Brad Matheny, bindery foreman, Reno Type with Kurt Hoge at the Reno Type facility. Matheny is operating a 1950 Heidelberg “windmill” platen press. Courtesy Reno Type
Reno Type’s late-February acquisition of A. Carlisle & Company — one of Reno’s oldest businesses — allows Reno Type to continue its unprecedented growth, owner Kurt Hoge said.
It’s the third acquisition for Reno Type, and the second since late 2024. A. Carlisle & Company was founded in 1917, but its roots go all the way back to 1858 in San Francisco. Reno Type, meanwhile, was founded in 1978. Hoge is the third owner of the company – he purchased Reno Type in 2003 after managing the print shop for a number of years.
The acquisition helps position Reno Type for growth by providing access to A. Carlisle’s large customer base, as well as its many vendors, Hoge said during an interview at Reno Type’s 14,000 square-foot facility on South Rock Boulevard. Since acquiring the company more than 20 years ago, Hoge has increased annual revenue more than 1,900 percent.
“When I bought Reno Type, annual revenue was around $300,000,” he said. “We were pretty consistent through about 2019, but from then to today, we’ve nearly doubled our revenue every year.”
That growth comes at a time when small print shops are fading from the business landscape due to advances in technology, digitization, and increased dissemination of messaging and advertising through social media channels.
Reno Type offers offset, digital, inkjet and letterpress printing, along with complete in-house bindery services. The company has about 20 employees, including three new employees who moved over from A. Carlisle & Company. Hoge told NNBW he initiated a conversation about acquiring A. Carlisle & Company three years ago. His lease on South Rock Boulevard was expiring, and he wanted to move operations into a larger facility – A. Carlisle & Company occupies 17,575 square-feet on Bible Way.
That deal didn’t happen, so Hoge cast his eye elsewhere. His first acquisition was Consolidation Document Management Services, followed by Registered Ink, which closed in the fourth quarter of 2024. Part of the strategy behind those acquisitions, Hoge said, was to get access to skilled employees.
“Sometimes the best people own companies, or they work for your competitors,” Hoge said. “The only way to get them is to buy ’em – it worked well with CDMS and Registered Ink.”
The deal to purchase A. Carlisle & Company resurfaced in November, and Hoge put in an offer in January. The deal closed on Feb. 28. A. Carlisle & Company was owned by Alan Krogness and Sally Miller. Liberty Group of Nevada had the business listing.
“The deal only worked because Alan and Sally were the hardest-working, most agreeable and kindest sellers,” Hoge said. “They are an example of how I hope to be if I ever sell.”
Kurt HogeThe building on Bible Way and A. Carlisle’s printing equipment isn't part of the acquisition, Hoge said. The facility built in 1969 on a one-acre parcel is currently listed for sale for $2.7 million.
Hoge said one of the ways that Reno Type has thrived and remained relevant over the decades is by always being on the leading edge of technology. Reno Type was the last old-school typesetting shop in town, Hoge said. It also was the last output service bureau and last manual color separation shop, functions that ultimately were replaced by technology and automation.
“What we found is that when our competitors went out of business, we kept expecting to pick up all this work, but that never happened,” Hoge said. “The pie kept shrinking, and we just kept getting a larger portion of it.
“We were always fortunate to change to whatever the next thing was,” he added. “In 1996, we installed the first real digital printing press in the western United States. We continued to grow with new technology, and as we continue growing we are always trying to figure out what the next new thing is.”
Reno Type relies heavily on technological advances that allow it to better serve its clients, he added. Large investments in highly customized MIS (management information system) and CRM (customer relationship management) systems allow Reno Type to communicate with customers and provide relevant information in a timely manner.
“Our customers regularly receive timely and needed information from us so they never have a question of, ‘Where’s my job, or is it done yet?’ It really makes a difference,” Hoge said.
Half of Reno Type’s revenue comes from conventional printing and mailing services — the shop has devices that can add postage to direct mail pieces that are sent out through the U.S. Postal Service. The other half comes from imprinting promotional products — water bottles, mugs, apparel and the like — for regional businesses, as well as some warehousing of printed materials for larger clients.
Reno Type is the only union print shop in Northern Nevada, Hoge noted. It’s part of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 401. Hoge said unionization dovetails with his mission of attracting and retaining the best employees in Reno-Sparks.
“The health insurance afforded to us by the union, and other benefits that come because we have a collective bargaining agreement, helps us get the best people,” he said.