Janis Parker was only two-and-a-half years old when she began hanging around the family’s print shop in Scarborough.
Her mother had given birth to her second daughter, who had a serious birth defect. So, Janis tagged along with her father as much as possible, so her mother could spend time at Sick Kid’s hospital. Janis became her dad, Frank Parker’s, shadow.
He had taken over the family business after the sudden passing of his father, Frank Parker, who founded Parker Pad and Printing in 1946 and was at the helm for 14 years before his untimely death.
Janis said her grandfather, Frank Parker Sr., was at a printing convention in Detroit. He was playing poker in a stairwell when tempers flared. He got hit in the head and fell down the steps and died. “He’s one of Detroit’s unsolved murders.”
Janis said her dad, who was an athlete and Olympic rower, who had worked at the family business, was reluctantly thrust into running the enterprise with his brother, Janis’ uncle Roger.
“My first memories of being in the print shop were going in with dad and taking off the folder or taking off the gluer,” Janis recalled in a recent interview with The Highlander. She explained this meant putting flat pieces of paper into a machine, and having folded pieces, come out. They also produced the first lick-and-stick envelopes for American Express applications.
She said her favourite job as a youngster was making NCR forms, designed to transfer writing from the top of the sheet to the sheets below it. “There was something really rhythmic about it.”
Janis said she realized the power of print when she was 13 years old. “I went to a summer camp on an island near Georgian Bay. I said to the camp director ‘I’d like to stay for two months next year. If my dad prints your brochures for free, can I stay a second month’.”
Despite being in the shop for her formative years, Janis said she was not convinced she wanted to get into the family business either. She was a good basketball player, turned down a scholarship to Ann Arbour, Michigan, but accepted one at York University, which allowed her to play basketball and obtain a teaching degree. Her goal was to teach outdoor education. She supply-taught for approximately three years and also owned a swim school. With a shortage of full-time teaching jobs, she applied for a position at another print company – not the family one – because she still wasn’t sure it was what she wanted to do. She did really well at it, switched to another printing company for sales, and became one of their top sales representatives.
Life changes
The turning point for her came at the age of 39 when she was in a terrible car accident. She spent a year recovering in a wheelchair when her dad made a pitch. He said, “I’d like you to buy me out and work here. It’s closer to home and you can come in and work in your wheelchair or remotely, whatever you need to do. And I said ‘okay, that could work’.” She is into her 26th year with the company.
When she purchased it, Parker Pad and Printing was doing $3 million a year in sales; and this year, sales are projected to be $20 million.
As Parker Pad celebrates its 80th year, Janis is asked about some of the changes she has seen. They operate a large facility in Markham, and a smaller office with four employees in Haliburton.
Janis said that on their 70th anniversary, she was worried the business would not be around in 10 years’ time. Many businesses had closed or merged due to the reduction in print products so had contingency plans for staff.
However, they have survived quite well mainly due to long-term supplier relationships with financial institutions. The Haliburton shop represents five per cent of the company’s volume of sales, but is a way for Janis to have a local presence.
Reflecting on her career choice, Janis said, “I am having a very good life, but I regret that there isn’t a fourth generation to take it over. The stats say that only 10 per cent of third generations make it, and fourth generations are less than five per cent.” She said her two children are not interested in taking the business on. “I’ve decided I’m not going to stress about whether a buy-out happens or not. I have insurance in place to ensure all of my staff are taken care of, and a wonderful management team.”
What began in the basement of Frank Sr.’s Toronto home in 1946 with a single manual letterpress has evolved into an awardwinning commercial printing operation serving clients across Canada; with lithographic and digital printing, finishing, fulfillment and direct mail services.
Janis said, “we are grateful to everyone who has played a role in our journey, and we look forward to building on those relationships for years to come.”
In honour of the 80th anniversary, the company will donate $80,000 to charitable organizations supported by its clients, including Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation. Parker Pad held a celebration in Markham June 30.
