Provided by Business Wire
Jun 11, 2020 11:13 AM CDT
Creating thousands of kits containing branded bottles of hand sanitizer, masks, and other personal protective equipment for his customers’ employees wasn’t part of Joel Kurian’s original business plan. Nine months ago when he entered the industry, he acquired four sign and print locations in Central Houston, converted them to AlphaGraphics franchises, then consolidated to three locations. With his past experience working in global consulting, Kurian knows how to solve problems for customers, and he’s operating his new business to do just that.
“How can we help our customers be successful during the shutdown, as they plan to re-open, and in the new normal? Those are the first questions we asked ourselves,” Kurian says. “The needs of our customers were already dynamic, and COVID-19 further amplified those needs, so we quickly aligned our strategy, developed a plan, then jumped in headfirst.”
In addition to meeting demand for thousands of kits, Kurian’s shops are also providing safety, social distancing, and marketing signage, including window, wall, and floor graphics for all businesses that are in the process of re-opening to the public.
“We’ve always done a significant amount of signage, in addition to fulfilling customers’ print needs, but there has been an explosion in sign demand over the past few weeks. Businesses want to effectively market themselves and their offerings, and they want customers and employees to feel safe – signs help them do both.” To meet this demand, Kurian has invested in new equipment and lengthened the work day to create necessary capacity.
Kurian’s three Central Houston shops—Downtown Houston, Memorial Park, and Greenway Plaza—serve almost every industry, including oil and gas, manufacturing, real estate, restaurants, hotels and medical facilities, with signage, window/wall/floor graphics, digital and offset printing, promotional products, direct marketing and fulfillment, and graphic design. The common thread for Kurian is that his business solves problems, whatever those might be, for each customer’s unique needs.
In addition to his own customers, Kurian is helping his employees and the community weather the pandemic. “I feel a huge responsibility to the people I employ and to the community we serve,” Kurian says. They’ve used the time to improve operations and processes at each location, adding muscle to an already strong business that first opened in the early 1980s.
Kurian also plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of COVID-related items to the Houston Food Bank, as a way to give back to the larger community.
For more information, contact 713-650-6006, or info790@alphagraphics.com.
AlphaGraphics of Central Houston
The three AlphaGraphics franchises in Central Houston independently owned and operated by Joel Kurian are AlphaGraphics Downtown Houston, AlphaGraphics Memorial Park, and AlphaGraphics Greenway Plaza. All three centers are staffed by employees with deep experience in all areas of graphic communications. Specific services include signage, window/wall/floor graphics, digital and offset printing, promotional projects, direct marketing and fulfillment, and graphic design. Contact 713-650-6006, or info790@alphagraphics.com.