Graphics biz plans $2M investment in new HQ
Owners of nPrint Graphix aim to nearly double space through purchase
BY: MIKE CULLINAN, REPORTERmcullinan@sbj.net
Posted online January 24, 2025 | 2:34 pm
Coming off what officials say was a record-breaking revenue year, nPrint Graphix plans to move by early 2026 to the first company-owned facility in its near 30-year history.
The graphics company, which counts signage, interior graphics and themed designs among its services, recently purchased roughly 1.5 acres of land on South Scenic Avenue to build its new headquarters. The future 12,000-square-foot, roughly $2 million facility will be built next to HVAC and chimney cleaning company LCS Kleen-Aire Inc.’s 3210 S. Scenic Ave. facility.
John Fugitt, who co-owns nPrint Graphix with his wife, Beth, said they purchased the property from LCS Kleen-Aire owner Tyler McGauley for $278,000. Fugitt said McGauley had no plans for the land adjacent to his business, adding they had a past real estate connection. The Fugitts and McGauley were former residential neighbors around eight years ago, he said.
“He actually took less money because he wanted us as a neighbor,” Fugitt said of the Scenic Avenue property purchase. “That was pretty cool.”
Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective is architect for the project with Ross Construction Group LLC tabbed as general contractor, Fugitt said. Renderings are in development with designs expected to wrap in a couple months, he said, adding officials estimate a possible groundbreaking in April.
“Our goal, we would love to be in there this year,” Fugitt said, noting the completion date could be bumped to January or February 2026. “I don’t know if we’re going to hit that. That’s a pretty ambitious goal.”
Fugitt started the company in 1996 when he was a senior at Republic High School. It was then called SharpSigns of Springfield and rebranded in 2006 to nPrint Graphix, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.
Space needs
Over the past couple years, nPrint has invested in its in-house printing equipment, with Fugitt estimating he’s spent roughly $160,000 on upgrades. The printers aid the company with printing services such as for flooring and wallpaper. However, space at the company’s current facility at 1943 W. Sunset St. – its home for the past 18 years – is making additional equipment purchases a difficult task, he said.
“It ups our capability to do a ton of stuff and a lot of high volume,” he said of the newer equipment, noting one of its current clients, Verizon Wireless, is requiring a lot of attention as it recently changed its logo. “Because of that, they’re replacing all of their signage on 6,000 locations. It’s kind of a big deal.”
Fugitt said a focus in recent years has been connecting with general contractors, architecture firms and interior designers to grow the company’s project list.
“I came to them, and I said, ‘Hey, we want to offer you a turnkey solution. We know you have signage; we know you have graphics. Let us show you what we can offer you and how we can help you.’”
Connections with companies such as DeWitt & Associates Inc., Killian Construction Co. and Sapp Design Consultants helped nPrint hit a record-high $3.5 million in revenue last year.
“We just jumped into these bigger projects with the builders,” Fugitt said, adding nPrint also works with companies with Kansas City and Springfield offices such as J.E. Dunn Construction Group Inc. “I don’t know if we would ever do a second location in Kansas City. I would love it, to be honest with you. We do a lot of business in Kansas City because there’s so much growth up there and so much building.”
The company’s employee count also is on the rise, as a staff of 18 now fill the Sunset Street office. That’s up 50% from 2021, he said.
Fugitt said nPrint will roughly double its space with the move and noted he expects the company will easily be able to fill its new facility.
“We need it really bad. I think I could use 20,000 [square feet], to be honest with you,” he said, adding the cost is a significant driver of the project size. “We’ll start with this and see where we go.”
Successful search
The upcoming move to Scenic Avenue was born last year out of a men’s luncheon at James River Church. At the event, Fugitt was sitting next to Tom Rankin and shared with him and others at the table, including Brian Kubik and Jon Dodd with Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, that his building search was not coming along very well.
“I’d been looking for over a year at that point,” Fugitt said of existing properties.
The next day, Rankin sent information on the Scenic Avenue property, which was available for new construction opportunities.
“I looked into it, and then two weeks later we ended up buying it,” he said.
Once in the new headquarters, Fugitt said the company will have room for customized vehicle wraps – a service its current space can’t accommodate. That’s in addition to boosting its on-site equipment, which he said is already in the plans.
“I want to add more equipment and make us more efficient is the big thing,” he said. “It’s going to give us space so we can spread out and do larger banners and larger graphics much easier.”
The new home for nPrint Graphix will be the culmination of a dream, Fugitt said.
“When you start your company at 18, you always dream, ‘I’ll own my own facility’ or ‘I’ll do something one day.’ And to see that reality starting to kind of hit is becoming pretty cool,” he said.
