Gorham Printing is celebrating 50 years in business by hosting a Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on Thursday, March 19.
The event offers an opportunity to tour the company’s printing facility, meet owner Catherine Carlson and connect with staff members, including book designers and book printing experts.
The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at 3718 Mahoney Drive in Centralia, near the Port of Centralia and Dick’s Brewing Company.
Established in 1976, Gorham Printing is one of Lewis County’s legacy businesses, providing book printing services nationwide and in Canada.
“We’re also seeing a few orders from Europe,” Carlson noted.
The business was founded by Kurt Gorham, who owned and operated the company until 2023 when he sold it to long-time employee Carlson, according to a news release from the chamber. Carlson has been with Gorham Printing for 12 years and has worked in nearly every position, giving her deep familiarity with all aspects of the business.
“Kurt was a fabulous mentor and always allowed every employee to experiment and push themselves,” Carlson said in the release.
Keeping up with industry advancements remains an ongoing effort for Carlson and her staff. Gorham Printing currently operates multiple top-of-the-line Canon printing presses, including the only Canon 1350 digital printer on the West Coast.
One factor that distinguishes Gorham Printing from larger companies such as Amazon, BookBaby and Barnes & Noble Press is its focus on short-run custom book printing.
“We can print anywhere from 25 to 5,000 copies,” Carlson explained, noting this range is especially beneficial for self-published authors.
Self-publishing has grown significantly in recent years, with memoirs accounting for about 20 percent of the books printed at Gorham. For larger print runs, the company also has access to offset printing partners.
A free printing and publishing guide for authors is available through the company’s website at gorhamprinting.com.
Business After Hours events are organized by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce and are held on the third Thursday of each month.
Call the chamber of commerce at 360-748-8885 or visit https://chamberway.com/ for more information.
