Scale-up program helps South Bend business expand

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A printing company in South Bend is expanding thanks to a local program designed to help small business scale up. The owner of South Bend Print Shop says the company has moved into a new location in the city’s downtown after completing the Scaling Up South Bend program.

South Bend Print Shop creates custom apparel and products primarily by hand-pulled, manual screen printing and heat-transfer printing.

The company is run by Brent and Morgan Lacy, who previously operated out of 120-square-foot den in their apartment.

The Scaling Up South Bend Program is a three-month training program for small business owners to help grow their business, after which they receive access to six months of discounted or free business space along Sample Street.

“The expansion is a relief to see a dream begin to come to fruition,” Brent Lacy said in an email to Inside INdiana Business. “It’ll allow us to start to purchase larger equipment that previously was not an option in the past footprint and eventually expand offerings for our regional customer base.”

South Bend Print Shop touts several major clients, including the University of Notre Dame and Costco. The company also holds wholesale contracts with Nike and Carhartt, among other vendors.

Lacy says currently, he and his wife are the company’s only employees, though they utilize a small design firm and virtual assistant to maximize workflow. However, he says he is looking to partner with WorkOne to find potential future employees.