Gaetano Gagliano, Chairman and founder of St. Joseph Printing, symbolizes the entrepreneurial spirit that has built Canada. Today, he presides over a flourishing company that realizes over $25 million in annual sales. Gagliano arrived from Italy with his wife and five children in 1954. Armed with a working knowledge of the printing business, Gagliano purchased a small letter press in 1956 and set up shop in the basement of the family home. A religious man, he named his company St. Joseph Printing, after the patron saint of Canada and of workers.

Over a period of time, the company gained a formidable reputation, mostly through word-of-mouth references. When Gagliano purchased the house next door to his to accommodate new presses, it signalled the beginning of a pattern of expansion that was to follow over the next three decades.

Celebrating his 33rd anniversary in business in 1988, Gagliano has realized his most ambitious dreams. His one-man cottage industry has grown into a thriving family enterprise employing over 100 people.

By the early 1960s, St. Joseph Printing specialized in providing printing services to the burgeoning Italian community. The boom in business necessitated a move to a warehouse near the corner of Dufferin St. and St. Clair Ave. The steady growth of St. Joseph during its first decade was matched only by that of the Gagliano family itself, as five new members were added to the fold, bringing the family up to an even dozen.

In 1967, Gaetano Gagliano purchased an offset printing company for the purpose of delivering a broader base of printing services. Running presses from two different locations proved to be a strain on logistics; so, in 1969, construction was started in Toronto's west end to accommodate both the letter and offset presses. The following year, both operations were consolidated under one roof at 3 Benton Road.

The early 80s marked the beginning of a new era for St. Joseph Printing as it evolved into a family business with the older children taking an active role in the operation of the company.

It was also a decade of great technological advancement in the printing industry. When four-colour perfecting presses were developed, St. Joseph led the vanguard of the new technology. As the evolution of printing continued, the company pioneered the introduction of roll-fed six-unit perfecting presses.

Exercising such foresight paid off handsomely for St. Joseph. Six-colour presses opened up such an exciting scope of possibilities that many designers and art directors who used the six-colour facility couldn't conceive of reverting to the creative restrictions imposed by four-colour perfecting presses.

The latest notch in Gagliano's printing belt is the installation of the second Nebiolo Target II web offset press, an 8 unit, 32 page heat set press a major breakthrough for the Canadian printing industry. Today, St. Joseph's boasts a stellar clientele that encompasses a broad scope of business fields including major manufacturers, graphics companies, advertising agencies and various other industries.

St. Joseph has endeavoured to assemble the finest technical and creative teams to serve the needs of a demanding clientele. The end result is a full service company that takes a project from its creative/design stage through the stages of art, typesetting and assembly, concluding with the final printed product.

Recent years have seen Gaetano Gaglianoassume an important consulting role with the company having passed the reins of management over to his children. It is Gagliano's work ethic combined with the company's ability to keep abreast of the new generation of technology that make St. Joseph Printing the fastest growing heat set printing company in Canada today.