trace the origins of his company all the way back to his great grandfather Roy Woolverton, who founded the business when he first started providing printed materials to local churches in Osage, Iowa in 1897.
In 1920, Roy Woolverton moved the company to Cedar Falls to pursue commercial printing contracts and also to provide college education opportunities for his children. John’s grandfather William Lynch, married to one of Roy Woolverton’s daughters Cornelia Woolverton, guided the company through its most critical trials after the 1945 arson fire, which destroyed most of the building.
William supervised the reconstruction and had the company back in full operation within five months after the fire. The company continued to grow under John’s father, Richard Lynch’s directions in the 1970s and1980s and Richard still serves as the company chairman of the Board of Directors.
With a successful marketing plan created by Delores Lynch, John’s mother, in 1984, their church clientele expanded. Parts of the marketing plan are still used today, which includes a toll free line for churches to call in orders. Approximately 14,000 churches use this service and place up to 200 orders daily.
Even though the foundation of the company is strongly rooted in the past, the company is focused on creating a successful future. Since John Lynch became CEO and President in 1992, Woolverton Printing Company has seen a significant increase in both sales and number of employees. Augmenting the traditional church product line and mainstay with commercial and government printing contracts is the key to Woolverton’s rapid growth. In 1999, Woolverton passed a milestone by moving from downtown Cedar Falls to its present location in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park. Moving to the new location made it possible for the company to add a six color press, which required additional space and atmospheric conditions. During the move, Woolverton received two Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans through the Black Hawk Economic Development Corporation in Waterloo. The loans were used for two critical equipment purchases for printing production.
The business has expanded even more since its 1999 move. The company has continued to invest heavily in the latest printing equipment. The 2001 expansion added a warehouse and production facilities for mail order. In 2003, Woolverton also added the fully electronic Internet-based customer integration software solution, featuring new computer to plate (CTP) capabilities, to its printing production allowing full electronic flow of printing orders to production.
Along with vice president Mitch Weinberg and sales manager David Hartley, John and the rest of the staff at Woolverton continue to add to the foundation of success that Roy Woolverton first started building back in 1897.