When David Dunn first launched his book repair and manufacturing business in the laundry room of his New England colonial 30 years ago, he had no idea it would eventually lead to the creation of Legacy Publishing Group, one of the leading stationery, greeting card and gift manufacturers in the country. Back then, it was just David, his wife Mary and their three daughters, Mary Pat, Pam and Cathy, helping to apply Dave’s medicine to books in need of help.
That little company eventually grew to occupy a 250,000 square foot mill complex in small-town Clinton, Mass, with over 120 employees, a bindery and several printing presses. With that growth came the usual share of challenges, including how to dispose of tens of thousands of dollars worth of discarded book covers each year. Dave saw an opportunity hidden among the waste and decided to glue photos of local landmarks and Santas from Victorian-era picture books to the covers, die-cut them out and sell them as coasters and trivets. Turning trash into treasure, Dave took a problem and created a brand new company out of it – Legacy Publishing Group, Inc. Eventually, as the product line expanded and sales grew, David handed the company over to his three daughters to really get the company off the ground. Pam handles the design work, Mary Pat is in charge of customer and key account relations, and Cathy works on product development and finding new artists.
Carrying on Dave’s “legacy” of innovation and ingenuity, Legacy Publishing Group has grown into a multi-million dollar operation, with permanent showrooms across the country, sales representatives throughout the United States and distributors in Canada, Europe, Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The company’s full line of coasters, calendars, boxed note cards, journals, boxed Christmas cards and other stationery-based gift products are now carried in thousands of retail outlets worldwide. And in 2003, Legacy acquired Saltbox Illustrations and launched a new line of greeting cards that became an instant success story itself. Greeting card sales now represent more than 25% of Legacy’s growing business, with over 1,500 greeting cards for all occasions, most of which help feed hungry children and families through Legacy’s BUY A CARD | FEED A CHILD™ initiative.
A true family enterprise, Mary Pat’s husband, Peter, oversees production as President of Dunn & Co., Inc., Dave’s original book manufacturing business, while Cathy’s husband, Carlos, handles day-to-day operations as CEO of Legacy, and Pam’s husband, Timothy, tackles marketing, PR and advertising issues as Vice President of Operations and also handles licensing and contract issues.
Named Vendor of the Year in 2003 by the trade magazine, Country Business, Legacy Publishing Group now boasts a product line featuring more than 100 different designs created by nationally renowned artists like Mandy Lynne, Deb Strain, David Harden, the Hautman Brothers, Marla Rae, Mollie B, Dan DiPaolo, and Ned Young, and offers more than 20 different product categories. Never forgetting its roots despite the tremendous success enjoyed during its nearly 20 years of business, Legacy Publishing Group has continuously maintained its commitment to providing quality gift products for a reasonable price while treating customers like partners and family members. And that truly is a legacy worth celebrating!