10/09/2025
Though Fluid Communications, LLC has been in business since 2003, I wanted to share with you, "Fluid's Story"....
In March of 1999 the second floor of the Monitor Cooperative Telephone Company, located just East of Woodburn, Oregon...a seed was sown.
The general managers of three local telecommunication cooperatives: Monitor Cooperative Telephone Company, Colton Telephone & Cable TV and Clear Creek Telephone & Cable TV decided they wanted to have their own, internal print marketing department. So, they hired Rich Hoover as a marketing manager and Nick Schaffner as the graphic artist. By year’s end, the three companies won multiple design and marketing awards by the National Telephone Cooperative Association (NTCA).
Most printed materials at that time were done in only 1- or 2-color as full-color printing was very expensive! As luck would have it, large format, full-color digital printers were beginning to emerge later that year; and the three companies decided to break away from off-set press printing invested in their first digital printer.
As a result of the three company’s material being printed full color, in-house other regional telcos began to ask to have their materials printed....and a sprout emerged.
The general manager’s decided to put together a business plan and hired a consultant to find out if a new business would be viable. A web designer, Amy Dent-Beebe was hired to assist Rich Hoover and maintain company websites. Rich, Nick and Amy were tasked to come up with a company name and design a logo; and Fluid Communications, LLC was born!
The word “Fluid” was chosen as we wanted the design process from beginning to end to be easy, smooth or ‘fluid’. The word “Communications” was chosen to signify not only would the developed projects ‘communicate’ an intended message through good design and content but there would be consistent and personal contact between design and client.
The finals necessary step was to move the office to Colton Telephone Company where they had a separate space. Fluid was given one year to break even on the initial investment; it only took 8 months! However an unforeseen event occurred on September 11, 2001 that, coupled with the sun-setting of federal funding used to make continued investments for Fluid, made the future for the new company gloomy. Nevertheless, the trio pressed on and continuing to add new clientele, gaining more notoriety, and winning more design awards.
In October of 2002, it was made clear that Fluid could no longer
be supported by the three parent companies. Rich Hoover was
re-hired by Colton Telephone and Amy Dent-Beebe took her
web clients and began Quixotic Productions from her home office.
As for Nick Schaffner, he knew this was something special. With help from Colton Telephone, the digital printer, paper cutter and scoring unit were installed into a garage at 1749 SW Songbird Street in McMinnville, Oregon. The rights to Fluid Communications, LLC were transferred into his name and re-registered with the state. All of Fluid’s print clients had no intention of leaving and on January 1, 2003, Fluid was ready to go! By August of 2003, Fluid was fully in the black and was off and running!
Nick retained all of his original telecom clients but also began building a list of local area clientele in many different industries from coffee shops to golf courses, from wineries to massage therapists. How was this achieved? By using the same formula that led to Fluid’s success all along; word of mouth. 99% of Fluid’s business comes from word of mouth - clients referring other clients. There is no better feeling or compliment than when someone likes your product so much, they recommend others!
As the years roll on, print technology has become better and better. And as this technology has evolved, Fluid has evolved with it! The digital press he has today, is half the size of the original color printer, 4x the resolution and 10x the speed! Rather than rely on outside sources for folding, Fluid purchased a high speed, air fed folder. For quick and accurate business cards cutting, a business card cutter was purchased. The purpose is to not only have better quality control, but better quality and faster turn-around.
It was decided many years ago, that Fluid’s goal was not to be the biggest or the richest, rather to make sure the client project is done right. It’s the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” With this biblical tenet firmly in place...a flower continues to blossom!
