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Business & Tech

Young West Hartford Entrepreneur Finances Education Through Printing Business

Hall High graduate Daniel Dombroski runs the start-up 'Productive Prints' from his home.

Grass isn’t growing under Daniel Dombroski’s young adult feet.

He is a full-time business student at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, he is an intern at Merrill Lynch in Hartford, and he has operated his own printing business in West Hartford for the past four years.

After graduating from Hall High School in 2008, the West Hartford resident enrolled at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) to study business. Within weeks, he realized there was a niche market on the CCSU campus for imprinting support serving student organizations and sports clubs.

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Dombroski soon launched his own screen printing and embroidery company, from his home on Beacon Hill Drive.

“I wanted to get my hands dirty and do something entrepreneurial,” recalled Dombroski, now 22. “When I got the idea for this business, I thought to myself: I can do this better, faster and cheaper.”

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It wasn’t easy starting a business while going to college. Dombroski admitted he was green and made “so many mistakes.” There were bumps along the road as he learned the ins and outs of the printing process and came up to speed with computer programs.

Using contacts from his former Hall High volleyball team, Dombroski got a contract early on to print t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, etc., for the team. Next, he received large orders from CCSU clubs, and soon he was branching out and getting clients from Sacred Heart University, UConn, University of Hartford and the University of New Haven.

Four years later, he still operates out of his West Hartford home. His  company, Productive Prints LLC, has been steadily growing, and Dombroski has been able to self-finance his college education. After completing two years at CCSU, he transferred to UConn, and expects to graduate this May with a degree in finance and economics.

His primary business is from schools and universities in Connecticut, but he said he receives orders from throughout the Northeast and has recently expanded to Maryland.

As his business grows, Dombroski has slowly been contracting out the printing segment.

“Most clients come to me with some sort of graphic design in mind,” he said. His role is mostly in administration and what he termed "coordination.” Said the affable Dombroski, “If the customer comes to me with some sort of artwork or substantive idea, I’ll help them with the next steps. But the only one way to do it right is to make sure the customer is happy.”

On the website www.superpages.com, customers have posted reviews of Productive Prints. Just this week, a customer wrote: “I had been looking for a professional and timely company to get t-shirts printed, with little success, when I found Productive Prints. Dan was very knowledgeable and
helpful when it came to helping me place my order. The product arrived in less than two weeks, and the quality was great. I plan to use this company again in the future.”

Productive Prints offers free artwork recreation and free shipping. There is a section on their website, www.productiveprints.com, entitled “education.” It offers a step-by-step guide for customers wishing to place orders.

Because being eco-friendly is important to him, Dombroski said he tries to affiliate with eco-conscious partners. Productive Prints offers organic/eco-friendly clothes (see website for catalog) and uses eco-friendly inks and solvents based on soy on their production of paper products.

Recently, Productive Prints was offered an opportunity to promote its business at the “Spotlight on Local Businesses” display at People’s Bank in Bishop’s Corner. Dombroski said his website draws considerable traffic, and he promotes his business on popular websites such as Google Places and Yahoo. He also relies on word-of-mouth to identify new business.

After he graduates, Dombroski hopes to pursue derivative trading, but also plans to continue running Productive Prints.

Whatever he does, the up-and-coming young entrepreneur is excited about the future.

“There are always new challenges ahead.”

For more information, contact Daniel Dombroski at Productive Prints, at (860)906-3388. The email is info@productiveprints.com or visit the website, www.productiveprints.com.

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