Loretta Cabuyadao, the owner of Kopy King in Simi Valley, has made “connecting” an art form. Her ability to connect has proven to be one of the most important tools in building her successful printing business, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Loretta owns the company along with her husband, Philip, and they have recently even added a new partner – their son, Jonathan.
Loretta has been an entrepreneur for much of her life. She began developing her business savvy in high school in the San Fernando Valley, where she was introduced to the SkillsUSA program (then called VICA). The program teaches both technical training and “soft skills” that are not often taught in a traditional school curriculum (even today!). Loretta’s love for SkillsUSA has been fostered over the years, and now she works across the state of California introducing schools to the program and assisting in encouraging more kids to participate. Thanks in part to her hard work, California has more students involved in SkillsUSA than in many other regions of the country.
One of the most beneficial skills that Loretta learned during her time in SkillsUSA is her ability to make connections quickly and easily with others. Back in 1996, Bob Little was the owner of Kopy King and he was looking to sell his print shop. He initially considered selling to a print shop owner who had another store in the Conejo Valley. But after meeting with Loretta, he liked the connection that they made so much that he decided to sell the business to her instead.
After taking over Kopy King, Loretta’s first employee was her young son Jonathan, who learned to walk and talk amongst the copy machines. Her husband initially worked elsewhere in order to keep the young married couple solvent while they made the transition to running the print shop. Loretta worked hard to forge connections with both her customers and vendors to keep the business running smoothly.
Loretta realized early on that staying competitive would mean always having the latest technology in the print and copy industry. When the time came for her to acquire the latest “On Demand” single color copy machine, she made sure to keep her prices low so that she would always have return customers from the local community. Loretta has worked with Scout troops, school PTAs, churches, and sports organizations in providing projects of all sizes – always with exceptional service and quality. As technology advanced, faster machines allowed Loretta to drop her prices even further!
When news came that the local Post Office would be closing, Loretta saw an opportunity for Kopy King to take its place. She transformed a portion of her print shop into a “Neighborhood Post Office.” This not only provided an invaluable service to the community, but it also helped expand her customer base even further. As neighbors came to her shop for mail services and experienced their exceptional customer service, they inevitably became regulars at Kopy King.
As demand for print services increased, Loretta and Philip needed more room in the shop. They closed the Post Office portion of the store about 5 years ago to make more room for printing machines to meet the needs of their customers. Today, Kopy King is a printing powerhouse and some of their many products include printing on corrugated signs, large wide-format prints, and custom wrapping paper. They can even print custom designs on a brick!
Loretta says there are three keys to her success at Kopy King: building connections founded on trust, being part of the community, and being an expert in the field of printing. These efforts have made Kopy King a pillar of the community in Simi Valley and helped her to retain loyal customers. The future of Kopy King looks bright. Following in his parent’s footsteps, Jonathan pursued higher education and a customized apprenticeship in the print and copy industry. He plans to continue the high level of service and expertise that Loretta and Philip have demonstrated over the last 25 years. Loretta was named “Business Person of the Year” for 2020 by the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Come experience the “Mom & Pop” shop of Kopy King. Congratulate Loretta and Phillip on their upcoming 25th anniversary. Meet the next generation, Jonathan. Make that connection!
Kopy King is located at 2157 Tapo Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063. Find them online at www.morecopies.com or call at (805) 527-0060.
John Tolson is the Director of Marketing and Membership for the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, where he has been for 10 years. He also has an independent insurance business, where he is a Broker for many home and auto carriers. He has owned both a retail and wholesale business for over 18 years. Currently, he is also a Planning Commissioner for the City of Simi Valley. He can be reached at [email protected]
