MO - December 2008 - (Page 11) community ‘MO BIZ A Monthly Business Profile Sponsored by the GSBA Urban Press: 25 Years And Counting By Bryan Ochalla When Karen Jensen and Patty Carlisle met while working at Sudden Printing in 1980, they were a bit of an anomaly within the inarguably (straight) male-dominated industry. Nearly 30 years later, the business and life partners—who left Sudden Printing and started their own company, Urban Press, in the basement of their Capitol Hill home just three years after they were introduced—remain anomalies despite the fact that the printing business is more diverse than it used to be. “If you’re a woman looking to own your own shop, there are fewer roadblocks than there were in the past,” Carlisle says. Unfortunately, she adds, the same can’t be said for women simply looking for a job within the industry. “Walk around the press room of any big printing company and you’ll probably only see men.” Walk around Urban Press’ recently relocated facilities in Georgetown—the company’s sixth location in its 25-year existence, but who’s counting?—and you’ll see the exact opposite. Working alongside Carlisle and Jensen are Valerie Collier (press operator), Denise Minard (pre-press and digital printing) and Kristyn Joy (customer relations). The tight-knit team has printed pamphlets and posters and everything in between for a wide range of clients over the years, including bio-tech companies, law firms and labor unions, though its bread and butter has been helping non-profit organizations like Statewide Poverty Action Network, One America (formerly Hate Free Zone) and Equal Rights Washington. “We really admire the work our clients do,” Carlisle says, “and because of that we feel we have a personal investment in making their projects as successful as possible.” Business and life partners, Karen Jensen and Patty “Not just because it will make Carlisle, address employees at a recent 25-Year them return customers,” Jensen Celebration. adds, “but because we believe in what they’re doing.” Jensen and Carlisle certainly have history Return customers seemingly were the last on their side—not to mention each other. things on Jensen’s mind when she and Carlisle “We’ve seen so many small print shops die unveiled Urban Press so many years ago. “I during times like this, but somehow ours has never thought about making a life out of this,” managed to survive for 25 years,” Jensen says. she admits. “I just thought, ‘Let’s see if we can “And not only has our shop survived, but so make it to next week.’” has our relationship. That kind of thinking has crept back “That’s no small feat when you consider into Jensen’s mind in the past few months we had only been together for about a year thanks to the downturn in the economy. “The when we started the business,” she adds. economy was still in decent shape when we “Since then, we’ve gotten up together every got into this building,” she says, “so it was kind day, worked with each other every day and of shocking when September came and all we came home and gone to bed together every heard was doom and gloom. We started thinkday. That we’re not only still together but still ing, ‘What are we going to do?’ going strong after all of that is quite an ac“We had to sign over everything except complishment if you ask me!” the teenager in order to buy this building,” Visit Urban Press on the Web at www. Jensen says, referring to 16-year-old daughter UrbanPressSeattle.com, or call 206.325.4060. Monica. “Everything is on the line for us. For more about the GSBA and its other proud Thankfully, we’ve survived tough times like members, go to www.theGSBA.org. this before. We just have to make the best decisions we can and stay afloat until things Bryan Ochalla has written for The Advocate, turn around.” DiversityInc and GayWired.com. moseattle.com 11 issue 22 | december 2008 http://www.UrbanPressSeattle.com http://www.UrbanPressSeattle.com http://www.theGSBA.org http://www.GayWired.com http://www.cabinetrends.com http://www.moseattle.com
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