Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 14

some of them were better than what we had. In the end, the
flatbed dominated the print industry because while the quality
was still not perfect, it was very good. The print and apply
process went to the wayside because we could produce a
quality product at half the cost by eliminating time and labor.
As we got better, our turnaround times were faster, and the
demand was higher. This led to a second flatbed and eventually a third. Out of this ability to print high-quality graphics at
unprecedented turnaround times, our niche was born. Gone
were the days of the Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. We were
now working 'round the clock and our risk had paid off.
WHAT MAKES COLOR GAMUT UNIQUE AMONG SIN
CITY'S TRADESHOW COMPETITION?

BIG PICTURE

June/July 2020

"Building a 3D
rendering of the
view inside the
theme park dome
was so much
fun for both
companies," says
Richards. "It gave
us the opportunity
to be creative and
innovative at the
same time."

using an overhead projector to display an image on a blank
vinyl, and they hired airbrush artists to paint signs and
banners. Care to guess the turnaround time on a hand-painted
banner? Anyway, I worked for that company in accounting
and eventually purchasing where I started learning all about
the materials and products we sold. This was so interesting to
me and the knowledge I've gained over the years about roll
and rigid substrates has proved invaluable. Years and years
later they made me the VP of the company and I've never
looked back. After working in Florida, I became the national
sales manager for a large-format print company based out of
Indianapolis. This is when I switched gears from the production and administrative side of the business and entered the
world of sales. A few years later, I knew I had what it would
take to go into business for myself and I founded Color Gamut
in 2004. I guess you would say I got a late start in life.

Las Vegas is a fast-moving town and very different from
other locations. This town does not sleep. You must equip
your facility to do the same. Supporting the convention
business makes it unique with so many convention and
conference centers from one end of the strip to the other.
Today, the on-demand part of the business is common
practice. I think most companies here know if you want to
succeed you not only need the machinery, but you also need
a special team willing and capable of handling our capricious
industry. Over the last 15 years we've really developed and
mastered our craft, and we understand that complacency is
the enemy of success. We continue to push the envelope of
what is possible in our industry and we stand behind
everything we produce. That's what makes us unique:
dedication and follow through.

HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR NICHE IN LAS VEGAS?

YOU RECENTLY MOVED INTO A BRAND-NEW
FACILITY IN HENDERSON, NEVADA. [I WAS LUCKY
ENOUGH TO TOUR THE FACILITY BEFORE ISA EXPO
IN 2019, AND THE SITE IS IMPRESSIVE!] WHAT
LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE BUILDING
AND MOVING PROCESS?

Since the beginning, we knew it would take growth to survive
in this market. We knew we wouldn't survive with a sevenemployee staff, 7000 square feet, and two machines. We
needed a better workload in a saturated market, which meant
that right out of the gate we needed to take a risk. You see,
back then we were printing mainly banners and billboards on
solvent-based, roll-to-roll machines, which everyone else was
doing for cents on the dollar. It wasn't that we didn't have
enough work, it was the work we were doing had a low profit
margin. We knew that in order to grow we would need to take
on work that we were not accustom to.
Thus began the era of print direct and the flatbed printer.
The rigid substrate side of the business hadn't really taken off
yet. In 2006, we bought our first flatbed printer, which was a
risk because this side of the business was still in its early
stages and faced a lot of adversity. Everyone wanted to print
on pressure sensitive and apply that to rigid, and there was a
significant push against the flatbed machines in our market.
The naysayers said the quality of print and apply process was
superior to that of the flatbed printers; if it isn't broke, don't fix
it. In part, this was true. Obviously it depends on what
machine you are using in the print and apply process, but yes,

Two lessons. When we laid the building plans out on paper
we said, "This is more space than we will ever need." First
lesson: there is never enough room. We designed our facility
from the ground up and we took into consideration the
growing pains from our last facility. We allotted extra room
for more machines and left large areas of the warehouse
empty for growth. One year later, we've filled the print
rooms with printers, added more cutters, and filled the
warehouse with frames. Second lesson: You don't need to
see the whole staircase to take the first step, and I hope we
never have to do that again. Planning often goes awry and
let me tell you that's exactly what happened to us. We know,
from our projections, when we're going to be busy and when
we have time to make improvements. So, obviously, we
knew that we had to plan this move during our slower
period. Well, let's just say that didn't happen. We planned
our move in two phases and just when we were ready to
execute phase one, the builders notified us that the new
building didn't have power and they were a month behind on
getting it to us. Next were electrical hang-ups, then foundation leveling, and on and on. In the end it worked itself out,
but the process was daunting to say the least.

Big Picture - June/July 2020

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