🔒After acquisition, Allied Printing chooses Manchester for $15M expansion

One of Manchester’s largest private employers is planning a major expansion of its Tolland Turnpike headquarters, a $15 million investment aimed at supporting growth in its large-format printing business and adding jobs. Allied Printing Services, a family-owned commercial printer based at 1 Allied Way, plans to construct a 68,000-square-foot addition to its existing facility. The expansion will accommodate new equipment, increase production capacity and is expected to add approximately 50 jobs, according to company and town officials. Allied chose to expand in Manchester despite exploring opportunities to build elsewhere in the U.S., said President and CEO John Sommers. “Although we're a national organization in terms of our sales and our customers and our distribution, all manufacturing and production is right here in this one building,” Sommers said during a recent interview at the company’s headquarters. Allied Printing has operated in Manchester for more than 70 years. The company recently acquired Bloomfield-based XL Color Corp., a large-format printing business, a move that accelerated Allied’s need for additional space. Incorporating those operations will push Allied beyond the capacity of its 250,000-square-foot facility, Sommers said. Allied’s large-format work includes signage for major Connecticut events, including the Hartford Marathon and Travelers Championship in Cromwell, along with retail displays for national clients. “Since we acquired the business, we've tripled the revenue in that area,” Sommers said. “We have some new large format equipment coming in that will fill up the space and add to our production capabilities and capacity.”

‘Strategic advantages’

Sommers said Allied’s Manchester production floor already operates 24/7, producing direct mail, magazines and packaging for customers across multiple industries, including health care, pharmaceuticals, travel and financial services. “Our culture is we never want to say no to our customers,” he said. “We had to make room just because we're bursting at the seams and working all the overtime we can to get the product out the door.” Before committing to the Manchester expansion, Sommers said he considered establishing a second facility elsewhere in the country, citing potential advantages for national distribution and business continuity. “Other states were very aggressive,” he said. “They approached us with offers once we started shopping around.” Sommers said he also opened a dialogue with Manchester officials to discuss potential support for expanding the company’s existing campus. It turned out he was pushing on an open door.

“Whenever we can do something to help a business here, especially one that's so ingrained in the community, we try to do that,” said Gary Anderson, Manchester’s director of planning and economic development. Manchester approved a five-year tax abatement tied to the planned addition. Under the agreement, Allied’s property taxes will remain at current levels during the first year of operation before gradually increasing. Anderson said the project represents a significant investment for the largely built-out community. “This expansion is going to mean additional jobs in the future,” he said. “They projected 50 jobs, which is really important to a community like Manchester.” Sommers, who was born and raised in the town, said the decision to expand locally offers strategic advantages while allowing Allied to build on a portion of its existing 30-acre campus, including a parking lot and adjacent open space. There are “some strategic advantages to having everything integrated in one building,” he said. “It helps with cross-training and logistics.”

Printing 101

Sommers, a third-generation leader, took over management of Allied from his father about 17 years ago. “I did not go to school for printing, I went to school for finance,” he says now. “I got my printing education here. I was a true plant rat as a kid, working in every department and getting ink on my fingers.” Under his leadership, Sommers said the company has tripled its revenue. Allied employs 420 full-time workers and about 100 part-time employees. Sommers says Allied is the largest single-site commercial printer in the U.S. The Manchester facility has undergone multiple expansions since its original construction in 1996, with prior additions completed in 2001 and 2008. The latest project is being handled by Bloomfield-based PDS Engineering and Construction, which also worked on Allied’s earlier expansions.

“There’s just ​a ​lot ​of ​trust ​between ​our ​families,” said Bill Jodice, who runs PDS. “Both ​our ​companies ​have ​a ​similar ​culture ​that ​just ​really meshes ​together.” The addition will feature a heavy-duty structural floor slab designed to support large-format printing equipment, Jodice said. Jodice said he encountered an unexpected complication while trying to match the exterior siding on Allied’s existing building with the new addition. The original siding manufacturer was no longer in business. He ultimately located the company that had acquired the manufacturer’s equipment. “I'm ​able ​to ​replicate ​those ​siding ​panels, ​but ​it ​took ​a ​while ​to ​research ​that ​and ​figure ​it ​out,” he said. “​That ​was ​very ​important ​to ​them so ​the ​outside ​of ​the ​building ​has ​the ​same ​look ​going ​from ​the ​existing ​building ​to ​the ​new ​addition — it'll ​be ​seamless.” The expansion also aligns with Allied’s broader energy strategy. Its facility currently generates roughly 80% of its own power, primarily from fuel cells, with the remainder supplied by solar panels. Sommers said the company is developing a battery storage system to further reduce reliance on the electrical grid. Construction is expected to begin in March, with completion targeted by year’s end.