Photocopying company marks 50 years in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Photo Copy Inc. had a humble beginning.

Founded in 1965 by August 'Tony” Schneider and his wife, Anna Mae, the company operated out of their basement for five years before moving to an office. He took care of sales while she answered the phones, did the books and unloaded the trucks.

'We fell in love with this town, it's been good to us, and we work hard and it's a great business,” Schneider said. He and Anna Mae were married for 55 years until she died two years ago.

And while photocopy technology has changed a lot over 50 years, the company still is going strong and sells photocopiers, phone systems and projectors.

The company's longevity was enough to attract the attention of Gov. Terry Branstad, who sent a letter last month congratulating the business on its 50th anniversary.

'As the leader of a business that has been operating in Iowa for 50 years, you know what it takes to survive and thrive in our ever-changing, global economy,” according to the letter from the governor's office.

'I was just shocked,” Schneider said of the letter. 'I'll tell you I was very proud, I didn't think anybody knew we existed other than our customers.”

Cody Laufer, account manager and vice president at the company, said honest pricing, great customer service and improvements in technology have helped the business succeed over the years.

'Tony has ran a tight ship,” Laufer said. 'He's ran it lean when we've had extra money.”

Schneider, 79, said the photocopy industry has seen machines become more dependable, include more features and print many more copies per minute.

Laufer said photocopiers used to require much more maintenance and attention, compared with current machines that can go a year to 18 months without a service call.

Although Schneider considers himself semiretired, he maintains an active role in the company by meeting with Laufer, who manages day-to-day operations, in person a few times a week.