Early after his business opened, the power went out on a night St. Charles Printing owner Kevin Hebert and his family were working on a deadline.
At the time, they organized it by hand and printed one sheet at a time. For light, they used the headlights from their vehicle facing into the shop.
At 1 a.m., it was easy to mistake this for something else.
“The police came storming through the door, guns drawn, thinking we were robbing the place,” Hebert said with a laugh. “They’re like, what in the world are y’all doing? ‘We’ve got to get this work done.’”
There are plenty of memories like that – well, perhaps not quite like that – over his 30 years in business in St. Charles Parish. There are also countless hints and reminders of the business virtually wherever one goes in the parish in the form of signs, graphics, banners or brochures.
“You can’t drive a tenth of a mile here and not see something we’ve done,” Hebert said.
St. Charles Printing opened its doors in 1995 in Boutte, starting with a rented black-and-white copier, a desk brought from home and a computer with a 40 MB hard drive.
Also among the few things Hebert had – a lot of pressure to succeed, as the couple were raising a newborn and a 2-year-old.
“We had a desire and a work ethic,” Hebert said. “I had no money. My parents didn’t have any money. I didn’t go to college. We used a $7,500 credit card loan to buy a sign and get some furniture and just made it work.
“I wasn’t 30 years old yet. I didn’t have any inkling we’d be in business for 30 years.”
Starting the business wasn’t an easy decision, however. For Hebert and wife Debbie, it meant leaving their previous jobs at the time and embracing quite a bit of uncertainty.
“My wife worked at the hospital, and printing was a different world back then. The amount of paper the hospital produced was just tremendous. And if you want to do business in St. Charles Parish, you’d always hear the same story – you had to be in St. Charles Parish,” Hebert said.
Hebert was already part of a group running a successful printing business in Metairie, one the Hahnville High School alumnus ultimately walked away from to return home. It’s a decision he looks back quite fondly on.
“I could never imagine leaving now,” Hebert said.
There were challenges getting the business off the ground. The initial financial struggle was a tough hill to climb.
“I mean, we had no money,” Hebert said. “You used waxers back then to paste stuff up – we couldn’t even afford a waxer. We used glue sticks. I could remember Quality Wholesale coming in, and we’d use scissors to cut pictures of plates and cups that they sold to make sale fliers. It was totally grassroots.”
He credits Debbie as the major driving force to keep pushing forward – she made that decision an easy one, he said.
“She left her job at the hospital to run this, and she said, ‘You can do what you want, but we’re not closing this business,’” Hebert said. “We’re staying here.”
A big break for the company came when an agreement was struck with Dow.
“They took over Union Carbide and they asked if we would want to handle their printing. Of course we said yes,” Hebert said. “And that was transformative. None of this would likely be possible without Dow Chemical. Today, I don’t know that we’d be here without the support of all of the plants here in our community. We certainly wouldn’t be in the position we’re in to be able to give back in so many ways without the trust and opportunity Dow gave us, certainly.”
Following Hurricane Katrina came another shift for the company, as St. Charles Printing dove into signage and wide format graphics.
“That was life-changing for us as well,” Hebert said. “And with Dow coming in, it put some money into the business and allowed us to go out and buy some equipment.”
That eventually led to a co-branding relationship with Fast Signs, and a business expansion for the family, who now owns three stores with plans to possibly expand to a fourth soon.
Some of the company’s notable graphics work includes the indoor graphics at Hahnville and Destrehan high schools.
“That expanded our horizons,” said Hebert.
It has also produced and installed displays at the National WWII museum in New Orleans.
Giving back to the community is also quite important for the Hebert family. Over the years, St. Charles Printing has supported local schools, community events, and nonprofit efforts, including involvement with United Way, producing materials for school programs and donating signage and print items for fundraisers and events.
“A lot of that’s from my upbringing,” Hebert said. “It’s important because without this community, we’re not here. I’m a product of this community. I’m a Hahnville grad. My parents are Hahnville grads.”
As for the success of St. Charles Printing over the past three decades, Hebert is quick to note that so much of it has come due to a talented, dedicated staff.
“We have some 25-year employees with us, a couple over 20, several more than 15 … they’re the lifeblood behind this,” Hebert said. “We’re just very thankful.”
