Parker Pad & Printing Ltd. of Markham, ON, is set to celebrate its 70th Anniversary on June 29 at The Country Club in Woodbridge, Ont., which coincides with the company’s annual golf tournament and dinner.
Founded in 1946, Parker Pad & Printing is now a third-generation, family-owned and operated business, with a second location in Haliburton, Ont. Running litho and toner presses, the commercial printing operation focuses on the financial services, marketing communications and packaging industries.
Frank Parker Sr. started Parker Pad in the basement of his home on West Lodge Avenue, Toronto, running a foot-treadle-powered Perfected Prouty #2035 press for work like posters, notices, bill heads, sheets of tickets and small newsletters. Some of his first jobs involved producing printed laundry pads for the local laundry and dry cleaning trades, as well as ticket pads for the police department.
After the tragic passing of Frank Parker in 1960, his sons, Frank Jr. and Roger, took over the business, with Frank buying out his brother by the mid-1970s.
In 1996, as the company was celebrating its 50th anniversary, Parker Pad & Printing installed its first 4-colour press and current leader, Janis Parker, began a gradual purchase of the company from her father. In 2006, she concluded the purchase of the company, which then had 54 employees. At the end of last year, the company had approximately 70 employees.
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