Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Parisi.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Paul. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I took over the company from my dad, in 1974. I was a junior in college, at Harvard. The company had 7 employees. We grew through acquisitions and investments. For example, in 2006 we bought Harcourt, a fine hand bindery. In 1983, we invested to be able to enter the trade binding market, and in 1990 we invested in order to enter the printing market, for on demand publishing. In 2012, Acme Bookbinding merged with HF Group. We trace our history to 1821, making us the oldest continuously operating book bindery in the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a rewarding path, but not a smooth one and, in fact, a difficult one. Many of the companies we bought had problems we had to solve. To manage workflow as we grew, we had to develop software and machinery to automate production. As I became involved in national trade associations, my workload increased. For example, writing the Standard for Library Binding was a big, but rewarding, project.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about HF Group/Acmebinding – what should we know?
We manufacture books of every kind: big, small, textbooks, theses, children’s books, coffee table books, and works of art. We print, restore, preserve and offer off-site storage and retrieval for libraries and other customers. We do many runs of single books, and we do runs of one hundred thousand. We are known for high quality and for doing difficult projects that no one else can undertake; perhaps for reasons of demanding specifications or for requiring a fast turnaround. We are in the Guinness Book of World Records for manufacturing a run of the world’s largest book.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The business is very much a team effort, so I could sound like an Academy Awards speech. But certainly credit is due to my father, who started the business, and to the entire staff: office staff, production workers, drivers, and mechanics. My teammates are my four partners, one of whom is my younger brother John. Our equipment suppliers and our late lead engineer, Zeff Hanover, helped enormously over the years, as did our recently-retired sales liaison, Ron Raye. And the late Jan Merrill-Oldham deserves credit for her work with me on 2 editions of the Standard for Library Binding.
Contact Info:
- Address: HFGroup/Acmebinding, 80 Cambridge St., Charlestown, MA 02129
- Website: www.hfgroup.com
- Phone: (617) 398-5801
- Email: pparisi@hfgroup.com
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