Born and raised in Donora, Henry Badzik was just 14 when he started working in a small printing shop.
He learned the trade and when he went into the Navy Seabees in 1944 at age 17, he worked at a print shop in Hawaii, where he was stationed.
In August 1948, Badzik opened Badzik Printing Services Inc. The business was originally located at a storefront on McKean Avenue. After relocating to Thompson Avenue, the business moved to a third site, its current location at 799 McKean Ave., in 1984.
His stepson, Tim Urda, worked at the shop during his summers while he was attending California University of Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing administration in 1983. He met his wife, Maggie, at Cal U where she earned a bachelor's degree in accounting.
He worked in sales and sales management for Xerox Corp. in Cleveland and later Chicago.
When Badzik suffered a heart attack, Urda returned in 1995 and bought the corporation. They worked together for one year before Badzik passed away.
Maggie Urda worked as an accountant when they lived in the Midwest. She now works with her husband at Badzik Printing.
"It was a real good partnership with her accounting background and my management back-ground," Urda said.
Badzik prints every-thing from social club membership cards to corporate annual reports.
The firm even published the book, "Beating Rosacea," by Dr. Geoffrey Nase.
It utilizes Heidelberg printing presses and Agfa Imaging systems.
"We've gone from wood-and-lead type to laser-imaged plates," Urda said. "Printing has changed dramatically from manually picked type to computer-based imaging."
The company's main clients are in the health care and education fields, Urda said. The company does printing for various school districts. Monongahela Valley Hospital is the firm's biggest customer, Urda said.
"The opportunity that Mon Valley Hospital has given Badzik Printing over the years has been mutually beneficial," Urda said.
From 1981 to 2006, the company's niche market was the printing of election ballots for as many as 10 different counties, Urda said. In 2006, computer-based election systems in Pennsylvania changed that.
Now the corporation focuses its growth on commercial customers with a small hold on the printing of ballots. Badzik is still printing paper ballots for Susquehanna County.
"Now, counties are coming back to electronic scanned paper voting systems," Urda said. "We hope to capitalize on some of that marketplace."
Production manager Ted Jakela has been with Badzik Printing for more than 30 years. He started with the firm at age 18. His wife, Barb Jakela, works in administration for the company.
Press operators Dave Whitehead and Dan Seilhamer have more than 50 years' combined printing experience.
"I am blessed that I have people who work and live in this community and are proud to be a part of the Mon Valley family," Urda said.
But Badzik Printing owes its greatest success to the founder, Urda said.
"The biggest legacy of Badzik Printing is Henry Badzik," Urda said. "It was Henry's dedication he had for the industry that made Badzik Printing what is today. I'm an extension of his legacy."
