SpeedPro Chicago Loop: Championing Community Support and Veteran Opportunities

When SpeedPro Chicago Loop began in April 2015, owner and U.S. marine veteran Eric Lazar was dedicated to two things: learning the ins and outs of his new business and philanthropy. From the early days, Lazar, alongside business partner Rebecca Considine, committed to giving back, donating a minimum of 1% of the shop’s proceeds — in the form of products, services, and discounts — to nonprofits and community-based organizations. Even up against some tough challenges in the first few years, including capital depletion, the pair stayed true to their promise, sometimes donating more than 3% of total revenue. To date, Lazar estimates his shop has donated roughly $300,000 in its nine years in business.

SpeedPro Chicago Loop Studio Owner Eric Lazar. | Credit: SpeedPro Chicago Loop

“The first years were really tough,” he shares about his studio's early days. In August 2015, he signed a lease for a space that needed a full gut renovation. Due to postponements, the remodel finished 18 months late. Meanwhile, Lazar already purchased equipment and hired staff. During that time, his studio had to sell as an agent because it couldn’t produce anything in-house.

“By the time we got in here, we were selling in volumes of an experienced printer, but we actually had no printing experience,” he says. “We never had a chance to ramp up, and there were a lot of mistakes — and very costly mistakes — early on. But through it all, we always kept the perspective that we wanted to behave like a good company should behave.”

SpeedPro Chicago Loop Studio Owner Rebecca Considine. | Credit: SpeedPro Chicago Loop

That’s still the mantra he and Considine operate by, employing a hands-on business approach through volunteering and actively sitting on multiple boards. Their current community affiliation and board member service includes the Chicago Police Marines, Project RELO, Small Business Advisory Council, South Loop Chamber of Commerce, and the Chicago Marines Foundation, to which they regularly provide in-kind donations.

One of the shop’s yearly donations involves outfitting the Chicago Marines Foundation’s annual Marine Corps birthday party — its largest single contribution totaling over $10,000 in printing and installation. It includes “an awful lot of decals,” Lazar shares, like table, bar, window, and floor graphics. Last year, it rebranded a 2,000-sq.-ft. space with the foundation’s logo and a 20x20' floor graphic. Lazar’s print shop has done something of this magnitude for the last eight or so years and plans to continue the partnership for years to come.

Signs of Hope and Thanks

Outside of supporting veterans, Lazar says both he and Considine have a passion for supporting first responders. During a time when it was needed most — the COVID-19 pandemic — SpeedPro Chicago Loop offered its support via motivational signs.

Aptly named Signs of Hope and Thanks, the initiative used yard signs to spread hope and thanks across Chicago. It was born from a desire to show support for frontline workers who were facing tough working conditions. One simple sign donning the Chicago flag brought the shop national news coverage and sparked a full-on fundraiser.

“It was very, very organic,” Lazar says of how the initiative started. He credits his business partner, Considine, with the idea, who stuck the first few signs outside an ALDI grocery store. She shared a photo on social media, and it gained traction quickly. A handful of signs turned into hundreds spread around the city, and SpeedPro Chicago Loop was asked to do a news interview.

“A ton of individuals were wanting to buy these signs for their lawns,” Lazar says, “and so as we were prepping for the interview is when we decided we need to convert this into an opportunity to raise money for first responders.”

In 48 hours, the studio hired a marketing agency and had a fundraising website set up for people to purchase the signs. Through the sales, the feel-good campaign raised $4,500 for the American Red Cross.

Fostering an Inclusive Workforce

Beyond in-kind donations, SpeedPro Chicago Loop does what it can to set a path forward for people through employment. It’s an accredited Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned business that prides itself on its dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The shop employs service-disabled veterans and often leans on unemployed and underemployed veterans when it needs temporary workers during busy periods. In 2021, it brought on temporary workers to help install graphics for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital's Dream Chicago event, which featured 4,000 sq. ft. of print and took two days of installation.

The event not only raised $1.7 million for St. Jude and earned the studio the prestigious Project of the Year Award in 2022, it also provided a small source of extra income for those who needed it.

“We take this approach on other projects throughout the year that require us to staff up temporarily to execute large projects,” Lazar shares.

Commenting on his commitment to hiring an inclusive workforce, he argues that diversity through employment brings “diversity of thought,” and to be better as an organization, it’s something any business needs to prioritize.

“If you’re living sort of within this cocoon, I don’t think you expose yourself to all the things that are out there,” he says. “I mean, it’s no different than our approach with material manufacturers ... we want to hear everybody out.”

Chicago is a diverse place, and he sees it as his business’s responsibility to represent those who live in the city, provided they possess the skills needed to perform the job.

As a result of the impressive work SpeedPro produces and the time the business pours into its community, it was awarded the International Franchise Association’s 2023 Franchisee of the Year award. In addition, it’s been named among the "3 Best Sign Shops" in Chicago for seven consecutive years.

From the jobs coming through the door to serving their community at large, Lazar and Considine strive to be good corporate citizens, and that’s evident both inside and outside the shop’s walls.