Click Here for a letter from our President and CEO.
In 1886, on a cold New Year’s Day three young men pooled their meager resources to found a small printing company in Cincinnati, Ohio. What John and James Hennegan
and James Kelly started back then has, in a little over 100 years, surpassed even their young and ambitious dreams.
Cincinnati had already been a well-established printing center for almost a century when the Hennegan brothers and friend James Kelly decided to start a printing
business of their own. With $1,000 in stock and machinery, and $500 contributed by their partner, James Kelly, the three threw their hats into an already competitive ring.
In their fledgling years, the Hennegans accepted almost any job–no matter how large or small. They printed receipts, laundry cards, letterheads and postcards, a seemingly
commonplace beginning for a firm that would one day be known for their innovation in printing. Nevertheless, the company took root. In July of 1888, the young company received
its largest order to date. A local Cincinnati brewery, Christian Moerlein, came to Hennegan and requested 150,000 Cincinnati Centennial labels and 192,000 sets of general bottle
labels. The order was the opportunity the partners at The Hennegan Company had been waiting for.
