BEN GAMEZ
We are only stewards. Everything we have, is God’s.
When you make God the center of your life, everything falls into place. He will bring you the right people, the right opportunity, at the right time.
It all began when my good friend, Rudy, invited me to put up a printing business. We invested P10,000 each and spent six months of training in Production and Six months on Sales. At that time in 1979, I was still working at a garment factory as a supervisor. The idea of having our own business became real when we agreed to open our own shop. After a year of partnership, Rudy and I decided to part ways. In 1980, my wife, Tita and I bought our very first Letterpress and Offset machine. A friend also lent us a cutting machine, enough to start our daily operations. We found a rental space in Laon Laan, Manila and opened our own printing shop. Tita was working at a bank at that time.
Everything was a learning experience. I would wake up early to prepare for meetings. I treated clients like kings and queens, making sure I was someone they could always depend on – their partner and supplier. I gave them the best printing service and required my employees to do the same: to produce quality materials and be rewarded fairly in return. I treated my employees well because I too had been an employee. I knew how it felt to be scolded, to be mistreated. I remember selling Tita’s jewelry just to pay my employees on time. I saw them as partners, not merely workers.
Three years later, I asked Tita to resign from the bank she could help manage our finances. As business picked up, we rented a bigger commercial space on Mayon Street, acquired more Offset machines, and hired more people. In 1985 and 1986, two close friends joined me in the business. They learned the trade well and are now successful business owners themselves.
In 1987, we were introduced to the Couples for Christ (CFC) community and attended the Christian Life Program (CLP). That same year, we began actively participating in CFC and in our parish, Sta. Teresita. We devoted much of our time to serving God, which meant spending less time at the office. Yet amazingly, that very year, business flourished so much that we were able to purchase our first property – our family home, where we held our very first CFC household meeting. I firmly believe this happened because we chose to put God first above anything else.
In 1993, by God’s grace and mercy, we acquired another property and constructed a three-storey building to house our growing operations. The first, second, and third floors were for printing, while the rooftop became a space for CFC activities.
As we spent more time serving the Lord, more financial blessings and opportunities came our way.
With a growing workforce, we found more ways to share God’s love and faithfulness. We invited the CFC community to conduct Christian Life Programs specifically for our employees – held every Saturdays from 4 to 5 p.m., counted as working hours with pay, to encourage participation. We encouraged married employees and their spouses to join Couples for Christ, their younger children to join Kids for Christ and Youth for Christ, and our single employees to join Singles for Christ, Handmaids of the Lord and Servants of the Lord. Tita and I believe that when everyone shares the same vision and faith, they can work together harmoniously as one company and family. We made sure no one worked on Sundays, and every working day began with a morning prayer. It was our mission to conduct business the Christian way.
In 2003, we constructed a five-storey building after being required to move to a larger commercial space. It was initially meant for home rental units but God sometimes has better plans. Moving to a new location allowed us to serve more clients and strengthen our team. Our previous office building was converted into home rental units, giving us a source of passive income. In 2016, by God’s continued provision, we were able to secure yet another commercial space for three more machines, along with additional studio units for our rental business. 
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. We faced many trials and difficulties along the way, but God never let us down. In 2020, like so many others, our business suffered greatly due to the pandemic. To stop the losses from mounting, we closed down the bleeding, we closed down the Sole Proprietorship in 2023. But, God is faithful and merciful. We were able to form a family corporation and carry on the legacy that Tita and I built – excellence and quality printing done the the Christian way.
Today, with 23 machines and our children now carrying the torch, we continue to learn, adapt to new technologies and face challenges together as a family. We till experience our share of ups and downs as a corporation but we celebrate every small win, knowing that God will never leave us. Through the years, we have entrusted everything to Him – because after all, everything we have is His. We are only stewards.
