Along with two minority partners, CEO Gary Garner started up Minnesota-based GLS Companies as a small printing company in 1984. During that first year, the firm generated $748,000 in sales. This was just the beginning of the company’s journey to become an advocate for the concept of marketing services. Garner elaborates, “We embarked on a campaign of steady growth, fueled both organically and through acquisitions. We realized that it was critical to stay in front of the market and continually invest in the right technologies. We listened to our customers. If they had a requirement and it made business sense, we invested. We knew early on that we did not want to be a commodity business. We wanted to be a strategic business partner.” 

Early on, GLS Companies recognized that it wanted to be a strategic business partner to its clients rather than just a commodity business.

The first color press landed at GLS in 1986, and the company added mailing services to its portfolio four years later. Data processing arrived in 1993, followed by fulfillment and distribution two years after that. Operating space became an issue as the new capabilities evolved, so three plants were consolidated into one in 1996. This facility has since been expanded three times. Another company (Litho, Inc.) was acquired in 2006, giving GLS plants in Brooklyn Park and St. Paul.