Brothers Jeff Poor ’85 P’12 and Chris Poor ’87 P’26
What actually makes the St. John’s Prep magazine? It’s the confluence of the Poor family’s century-long commitment to the Prep, their printing business that turns the conceptual into the tangible, and the spirit of service that drives them forward.
The physical magazine that is published twice a year (a 52-page, saddle‐stitched, self-cover publication printed on uncoated 60-pound paper, in case you were curious about the specifics) represents more than just a mix of wood pulp and ink. Digital articles and online publications are all well and good, but Prep magazine wouldn’t be Prep magazine without the printing company—Flagship Press, helmed by Jeff Poor ’85 P’12 and Chris Poor ’87 P’26—who turn digital files into something you can touch, into something you can hold in your hands. Similarly, this print company isn’t just a couple of machines and some jars of ink. It’s a four- generation Prep family, an innovative business, and an example of servant leadership.
In short, it is more than just a magazine—it’s a relationship, a livelihood, a collaboration...it’s a hundred different decisions coming together, delivered to your mailbox. It’s Flagship Press and Prep magazine: a match made in printing heaven.
Printing and the Prep
In the fall of 1927, James Poor traveled from North Andover to Danvers to begin his freshman year at St. John’s Prep. One of 61 graduates in the Class of 1931, James was the beginning of a more than 100‐year legacy that stretches to the present day. In 1965, James’s son, Charles, graduated from the Prep; followed by Charles’s sons, Jeffrey ’85 and Chris ’87. The fourth generation came along after the new millennium, with Jeff’s son, Ryan, graduating in 2012, and Chris’s son, Charlie, set to graduate in 2026.
“I have the legacy Eagle [statue] in my house right now from when Ryan graduated,” notes Jeff, who serves as Flagship’s President and CEO. “Of course, the school has changed so much since we were there. Our classes were in Xavier Hall and Brother Benjamin Hall, and Ryken was in need of repairs. Now I’ll go to one of Charlie’s wrestling meets in the Mahoney Wellness Center and just—wow.”
As many younger-brother alumni may be able to relate, Chris, Flagship’s vice president, remembers the decision to attend St. John’s as a relatively obvious one. “I guess I always assumed since dad went there and my brother was going there—I could get a ride with him— that I’d go there too,” he remembers. “Jeff was a better student than was, but still, they taught you how to study, you learned to have a work ethic.”
Jeff nods: “Pride in your school and discipline were both things that were instilled in us. Plus, the guidance department was second to none,” he adds. “I wanted to go to school somewhere that wasn’t just around the corner, so [the late] Bob Combe GP’21 pointed me toward Lehigh University. And good thing for me: I met my wife there during our freshman year. I would have never gone to Lehigh if it hadn’t been for the Prep.”
“And, it’s a great group of people to stay in touch with, too,” notes Chris. “There’s a group of four or five of us alumni; we’ll get together to play golf, have dinner— we have a great time together.”
When it was time for the youngest generation to choose a high school, Charlie’s story echoes that of his dad, Chris’s.
“When we were looking at schools for Charlie, he knew about our family history at the Prep—great-grandfather, grandfather, his uncle, me—but I don’t think he felt pressured,” says Chris. “I think he was leaning that way naturally.”
“To this day, I only hear good things about the Prep,” reflects Jeff. “I mean, they produce good, strong young men, and in this world today, we need them.”
All in the Family
“My dad really took it from a small print shop to what it is today,” says Chris. “And then Jeff and I carried it from there, trying to make it better.” After several years of moving around the country with his young family, Charles Poor originally purchased the business in 1980 from his wife’s father—Chris and Jeff’s maternal grandfather. At the time, it was called Town Printing, but with Charles behind the wheel, the operation grew and moved to successively larger facilities until it landed at its present day location on Flagship Drive in North Andover as Flagship Press.
The Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Prep magazine nears the end of its printing journey.
“As a kid, I worked in the shop delivering packaging; we did anything that needed to be done when we were teenagers,” remembers Jeff. “Even when my grandfather was 90 years old, he would come in for a half day and just putter around. He liked to fix things. He liked the smell of the ink. So it’s been a family business for a very long time.”
How the two brothers became involved with the family business can potentially be traced back to one of its youngest members at the time.
“My wife and I were living in Tennessee when my son Ryan was born,” says Jeff. “Around the same time, Flagship had acquired a company based in Wilmington. So I’d like to think my dad asked me to come work with him to get me back to the area, but I’m pretty sure it was because my mom wanted her first grandchild close by. So I’ve officially been working here since 1994 in various capacities.”
Meanwhile, Chris matriculated at St. Lawrence University, where he attended for three years before finishing up his credits at Merrimack College, which is about a mile and a half from Flagship Drive.
“I always said I’d never work for my dad, but then during my senior year at Merrimack, I’d finish up class and go to work,” he says. “I’ve worked in shipping, delivering, customer service, and then I got into sales. Jeff has a finance background, which I’m grateful for. It’s worked out well.”
A classic question for anyone mixing family and business: How’s it going?
“Do we have our days where we don’t agree or we get snappy with one another? Sure, it happens. But it’s nothing,” says Jeff. “Chris and I have always gotten along well; we have our moments like any family, and it was no different when my dad was here. I was running production downstairs for 12 years, and there were times when my dad and I didn’t see eye to eye on how things were going. But overall, I would tell you that it’s
been good for all of us.”
So much so that Jeff and Chris were happy to bring in Jeff’s son, Ryan Poor ’12, who is currently doing a stint in customer service. “It’s fun for me to hear him learn about the business and watch him interact with the different aspects of it,” says Jeff. “The plan is to rotate him around the different departments so he can get a feel of all aspects of the business, which is similar to what both Chris and I did.”
But ... I Thought Print Was Dead?
Think again. Flagship Press celebrates its 75th birthday this year, and business is thriving. They now have three arms of the operation: the printing business in North Andover, a branded apparel division in New Haven, CT, and a large format graphics location in Nashua, NH. Jeff notes that the diversification has really helped the company as a whole. And even in this digital age, many see a benefit to physical brand visibility assets, whether that’s as seemingly simple as direct mail or a pen with a company’s logo on it.
If you examine your own inbox, it’s likely filled with more promotional and update emails than actual messages, written by another human, uniquely to you. David Villa of Forbes wrote in May of 2024, “...consider today’s consumer, who likely only gets a few pieces of mail in their mailbox each week, but receives thousands of emails a month. The balance has shifted for these consumers, who are not overly saturated with direct mail, but are highly overwhelmed by emails and social media ads. The stats show a growing interest in direct mail among consumers: In 2022 alone, direct mail showed an ROI of 43%.”
The Poors would agree.
“Obviously because we’re in the printing business, I’m a big fan of the printed piece,” says Jeff. “You don’t have to go searching in your inbox among the hundreds of other promotional emails you get. We print several school magazines, and there’s something nice about having that physical connection with an organization you care about.”
...Thought print was dead? Think again. Flagship Press celebrates its 75th birthday this year, and business is thriving. They now have three arms of the operation: the printing business in North Andover, a branded apparel division in New Haven, CT, and a large format graphics location in Nashua, NH.
“I always get a kick when I go on Spaceship Earth at Epcot; there’s a pretty significant piece dedicated to printing and how it revolutionized information,” says Chris. “It gives printing the nod as one of the real innovations that helped develop the world.”
And in our current day and age where online algorithms are tailored to your individual interests, technology has developed to make printing personalized too. Working with their clients, Flagship is able to include a wide range of customized information in everything from postcards to pamphlets to ensure the receiver knows this piece was meant especially for them.
“Beyond that, there’s an incredible amount of data and organization that goes into some of these orders,” says Chris. “For example, one of our largest clients is in standardized testing. Our job is to create variable barcodes for, scan, and track every single individual test booklet, get it to the right place, and then track them all as they come back to us. We have quality control checks at every point in the process to ensure that it all goes smoothly, and the technology it takes to do all of that is really amazing.”
The printing equipment involved is something else entirely: the 80,000-square-foot facility in North Andover was custom built to fit multi-ton printing machines, some of which reach lengths of 50 feet to accommodate runs of 15,000 sheets of paper per hour. Not to mention the binding, cutting, folding, and scoring machines that occupy a different part of the ground floor.
“There are cavities underneath all of these machines so they can be easily accessed for servicing,” says Chris. Within the facility’s cavernous space, he points out shelves holding gallons of ink, a mezzanine floor where many aspects of shipping and fulfillment take place, and a separate room exclusively for digital printing. The company prints for dozens of sectors, including pharmaceutical companies, government entities, nonprofit organizations, and, of course, schools. Flagship’s roughly 150 employees handle every part of the printing process from the initial idea to the final product with precision, fluidity, and efficiency.
“Digital printing is probably the fastest-growing part of our business,” says Jeff. “And I don’t know if we could be much busier than right now. Just today, I went downstairs to speak with someone, and I could see a certain stress level there. From my own experience on the floor, I know they’re thinking ‘How are we going to make this all happen?’ But it’s a good problem to have.”
Generous of Spirit
Themes begin to emerge with the Poors: the importance of family and loyalty along with a work ethic and commitment that was no doubt there from the start, but nurtured at the Prep. It’s no surprise then that Flagship’s commitment to philanthropy runs deep.
“Giving back to St. John’s is easy,” says Chris matter- of‐factly. “It’s part of our family, it’s part of our fabric. It’s not really a question.”
“We’re proud Prep alumni across all four generations,” adds Jeff. “We’re proud to stay in touch with the school, we’re proud our kids went to the school. Like Chris said, it’s a really easy decision to give back.”
Themes begin to emerge with the Poors: the importance of family and loyalty along with a work ethic and commitment that was no doubt there from the start, but nurtured at the Prep. It’s no surprise then that Flagship’s commitment to philanthropy runs deep.
In addition to giving back to St. John’s, the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club is an organization close to the heart of Chris and Jeff’s mother, Carol. “They do amazing work in the city of Lawrence, so we’re very active in helping them where we can.”
So back to you, reader. Whether you’re a cover-to-cover consumer of every issue of Prep magazine or you’re flipping through it for the first time, take it as a representation of the School itself: it’s intentional. Stories that share meaning, photos that reflect the time and place that our students and community members live in today, all bound—quite literally—in the story of family, legacy, and a commitment to craftsmanship and hard work. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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