What started as two activists printing protest posters in a garage has grown into an 18-person union print shop that calls itself the glue holding Tucson's community together.

Walk through a Tucson protest or past a campaign sign in the last 19 years and there's a good chance The Gloo Factory made it. The business, owned by Dwight Metzger, is known for its extensive printing capabilities, including posters, protest signs, banners and more.

Metzger said he was volunteering with a group called Earth First in the 1980s and was tasked with printing posters and then stickers. He quickly realized that the cost of purchasing printed items added up fast and was not sustainable.

"We need to be able to do this stuff ourselves," he told the other group.

The Gloo Factory started out as a hobby, with Metzger and a friend working in his garage, but by 2010, it had grown into a small business of largely self-taught makers.

"(We've) grown from two people working in a garage to 18 union member employees, a pretty robust shop and a pretty sustainable business," Metzger said, adding that Tucson has been very supportive of the business.

The Gloo Factory is a member of the Communication Workers of America Local 7026. Metzger said union members cannot be fired without cause, a protection he is proud of and one he says brings the shop business.

The Gloo Factory's website features caricatures drawn by one of its employees, with Metzger describing the site as a "homespun design."

Its staff is made up of talented people focused on serving the community and meeting people where they are.

"Every day, we are either hooking up somebody with good pricing or, in many cases, just outright donating," Metzger said.

Indigenous groups and activist organizations receive discounted or free printing, Metzger said.

He called the shop "the 'gloo' that keeps the community together."

In the past several years, the business has been on a steady growth trajectory. Election season is the business's busiest stretch, and with elections every two years, growth has followed a "two steps forward, one step back" steady incline, Metzger said.

The business has expanded its footprint to include three buildings in Tucson, including a recently acquired lot which they hope to convert into parking.

The organization's goal is to "manage all opportunities well and make sure we're doing things well," rather than expanding too much and risking collapse.

Metzger said it's important that the business doesn't "lose focus of who we're serving."

"We're not out there just trying to get as much business as possible," Metzger said, adding that taking care of employees and serving customers well is the best definition of success.

The Gloo Factory has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in a garage and continues to bring people together through its specialty print work and designs.

Zaida Josephene-White  is a Sahuaro High School student and Tucson Spotlight intern.

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