Ink Trax Inc Information

Ink Trax, Inc. was founded in February 1995 by Millville Native, Jerry Walters. It began as a one man operation in a 160 square foot garage on 5th street. Jerry's keen eye and attention to detail in all aspects from design to business management resulted in rapid growth that very quickly demanded more staff. In October of that year Ink Trax grew to 3 employees, adding the indispensible duo of Laurie Lupton and Chris Bohon. The addition of Laurie & Chris sent production soaring and it was time to leave the garage. In the Summer of 1996 Ink Trax moved to a 1600 square foot shop behind a local paint store on Panama City Beach Parkway. With 10 times more space, Jerry began expanding his client list and production. For the next 2 years Ink Trax designs grew in demand as word spread throughout the tourist destinations of the Gulf Coast. By 1998 it was time for another press, a bigger dryer, and much needed space for shipping & receiving. The move was closer this time, just to the 7500 square foot warehouse adjacent to the space they were in. For the next 11 years the company expanded many fold, adding more clients, such as Wal-Mart and high volume tourist destination venues, and adding equipment and manpower to meet the need. By 2009 Ink Trax had grown to 16 employees and was operating 3 automatic presses. Beginning in 2010 Jerry started searching for a larger facility. After many starts and stops in the search, in 2011 he came across the former Coca Cola building on 5th Street in Downtown Panama City. Years of neglect had taken a toll on it, while not quite in the derelict category, the building showed very little, (Well, actually none) of its former glory. But it fit all the needs as far as space and price. With the extraordinary help of the City of Panama City, the Panama City CRA, Prosperity Bank, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, and numerous other agencies, Jerry purchased the property and instituted a plan to not just renovate it, but restore it with a nod to its past. The project began in the Fall of 2011 and took a team of Master craftsmen 4 months to complete. No part of the building was left untouched; the main brick building was stripped to its walls and rafters, literally a skeleton. Almost exactly 17 years after he started in a garage on 5th street, Jerry moved his company back to 5th street in February 2012. But this is no garage, Jerry brought Ink Trax home in style. The former Coca Cola building has been lovingly restored and the 20 plus Ink Trax employees are now enjoying 16,000 square feet of space, a hundred times more space than where it all started. Today the Ink Trax family of graphic artists and printers operate in a state of the art facility and ship their high quality art to satisfied clients all across the Globe. In an era when many companies are failing and "Made in America" is a rarity, Jerry Walters vision, guidance, and ethics have made Ink Trax a true success story.