PrintingNews.com

Corcoran Printing of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was recently ranked number 4,334 on the 2008 Inc. magazine 5000 List. The list, which tracks the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country, takes a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

"We're very happy and proud to have been recognized," said Corcoran Printing President Bill Corcoran, who attributes running a steady marketing blitz for a part of the firm's growth. "A lot of printers will try direct mail once or twice, and when nothing comes of it shelve the idea. We've been using direct mail each month for five years and the consistency has paid off."

Corcoran also believes in the power of the Internet. His firm recently picked up a new catalog account in New York State thanks to its search-engine listings. "We come up on or near the top in key categories when an Internet search is done, say for posters," noted Corcoran, who is self-taught when it comes to marketing, but has been in the printing business for some 30 years. "Lots of printers are not disciplined enough to stick with a marketing strategy, but we invest in it on a regular basis."

Corcoran Printing's direct mail is usually in the form of an 8.5x11-inch folded sheet, and highlights a special monthly product offer. Corcoran credits marketing search engine efforts with helping the company locate prospects that spend a lot on advertising, and whom it might not otherwise be able to target. Location also helps. While Wilkes-Barre is convenient to the Northeast, it lies outside any major urban area, which is why Corcoran has relatively low production costs, which it can pass on to its clients.

"Price is a big factor in this business," conceded Corcoran. "We position ourselves as a top-quality shop, but one that will price your job competitively. We aim to meet clients' deadlines, to be easy to deal with while remaining highly efficient." Corcoran Printing provides brochures, newsletters, catalogs, and direct-mail printing to businesses and educational institutions, mostly in the northeast.

The hard work and strategic planning is paying off with recognition. "Our second annual Inc. 5000 continues the most ambitious project in business journalism," said Inc. 5000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. "The Inc. 5000 gives an unrivalled portrait of young, under-reported companies across all industries doing fascinating things with cutting-edge business models, as well as older companies that are still showing impressive growth."

In order to keep the company competitive as well as efficient, Corcoran rewards its employees with a program that's unique to the industry. Much of Corcoran's success is attributed to its "Gainsharing" Business Model, in which all employees share in the company's profit.

Once a price-point is reached," said Corcoran, "employees take part in a 60-40 split with the company. The 40 percent is divided up among the employees based on years of service to the firm. This encourages workers to remain with the firmm and helps them realize that we're not all about making money. We care about our employees and want them to grow with us. It's a unique business model, and it has helped the company run more efficiently. When employees know there's more at stake, they try to get jobs done right the first time. They find ways to reduce waste, while saving time and energy." Bonuses are paid quarterly, and are based on gross earnings.