Sale of family business called a Kettering ‘staple’ stirs emotions

“My parents were a huge part of this business. They started the business,” the 58-year-old Kettering native and Fairmont West High School grad said.

“My father had printing equipment in the basement of our house long before I was born (and) I grew up with” it.

Schuerholz Printing has sold the 3540 Marshall Road location it has occupied for 44 years after being founded by Bill Schuerholz four years earlier in the family basement.

The purchase by Brandon and Nikki Jasper of Bellbrook was finalized last week, both parties said.

The purchase price was not disclosed. The business will be converted into a franchise of Minuteman Press, and the Jaspers will maintain a community-minded focus, both Schuerholz and Brandon Jasper said.

“We want to continue what Charley has really started to build, which has become a staple in the community,” Jasper said.

The company’s five employees will remain on, both Schuerholz and Jasper said.

Jasper, 44, worked for Speedway’s corporate office for 20 years after earning a degree in in operation management from Wright State University. At Speedway, Jasper said he held positions in marketing and operations before becoming director of strategy and innovation.

“We want to be able to serve the community,” Jasper said. “We are still locally owned and locally operated. This is not a corporation that’s coming in.”

It’s a business Charley Schuerholz has owned since 1999 after working there full time since Oct. 1, 1985, according to the company. His father died in 2008 and his mom is now 95, he said.

Parting with it has “been really hard,” he said as he choked back tears. “It’s just weird. But I’m excited about the future and excited about the what’s coming.

“And I know I made the right decision. And I know Brandon and Nikki are going to be great. … It’s just been emotionally hard for me.”

Schuerholz said he “would have liked another family member to take the business on. But there wasn’t a family member that could do that, was willing to do that or in line to do that. It was important to me to find someone who could (keep it) a family business.”

Schuerholz said he spoke with several potential buyers. But the Jaspers “want to be community-minded and want to focus on being a fixture in the community. And that is something that’s always been important to me.”

Among the Schuerholz clients have been Kettering City Schools, local churches and nonprofits, he said.

He has been a strong supporter of Kettering schools, including serving as co-chairman of a past school levy campaign.

Schuerholz credits the long business run to “word of mouth” advertising from a loyal customer base.

“When you do a good job for the community, people talk about it,” he said. “We never really had a sales force out there, never really advertised. We relied on our clients to sing our praises.”