History
We began in an attic. In 1935, our grandfather A.L. Chocklett, Sr. started with hand set type and a 10" x 15" hand-fed press. Just imagine it, a press this size weighs 1800 lbs. And he got it into his attic! He also got it out when he expanded into his basement. And later into the garage. In 1945, a 14' x 20' Miehle letterpress (at a whopping 2500 lbs — whew!) was also added.
Well, Grandma Chocklett refused to let him expand into the kitchen, so after World War II the business moved to a street front location in 1952. Three sons and a daughter joined the business and by July 1, 1961 we had become Progress Press, Inc.
With the addition of work and services, we kept growing. In 1970, 14,000 square feet of floor space was built to house twenty-five employees and two 4-color, 38" presses—the first in southwest Virginia. Now we have over 60,000 square feet of space and way too many terrific capabilities and people to list in this history section.