AMES, Iowa – Becky and John Crawford, owners of Alpha Copies, recently opened a FASTSIGNS® center to operate alongside their existing commercial printing business. Now open, FASTSIGNS of Ames is located at 3615 Lincoln Way, in the same building as Alpha Copies. 

“Alpha Copies is the largest quick printing center in Iowa with the ability to produce over 280,000 color copies a day, 400,000 black and white copies a day and 15,000 engineering prints a day,” said John Crawford, who has owned Alpha Copies for 10 years. He has 17 years of experience in commercial printing and 25 years in the retail and wholesale grocery industry.

Co-owner Becky Crawford has been with Alpha Copies for seven years and has experience in education and real estate. Becky and John Crawford’s son, Eric Crawford, is the general manager of FASTSIGNS of Ames. He graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in child development; has served on missions teaching English in Thailand, Turkey and Iraq; and has been the manager at Alpha Copies for the past seven years. 

“We’ve been providing sign and visual graphic solutions at Alpha Copies for the past eight years, but with FASTSIGNS, now we are able to provide an even higher level of products and services,” Eric Crawford said. “We provide visual solutions to a wide variety of local businesses, from the agriculture industry to schools, construction companies, technology firms and more. We’re excited about the expanded capabilities FASTSIGNS of Ames can bring to our customers and Central Iowa businesses.” 

Ames natives, the Crawford family stays involved in the community and belongs to various local organizations including two local chambers of commerce, Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau, Young Professionals of Ames and Leadership Ames. In addition, John Crawford has received honors including the 2009 Ames Business Person of the Year, 2010 Philanthropy Award and the 2011 Volunteer Award.