BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Gaming has turned small businesses into big businesses. Among these, Knight Abbey Printing.
The Biloxi-based company is a dominant force in the local market when it comes to the casino business — and now its reach has gone nationwide. Knight Abbey prints products at massive speed.
So much so that it has its own post office.
“We mail 150 million pieces a year, give or take,” said Jim Spiers, Vice President of Sales. “And, for the most part, most of our mail leaves directly from here and goes to the regional hub of any city — Las Vegas, or New Jersey, or Tampa, Fla., Dallas, Texas — wherever.”
That is correct. The Biloxi company has added a number of casinos to its local clientele – more than 90 of them.
“Gaming took off for Knight Abbey about 15 years ago when we started going nationwide,” Spiers said. “People from casinos locally got other jobs at different casinos. We kept them … and it just kept growing and growing and growing.”
In fact, gaming makes up 80-85% of Knight Abbey’s business. The company saw a 225% increase in total sales.
As business grew, so did everything else.
The workforce nearly doubled in numbers, and its operations center doubled in size from 25,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet.
The technology has improved as well.
“Three years ago, we bought an even more specialized press with LED, UV, Spot UV. It can mess up a stamp, cut,” Spiers said. “It’s completely evolved into what a casino wants a printer to be.”
Spiers’ wife, Tonya, is an owner.
He said that among their greatest achievements is being good employers for the Coast.
“We have the right to employ people and provide for their families,” he said. “And the gaming industry, locally, did that. And that was a huge part. We have 65 employees. They all have kids, wives, moms, dogs, whatever. And we provide for all of them. And our job is to make sure that everybody in the back has work.”
And will the company continue to grow?
“That’s a great question. My wife keeps telling me, ‘How big do you want to get?’ So, we’ll see.”
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