Allegra Print & Imaging, formed last month through the merger of two Coeur dAlene printing businesses, says it plans to break ground on an estimated $1.6 million printing plant in Coeur dAlene by next fall.


The planned 14,000-square-foot plant is to be located on a 1.2-acre site in the Coeur dAlene Commerce Park, off Kathleen Avenue, that Allegra owners Bill and Becky Ellefloot have bought.


Bill Ellefloot says he and his wife hope to move Allegra into the new plant by May 2006. They are evaluating construction bids that have been submitted for the project and will decide on a contractor within a month, he says. Momentum Architecture, of Coeur dAlene, designed the plant. Mountain West Bank, of Coeur dAlene, is financing the project.


Ellefloot and his wife have owned and operated an Insty-Prints franchise in Coeur dAlene for 18 years. Insty-Prints is part of the Michigan-based Allegra Network, which claims to be one of the worlds largest printing franchise chains, and the Ellefloots new company also is a member of that network.


In 1990, the Ellefloots moved the operation to its current location, a 6,000-square-foot building at 314 N. Third, in Coeur dAlene. Last month, they bought Unique Printing, located at 7600 Mineral Drive, from Jim and Claudia Brennan, who had owned the business since 1979. Allegra will operate out of both locations until it moves into the new plant, Ellefloot says.


Insty-Prints has concentrated on short-run digital images, color copies, and mailing services, while Unique Printing specialized in promotional products and conventional services, such as embossing and foil stamping, Ellefloot says.


He claims the merger creates one of the few printing companies in the Coeur dAlene area to offer one-stop, high-quality color processing, large-order digital copies, promotional products, finishing services, and product consulting. Lithograph printing makes up the largest portion of the business, he says.


Allegra has 18 employees, nine from Unique and nine from Insty-Prints. Ellefloot says he expects to hire five more people in the next two years as the business expands. He says he hopes to pursue other merger opportunities in the Coeur dAlene-area printing industry in the future.


We are seeing industrywide consolidation in the printing business, he says. With the cost and sophistication of our products, it doesnt make sense to get equipment up to capacity without merging with other companies.