Elizabethtown townlively.com
MARCH 20, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Program will bring history to life
Connecting to the community: EPC at 70
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
O
ver the past seven decades, Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc. (EP C) has g rown from one couple producing one paper to a company that employs 150 people, distributes 16 community newspapers and multiple specialty publications to close to 200,000 people, and provides printing services for numerous clients. Although the scope of the business has changed, one thing has remained constant: community.
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
have ranged from competition to rising costs to navigating the pandemic. Through it all, EPC has remained focused on its original mission: serving the community. “Our family and the company have been blessed,” Charlie said. “Since we’ve been blessed, we want to bless others. We started a foundation in the early ‘90s, and that supports a variety of local programs.” EPC publications focus on telling the good news happening at nonprofit organizations, schools and local businesses, and that’s more important than ever, Jocelyn said. “We are surrounded by bad news,” she said. “Every time we turn on the TV, every time we open our phone, it’s upsetting. It
Head to the Winters Heritage House Museum on Tuesday, March 26, and you can watch history come to life. Dr. Daisy Century, a historical interpreter, will present the story of Mary Fields, the first Black woman to become a contracted U.S. Postal Service route mail carrier. “(Century’s) performances are educational, transforming and empowering, just a few adjectives to describe the program,” said museum director Teresa St. Angelo, who noted that the program will feature a question-and-answer period. Century’s presentation fits nicely with the museum’s current exhibit, “No Matter the Dress, Women Making a Difference,” as well as the 2024 theme for the National Women’s History Alliance, “Women Who Advocated for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” St. Angelo said. “When I started to research the extensive list of women whose accomplishments paved the way for other women, I said to myself, ‘If only they were here to tell us their story in person,’” she recalled. Inspiration struck when she discovered Century and her programs. “I read about the characters she portrayed, and there was no question as to which woman I would love to talk to right now,” St. Angelo said of Century’s portrayal of Fields. “How did Mary forge ahead with the choices she made in positions women had never taken on before? Then I read about Dr.
See EPC pg 3
See History pg 7
Multiple generations of the Engle family work at EPC, including (from left) Jeremy Engle, Tanya Bomberger, Denny Engle, Charlie Engle, Jocelyn Engle and Daryl Rutt.
before her death in 2018. Pauline continued to work for EPC well into her 70s. She passed away in 2020. Today, there are also four members of the third generation of Engles at EPC, with several fourth-generation family members helping out sporadically. Outside printing is the bread and butter of the business, with production running 24 hours a day, five days a week. Along with continuing to publish the Merchandiser and other community papers, including the Pennysaver, Advertiser, and Community Courier, EPC produces local Chamber guides, Farm Show premium books and more. Seventy years of business has included ups and downs for the company, Charlie said. Challenges
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ads while their children - Charlie, Audrey, and Denny - helped where they could. Charlie recalled the tedious task of cutting and hand-gluing address labels on the paper as well as folding each of the newspapers by hand. When Alvin died unexpectedly in 1971, the family faced a decision. “My mother came to us and said, ‘There are some people who are interested in buying the business,’” Charlie recalled. “The three children all agreed, and we all said no to selling. We knew we could do this.” C h a r l i e b e c a m e co m p a ny president, with Denny serving as vice president, positions both men still hold today. Audrey also dedicated herself to the company
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“There are so many good things happening in our community, and we want to shine a light on them.” “We want to make that connection to our local merchants and to our community members,” said Charlie Engle, company president. As EPC marks 70 years in business this year, Charlie and his daughter Jocelyn Engle looked back on what started in 1954 in the basement of Alvin and Pauline Engle’s Mount Joy home. “My dad bought his own little press and put it in our basement,” Charlie said of Alvin. “He was working full time in the printing business, but he always wanted to do his own thing.” In 1959, EPC purchased its first community publication, the Merchandiser, and by 1960, Alvin had quit his day job to focus on the new business full time. It soon became a family enterprise, with Alvin and Pauline selling
VOL LXV • NO 6