The District Chronicles

Issue date: 5/17/09 Section: Business

Media Credit: Kenny Tracy/District Chronicles

Mario Exum is a third-generation printer. However, the story of how this self-proclaimed country boy built A Touch of Heaven Inc., one of the top printing companies in the region, is not as simple as the usual passing of a family tradition.

Before starting A Touch of Heaven three-and-a-half years ago, Exum spent 17 years as a correctional and military police officer.

"God told me to put my guns down," Exum said. "I'm an artist." So Exum armed himself with tools of artistry and began to build his business.

Exum had been a talented artist since he was young. What was new, however, was that he was able to draw from new experiences to move his art in a new direction.

"The military changed my view," Exum said. With that, Exum began to make religious and gospel greeting cards. He soon was asked to design business cards. From that point, his business grew and he now services more than 17,000 clients.

Within eight months, Exum was able to move his business from his apartment into a storefront. Word-of-mouth spread the message about his service, clients kept calling, business kept coming and soon A Touch of Heaven was up and running, but not done growing. "People said I outgrew my storefront the moment I put my key in the door," Exum said.

Now after a second relocation, Exum finally has the space to compete with larger printing companies and attract larger printing jobs. Within the past year, Exum's clientele has cross-marketed, and he is now reaching businesses with multicultural backgrounds.

Exum and his eight employees work hard supplying their customers with some of the quickest turnaround service in the business for anything from small business cards, to those large catchy advertisements that travel the city printed on the sides of local transit buses.

In addition to the large variety of print jobs, A Touch of Heaven also offers inspirational paintings and a forthcoming academic Black history calendar that teaches new facts all 365 days of the year.

But with the success and growth he has appreciated, Exum is quick to remind whoever is listening that A Touch of Heaven is not all about making money. "My business is not just a business. It's a ministry," Exum said.

Exum's face lights up when churches are the topic of conversation. Throughout the years he has been sure to make churches an integral part of his business.

"My mom's a pastor, and I have aunts and uncles who are ministers, so church has always been in my life," Exum said.

Exum had always been taught to work for what he wanted, and a successful printing business was exactly that. Plus, he recognized the importance of his business being a ministry in the community. In the future, Exum plans to open an Internet café as well as expanding to provide professional photography and produce tv commercials and videos. But for now, he's comfortable with where his business is at, and believes that it was all meant to be. "I truly believe that God wanted me to start this company," he said.

Address: 3611 Branch Avenue Temple Hills, MD
Phone: (301) 423-5200

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