When Danielle Sydnor decided last year to return to the printing industry she grew up in, it was a little like coming home.
Danielle Sydnor, Minuteman Press Cleveland partner.Sydnor watched her father, Dennis Sydnor Sr., learn the printing trade in Cleveland from family member and mentor Charles Huffman and then become a union press operator before moving to Sacramento, California. In California, Dennis and his wife, Marsha, built their MD Printing business from a garage operation in the 1980s into a commercial printing company. The family eventually returned to Cleveland, where they located the business on Larchmere Boulevard.

Sydnor and her five siblings learned the entrepreneurial life, the value of hard work, and how to run a small business.

Now, she and business partner Quentin James, who is building an entrepreneurial legacy of his own, have opened Minuteman Press Cleveland, 2155 Superior Ave., after relocating the franchise they originally purchased in Elyria.

After several months of a soft opening, the partners will celebrate their official grand opening tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 8.

The personal touch
You name it, and Minuteman Press Cleveland can handle just about any printing need.

The shop handles business cards, flyers, posters, booklets, programs, table tents, banners, backdrops and promotional items, along with direct mail, graphic design, signage and other printing needs. James says the location near Cleveland State University and the city's legal and business hubs makes it well-positioned to serve its downtown customers.

Quentin James, Minuteman Press Cleveland partner.“I would say our specialty is handling the everyday needs of businesses in the downtown area,” he says. “So anything from your business cards to flyers to posters—those things are our bread and butter things that we do every single day.”

The partners chose to locate downtown because they see an opportunity to contribute to the city’s continued growth.

“We chose downtown because downtown is in a bit of a renaissance right now, and we want to be a part of that,” James says, “part of kind of reinvesting into downtown and its people, into the city.”

Sydnor adds that Minuteman Press Cleveland’s local connection is important because the business offers a personal touch, including delivery for qualifying orders, and customers who request a quote will get one from an actual person, rather than interacting with an automated system.

“When you put in a quote request from us, a person is going to actually reach out and call you back, make sure we understand what you're trying to accomplish, and navigate through that process with you,” she says.

Sydnor describes the business as a one-stop shop—particularly for small businesses, nonprofits and organizations that may otherwise have to work with multiple vendors.

“If somebody's looking for flyers, if they're looking to do direct mail to get their business promoted in the community, postcards, things like that, all the way to promotional items—we can do that.”

Sydnor and James have been operating the Minuteman Press franchise from the Superior Avenue location since April. They purchased the franchise in December 2025 and moved the operation from Elyria to Cleveland with the help of an SBA loan through Huntington Bank.

Building on legacies
James, a Greenville, South Carolina native and founder of The Collective PAC, which addresses the underrepresentation of Black Americans in elected office, brings his own entrepreneurial roots to the partnership after growing up watching his father build Metro Courier Services, a company that began with a pickup truck and eventually grew to a fleet of about 10 box trucks and cargo vans.

Minuteman Press Cleveland, 2155 Superior Ave., will celebrate its official grand opening tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 8.“He started to say, I think I could do that myself one day,” James says of his father’s early experience working as a courier. “So he started his own courier service.”

James has extensive experience in the printing industry, a strong family history of entrepreneurship, and a background in politics and the campaigning that comes with it.

“I kind of have a long history of ordering tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in print material,” he says. “So, combining that entrepreneurial spirit and the creative background I have in helping design and provide materials for candidates.

“When this opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to expand upon that family legacy of entrepreneurship, as well as an opportunity to supply the people I know who are in politics with amazing products and services,” he continues, adding that he immediately thought of Sydnor when the chance to buy the Minuteman Press franchise came up.

“I've been great friends with Danielle for a long time and knew of the legacy of her parents’ printing business,” he says. “She was my first call when the opportunity came up, [and I said], ‘Hey, what do you think about getting back into the printing business?’”

The partnership has brought the two family legacies together in a business James and Sydnor both say is designed to serve the everyday printing needs of downtown businesses and organizations.

“We definitely want to be the go-to printer here,” James says.

Sydnor says she sees similarities in both her own and James’ family business histories that make them the perfect match as partners.

“Printing is in my blood,” says Sydnor. “My parents built a business that supported our family and taught us what ownership could make possible. Now, to return to the industry in Cleveland, where it all began, and partner with Quentin to build a business that creates opportunities for the next generation is incredibly meaningful.”

The family legacy will continue, as Sydnor's sons, Noah Foster and Giles Foster V, are now part of the Minuteman Press Cleveland team, where Noah works on the customer service and sales side, while Giles handles production.

“To have my sons also working in the business today is really exciting,” Sydnor says, adding that her cousin Kimberly Todd, daughter of Dennis’ mentor, Charles Huffman, has also joined the company.

The Minuteman Press Cleveland teamThe grand opening
Now the group is ready to officially introduce the business to the community.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, the grand opening will begin with a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks, followed by open-house hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors can tour the shop, see printing equipment in action, meet the owners and staff, and take advantage of grand-opening discounts and samples.

“We're going to have a lot of food and refreshments all day, and we're going to have some free samples for people to kind of try out some things,” James says. “But it'll just be fun, kind of a fun day for celebrating new business downtown.”

Sydnor says seeing the current printing technology used in a family business sparks memories of her father's printing press.

“I hadn't thought about getting back into the business in that way, but absolutely, it's in my blood,” she says, noting that with her sons now working in the business, the family tradition is continuing once again.

Minuteman Press Cleveland's regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. 2155 Superior Ave., Cleveland 44114, (216) 946-9810.