PANAMA CITY — A longtime local commercial printer is shutting its doors next week after more than 80 years in business.
Boyd Brothers has operated its printing company in Panama City since 1931, specializing in glossy finishes found in textbooks, songbooks and magazines. The company’s closure leaves more than 100 workers without employment.
“The strength of our business has always been the professionalism of our employees and the loyalty of our customers,” Jim Boyd Jr. said in a news release. “Unfortunately, due to the changing dynamics of the industry and lack of access to capital, Boyd is forced to close its doors.”
Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki called Boyd Brothers’ closure “a big loss for the community.”
“That’s been a business in the community for many, many, many years,” he said. “The city had its 100th anniversary not too long ago. You have a business that’s been around almost as long as the city has.”
Bay County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Roberts is hopeful Boyd’s skilled workers won’t be without jobs for long by landing jobs at area manufacturers like Edge Aerodynamix.
“They’ve been excellent corporate citizens,” Roberts said of Boyd Brothers. “My heart goes out to the 100-plus employees without a job.”
The Chamber of Commerce was a customer of Boyd Brothers for both annual and quarterly publications.
“I think they fought the fight for a long time,” Roberts said. “I think times have changed with so much going electronic. Everybody’s reading Kindles, news on their phone. With the advertising in our publications, we really thought it was coming back.”
In 2012, following a bankruptcy a year earlier, Jim Boyd Jr. said the company was turning around thanks to its state-of-the-art printing presses and, thus, was planning for the long term. Jim Boyd Sr. died March 5, 2013, at age 67 and was chairman of the board at the time.
Jim Boyd Jr. is just the third generation owner of the company, as his grandfather Alton Boyd started Boyd Brothers after moving to the area from Alabama.
Included in Thursday’s announcement is the sale of about $2 million in printing equipment to Walsworth, a central Missouri-based company specializing in yearbook printing. The hard assets for sale include presses and boundary equipment. Walsworth Vice President of Marketing and Communications Alex Blackwell said he has staff in Panama City evaluating equipment that could be sent to Michigan or Missouri.
Boyd Jr. could not be reached for comment Thursday.
