It started with a simple conversation, the kind of offhand remark that can set a new course for a family’s future. TK and Shari Broecker had been married for just about a year when TK’s mother stopped by a small Moto Photo lab in their hometown. The owner, she learned, was looking to retire. She called her son, who at the time was logging long hours in his IT job.
Intrigued by the idea of building something together, TK and Shari took the leap. They bought the lab, packed up and returned to Louisville, Kentucky. “At that point, all we were really known for was film developing and printing basic photo sizes,” TK recalls. “Some people knew we had a small portrait studio, but that was about it.”
That was more than 20 years ago. What the Broeckers couldn’t have predicted was how quickly the industry they’d stepped into would change—and how that change would demand more than survival. It would demand reinvention. As the shift to digital photography accelerated, many of their peers shuttered their labs or pivoted to photography services. TK and Shari took a different approach. “We decided we wanted to learn how to print on anything and everything,” Shari says. “That became our mantra. We weren’t going to be limited to what we had always done.”
Their decision shaped the next two decades. The company expanded into new materials, new technologies and new applications, growing to three locations at one point before streamlining to two thriving operations today. Along the way, they acquired businesses on the brink of closing and carried forward their legacies under The Print Refinery name.
But what set them apart wasn’t just diversification—it was their philosophy of scale. While other printers chased volume, the Broeckers embraced short-run jobs with high-quality margins. “A small business just starting out doesn’t need 1,000 business cards,” TK says. “They need 100. We want to be the partner who meets them where they are, with the same quality and care you’d expect from a large order.”
Innovation at the Core
That model required more than passion—it demanded innovation. By investing in digital printing technologies rather than traditional methods, The Print Refinery – Louisville East, a licensed location of the national The Print Refinery brand, positioned itself as nimble and future-ready. “We didn’t come from a screen-printing background, so we never saw limits,” Shari says. “Where a screen printer might ask how many colors a design has, we only ask: has it been printed or hasn’t it?”
This willingness to embrace new processes has been key to profitability, efficiency and customer satisfaction. The Broeckers credit their partnership with Fujifilm as a catalyst. Their FUJIFILM REVORIA PRESS™ PC1120 delivers the photo-quality precision they expect, with the speed their clients need. “Coming from a photo lab background, everything for us starts with quality,” TK says. “If it doesn’t meet photo-quality standards, it doesn’t make the cut. The Fujifilm press not only surpasses those standards but allows us to do it faster. That’s game-changing.”
Behind the technology, though, is a leadership philosophy rooted in care. For TK and Shari, it’s about leading by example. That means showing their staff what it means to invest in customers’ goals and to treat each project as a chance to elevate someone’s brand or story. “When we care deeply about what the customer is trying to achieve, they see it,” Shari says. “And when they see it, they come back. They become our biggest advocates.”
The Broeckers extend that same mindset to their team, encouraging employees to experiment, research and bring forward new ideas. “We don’t have all the answers,” TK adds. “Our team is part of the evolution. When they’re empowered to push us forward, everyone wins.”
Like others in the print industry, The Print Refinery has faced its share of challenges—staffing shortages, supply chain hurdles, shifting customer expectations. But the Broeckers approach obstacles with the same mix of realism and optimism that has guided them from the start. “You’ll always have challenges,” TK says. “But if you do good work, the right customers find you. And when you have strong partners like Fujifilm, even the toughest supply chain issues become manageable.”
Driven by their resilience, innovation and passion, TK and Shari have grown The Print Refinery into more than just a business. Today, it is a reflection of their belief in the power of print to connect people, tell stories and build community. “Print has changed, and so have we,” Shari says. “But what hasn’t changed is our passion. We love this industry, and we love helping people bring their ideas to life.”
In the end, what defines The Print Refinery is not just what they print, but the care, leadership and imagination they bring to every job, every customer, every day.
