Fidelity Press West, Inc. started on the ideas of Al Barker and Greg Redd, two co-workers, with long and diverse experience in printing and business. Al was managing a Phoenix area printing and mailing house and Greg was operating as one of the salesmen. Both of them had many years of technical ability and contacts in the printing trade.Al Barker was originally from the east coast where he had gained over twenty five years of experience in printing and had built a successful small print shop with twenty employees. He had created a family like atmosphere, and prior to moving to Phoenix, he sold the shop to three of his employees. Upon arriving in Phoenix he had a couple of business endeavors which did not develop in to long term operations. Soon he found himself returningto the printing industry as a general manager.

Greg Redd knew he wanted to be a printer from the time he was kid with a paper route in Ohio. Greg made several attempts at farming, but returned to his dream of being a printer. He started out on a newspaper web press, as a helper. Greg’s desire to learn, strong work ethic and good nature, earned him the respect of his lead press man who taught him the 'ins and outs' of web printing. He soon found himself rising through the ranks of the press room. Greg took his supervisor's advice to move around from shop to shop if he really wanted to learn the printing industry. Greg spent the next several years in various positions at several different printshops. In 1986 he headed west for a position in Sedona. He worked there for a short while and then headed down to the Valley, where he held several positions as Shop Manager, before migrating in to sales.

Knowing that they had a great combination of skills and abilities between the two of them, they laid out a rough plan for Fidelity Press West. Greg, at the time, had a part time business as a landscaper for commercial properties. One of the properties had been vacant for an extended period of time, and Greg made an offer to the manager for a six month lease at less than half of the going rate. Al had been recieving monthly payments for the sale of his print shop back east and he inquired to the owners if they had any equipment that was idle. They had an AB Dick 9805, a small flip top plate burner and a light table. Al accepted the equipment in place of part of the payment and Fidelity Press West was born.