The Grassicks, franchisees with Allegra Marketing Print Mail, are celebrating 40 years and more to come
By Alya Somar
Karen and Eric Grassick of Allegra Halton, located in the city of Burlington, Ontario, have been in the printing and marketing industry since the 1980s. In that time, they’ve built a family-oriented business to support themselves and their employees. Their daughter, Shelby Grassick, has even gone on to work for Allegra’s parent company Alliance Franchise Brands, building upon their family legacy even further.
Having recently celebrated their 40th anniversary with an ’80s themed party filled with original customers and staff members, the Allegra Halton team is excited to see what the future has in store for them.
The first edition
In Burlington, Ontario in 1986, Karen Grassick’s parents opened Zippy Print, a marketing and printing company that served the local community. Over the years, they grew their customer base and sponsored many local sports teams and youth programs. Karen herself worked at her parents’ location as a customer service representative and graphic designer from the very beginning, learning what it took to run the family business first hand. Karen would go on to meet her husband, Eric, as he joined the team as their first press operator.
One year after Zippy Print & Imaging had first opened, Eric’s parents opened a similar print shop in Florida. Both Karen and Eric spent a few years working at his parents’ store to further their expertise in the industry. In 1995, an American brand acquired Zippy Print, and shortly after they both became a part of Alliance Franchise Brands. In 2006, Karen and Eric officially took over the franchise in Burlington, continuing her parents’ legacy.
Over time, Karen and Eric expanded their client base and acquired a number of larger customers, expanding how the family business served the local community. In 2013, Karen and Eric decided to rebrand to one of their parent company’s other brands to better suit the needs of their evolving clientele and set themselves up for future success. They were now Allegra Marketing Print Mail Halton. No matter what name they operated under, “We were always supported [by Alliance Franchise Brands],” says Karen.
Business with dedication
Karen and Eric’s typical workdays begin by supporting their employees with a team meeting. Many of their employees work in the office on their printing equipment, with only one designer working remotely. When everyone gets to the shop in the morning, they touch base with one another and the Grassicks check in with each individual. From there, the entire team hits the ground running.
Karen focuses on customer dealings, handling sales calls, quotes, and meeting each customer’s needs on a personal level. She manages customer and supplier relationships in one half of their building, and on the other side of their location, Eric and the production crew focus on fulfilling orders. With over 50 per cent of their production happening in-house, there’s always a machine being run by a team member—Eric himself is their main operator.
The Grassicks have dedicated time and resources that have helped their team become experts at their jobs, and continue to invest back into them. Allegra Halton even handles the delivery and installation of some products, setting them apart from their competitors. Since opening, they’ve also remained dedicated to providing their customers with unmatched service and products tailored to their unique needs.
In the last 40 years, recessions have come and gone, but Karen and Eric’s leadership has remained focused on their employees. During times of global financial struggle, the Allegra Halton team chose to cut back on expenses instead of letting employees go. Reducing hours, remembering to shut off lights as they left different rooms in the shop, and leaning on their printing community to source better deals on materials all meant that management could keep their staff onboard.
Guidance from Alliance Franchise Brands was there for them every step of the way with meetings, panels, and support networks for franchisees to connect with one another. This community has helped the Grassick team as much as they’ve helped others through uncertain times, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Karen and Eric continue to follow in Karen’s parents’ footsteps and keep close ties within the Canadian printing industry, understanding that printers and suppliers alike are stronger when they work together. They have had long-term partnerships with some of their vendors for nearly 40 years, and always prioritise Canadian businesses when in need of connections.
“Having those meetings where you were talking to other franchisees right across the country, from coast to coast that we were talking, it was great to be able to have that interaction during COVID,” Karen says.
Karen and Eric’s daughter, Shelby, is the third generation of the family to step into the printing business. At first, both her and her brother did not see themselves in the printing and marketing world. After graduating from a university on Canada’s east coast with a degree in marine biology, she came back to Burlington to complete a post-graduate certificate in marketing and eventually took a job in the field.
Through industry connections, Shelby heard of an opening with Alliance Franchise Brands, Allegra Halton’s parent company. She took a chance and applied, interviewed for the position, and wound up working in their corporate office. Bringing in the unique perspective of having grown up in her family’s franchise has helped immensely in supporting the network of franchisees across Canada and the United States.
Currently, Shelby runs all of the AI education programs that Alliance Franchise Brands offers their franchisees. She can be found at national conferences speaking on panels about the resources available to franchisees across brands and how to keep their businesses up-to-date on the latest technology. Shelby is passionate about making franchisees’ lives easier and helping them grow their businesses. During her upbringing, she saw firsthand how much effort it took for her parents to run a business and prioritise raising two kids at the same time, so she is determined to contribute to the work-life balance of franchisees however possible.
Shelby shares, “Franchisees are busy. They don’t have time to sit down and figure [AI] out. So, it’s understanding their workflow, what their days look like, if they need to stop a meeting to take a call, that kind of thing.” She adds, “There are a lot of people who have been tech-averse over the years that are all-in on AI now. It’s started to build a really strong community.”
The printing continues
The Grassicks are dedicated to contributing to the community that has supported them from the start. Since first opening their doors in 1986, their team has sponsored local children’s sports teams, festivals, and seniors’ groups. They take pride in sharing their success with those around them and will continue to do so for the long run. Shelby has been excited to find that same commitment to community at Alliance Franchise Brands. On just her second day, Shelby and her team visited a local charity to pack meals for seniors in the community. Seeing the home office place such a strong emphasis on giving back has made her even more excited to be part of an organization that shares her family’s belief in supporting the communities around them.
With 40 years of success, every generation of the Allegra Halton team looks forward to a bright future where they can continue to grow, develop, and contribute to the lives of the people around them. “Forty-five years will be the next thing we celebrate,” says Karen, “and it’ll be another party.”
Learn more about franchising with Allegra Marketing Print Mail
