Beck's Printing Owner Celebrating 18th Year

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — While the Windsor Mill has seen its share of businesses move in and out, one owner is quietly celebrating his 18th year that included doubling the size of the shop and employment just a year ago.

Feb. 1 will mark 18 years since John Haskins purchased Beck's Printing. Haskins has been the man behind the press providing everything from envelopes to business cards to posters to architectural plans for nearly every city business.

"You'd be hard pressed to find a business in the area that we're not doing business with in some capacity," Haskins said. "Any ink on paper that you can think of, we can do. We don't job anything out; we do it all here on site."

Haskins traces his interest in printing back to Drury High School, where he took graphic design classes. From there he went on to work for a competing shop and about eight years into it he found himself running the entire business. He then bought Beck's.

"The opportunity presented itself and it was time to make a move," Haskins said on Tuesday.

He retained the customers Beck's had before his arrival and has slowly grown. Mostly through word of mouth, he has become a go-to person for local businesses and beyond.

"We've had our ups and downs with the economy but business has always grown consistently," he said. "Business definitely increased from year to year."

"We had a very strong second half of 2012 once everything was up and running and that has continued so far in 2013. It allowed us to diversify what we offer," Haskins said. "It brought in a lot of new customers and we were able to offer more to our existing ones."

When asked what the key to his success is, Haskins said it is all about being a "working owner."

"I still run the press. I still make a lot of the deliveries," Haskins said.

And the biggest challenge is keeping up with technology. When Haskins first started he was printing items as simple as resumes for customers but since those are now done at home, his work has become much more complicated. Additionally, the printing equipment constantly improves requiring even more investment.

"We're competing with the Internet and winning every day," Haskins said.

Offering such services as an on-site graphic designer to follow the project from beginning to end is what keeps customers coming back.

With one expansion in the books, Haskins said he doesn't have another expansion in the works yet. But, he is "far from calling it quits" and always on the lookout for growth opportunities.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.