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This year is a special one at LKCS. As we celebrate our 65th anniversary, we’re also marking another major milestone: 20 years in our current facility!

When we moved into our custom-built headquarters in 2006, it wasn’t simply a change of address. It was an investment in the future of our company, our employees, and our customers. Two decades later, that decision continues to shape who we are and support where we’re going.

Why the Move Was Needed

By the early 2000s, LKCS had outgrown its longtime location on Fourth Street.

The old building had served us well, but our growing business needed more space to accommodate expanding services, new equipment, and a more efficient production process. The facility was spread across multiple floors, making workflow more complicated than it needed to be. As customer needs evolved, it became clear that we needed a space designed specifically around how we work.

So rather than trying to make an older building fit future needs, company leadership took a big step and built a facility from the ground up.

The new building is nearly three times the size of our previous location and was designed to support both our current operations and future growth.

A Building Designed Around Our Business

The building was intentionally laid out to support how work moves through our operation. Starting from scratch, it allowed us to build in the necessary security features to become SOC 2 certified. Plus the little details like having matching furniture made it all the better!

The additional space allowed us to invest in new equipment, expand our printing capabilities, and create a more organized and efficient production environment.

With the new space, we were able to add:

• 400% more Laser Printers.
• 166% more Envelope Inserting Machines.
• 40% increase in our workforce.

A Commitment to Sustainability

One of the biggest successes of the past 20 years has been the building’s impact on our cost-saving sustainability efforts.

When our facility was constructed, it included an innovative geothermal heating and cooling system, making it the largest non-school building in Illinois at the time to utilize this environmentally conscious technology.

But perhaps the most dramatic change has been in our recycling efforts.

In our previous building, limited space made large-scale recycling difficult. At the time, the company generated enough waste to fill two large dumpsters every week.

Today, the picture looks very different.

Through improved processes, better space utilization, and a company-wide commitment to reducing waste, LKCS now averages only half of a dumpster per week. Even more impressive, more than 55 tons of materials were recycled last year alone.

And we’re not stopping there. Later this year, LKCS plans to add solar panels to the facility, continuing our commitment to sustainability and future-focused innovation while investing in smart business practices.

Memories from the Move

As we look back, we asked several long-time employees to share what they remember most about the move. Their stories offer a glimpse into a moment that helped define the next chapter of LKCS.

“When we moved to our new facility back in 2006, I may have been one of, if not the only person who was actually upset about the move. As a seven-year-old boy coming in on Saturdays with my dad, Letterkraft (LKCS) was my personal playground. Many days were spent climbing, exploring, and hiding throughout the three floors of the old Fourth Street building.

Fortunately, I wasn’t the one making the decision. With the move, we traded cramped, dark spaces spread across multiple levels for a facility tailored to our needs. Now that I’ve had 20 years to think about it and have since become the person responsible for helping care for our LKCS facility, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions we ever made.

The move gave us the size, efficiency, and security we needed, and it provided the freedom to grow into the company we are today.”
– Jake Dudek, Maintenance Specialist

“Starting at LKCS in 1995 as a kid, this was my first real job and a 3-floor playground. From transferring material on a freight elevator at the speed of a snail and climbing multiple flights of stairs multiple times a day, our new facility was not only an acclimated blessing, but one that has saved my knees for the past 20 years.

Seeking efficiency, security, and more space for future growth, we accomplished this with a new building that will forever remain to be my second home. The task of moving was a mountain that seemed almost too much to overcome and was hard to enjoy for the first year.

But looking back at working in a basement and never knowing what was going on outside, it didn’t take too long to realize life was good! Here we are twenty years later, almost busting at the seams, I still have my original knees, and excited to see what the next twenty brings.

The positive memories, heartaches, parties, and gray hair I have acquired have been the best years of my life. The family environment has been the best thing since lead has no longer been used in printing. Minus the hair I have lost, I couldn’t ask for a better company or work life. LKCS has truly been a blessing for me and my family and many others that I have grown up with over the years.”

– Jeff Sobkowiak, Vice President of Production

“When I started working as a graphic designer in 1997, my desk was located on the top floor of our building. I got plenty of daily exercise climbing stairs, especially when I headed down to the basement vending machine for a soda (yes, I said soda, not pop).

Space was tight, and it quickly became clear that we had outgrown the building. As the company and customer base continued to grow, so did the number of employees. Eventually, the need for more space became impossible to ignore.

The move to a new building was a welcome change. Gone were the days of multiple designers sharing a cramped room. Instead, I had my own workstation and more than enough elbow room. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come, from crowded workspaces to a modern environment designed to support growth and creativity.”

– Janet Forbes, Creative Director

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate both our 65th anniversary and 20 years in our custom-built home, we’re grateful for the vision that made this move possible.

The building has helped us grow, innovate, improve our sustainability efforts, and better serve our customers. It has provided a foundation for everything we’ve accomplished over the past two decades. And we’re looking to expand even more in the coming years!

Here’s to 20 years in our current home, 65 years of LKCS, and an exciting future still ahead!