1952
Our roots go back to when John Grove Sr. and Howard King each contributed $10,000 to purchase a Fotosetter. At the time, this phototypesetting machine was revolutionary in that it projected characters onto film for offset printing, eliminating the need for metal type.
1953
Graphic Services Inc. opened its doors for business at 1571 W. Philadelphia St., York, Pennsylvania, with John Grove Sr., then-president of White Rose Engraving Co., as its founder and president. Soon after, Howard King stepped out of his role as a silent partner into a more active role as a visible business partner.
1957
Graphic Services Inc. moved to a larger 4,000-square-foot building at 1230 W. Poplar St.
1966
Graphic Services Inc. expanded into an additional 19,200-square-foot space at 1240 W. Poplar St.
1970
Graphic Services Inc. became York Graphic Services Inc.
1979
York Graphic Services Inc. purchased a Fototronic electronic phototypesetter and began integrating color printing. John Grove Jr. became president of the company.
1982
John Grove Jr. became CEO, and a young Jim Kell began working at York Graphic Services Inc. over the summer months.
1988
Jim Kell attended York College of Pennsylvania while he started work in the four-color proofing department of York Graphic Services Inc. making DuPont Cromalins, 3M Matchprint, and Reco proofs.
1990
Jim Kell joined the company’s supervisor training program, spending about six months in each department before being offered a position in publication sales. Kell soon became a top salesperson.
1996
Jim Kell left York Graphic Services Inc. to expand his experience and pursue a leadership opportunity at Wilcox Press in New York, and later at Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group.
1997
John Grove Jr. retired as chairman of the board, CEO, and director of York Graphic Services Inc.
1999
York Graphic Services Inc. was sold to a typesetting and prepress company, TechBooks (currently known as Aptara).
2000
Jim Kell rejoined York Graphic Services Inc. as the printing division’s vice president of sales.
2001
Jim Kell approached TechBooks about purchasing the printing division of York Graphic Services Inc., along with the name.
2002
The company started fresh as York Graphic Services Co. under Jim Kell’s leadership as CEO, with 48 employees, approximately $5.8 million in sales, new equipment and production technologies, and a focus on association publications.
2004
Design services became one of our offerings when a customer asked York Graphic Services Co. to design its publication.
2005
York Graphic Services Co. purchased a small letterpress shop in York called Colorgraphics, which had digital print capabilities.
2006
We started offering media sales services when a customer asked York Graphic Services Co. to sell advertising for its publication.
2007
York Graphic Services Co. rebranded as The YGS Group (YGS) upon purchasing Reprint Management Services in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This is also when we launched our content sales and licensing services.
2008
We began offering content and copy services when a customer asked YGS to contribute to its magazine.
2014
This was a year of much expansion and transformation. YGS purchased Print Management in Seattle, Washington, to fulfill a customer’s local print facility needs. We also started our specialty graphics division to accommodate an uptick in signage business. And YGS opened a Hershey production office on-site at The Hershey Co. to better serve that client.
2016
YGS purchased Smith Walker Design in Seattle, Washington, to fulfill a customer’s local design needs and gain a presence on the West Coast.
2018
YGS opened a new warehouse and fulfillment facility 10 miles north of its York headquarters to meet expanding customer needs.