Standard Gravure

Standard Gravure was a Louisville, Kentucky printing company founded in 1922 by Robert Worth Bingham and owned by the powerful Bingham family. For decades, it printed "The Courier-Journal", "The Louisville Times", a weekly newspaper insert magazine "The Courier-Journal Magazine" as well as "Parade" and others, and was believed to be more profitable than the papers it printed.

By the 1980s, a shrinking print market had reduced revenues, and an employee wage freeze was instituted in 1982. On July 30 1986, Barry Bingham, Jr. sold the company for over $20 million to Michael Shea from Atlanta, Georgia. Bingham was selling all family media assets at the time, in response to family disputes. The company had 531 employees at two plants at the time.

On September 14, 1989, Standard Gravure came to national attention when Joseph T. Wesbecker, an employee on disability leave, entered the plant with several firearms and fired at employees for thirty minutes, injuring twelve and killing eight plus himself. ("See Standard Gravure shooting.")

Standard Gravure closed in February 1992, after two serious fires. The building, at 6th and Broadway and part of the Courier-Journal complex, was demolished and became a parking lot.

References

#cite encyclopedia | ency=The Encyclopedia of Louisville | edition=1 | year=2001 | article=Standard Gravure