Murtaza Jaffer has been an owner of EBC Printing in Trexlertown since 2002, when he purchased a small pack-and-ship business after graduating from Penn State Lehigh Valley with a Marketing degree.
Over the past 13 years, Murtaza has become one of the Lehigh Valley’s most well-respected, well-connected business owners. He has found success by fostering the success of other business owners. EBC Printing exists to serve business owners throughout the Lehigh Valley, and Murtaza’s sincere desire to help has earned him a reputation for legendary customer service and premier-quality products.
Outside of EBC’s office, Murtaza is a high-value networker. He has helped hundreds of Lehigh Valley businesspeople connect with each other through his leadership roles in the business community. His affiliations are listed below, but the best measure of his accomplishments is the way a crowd lights up with admiration and gratitude any time he walks into an event.


Murtaza’s affiliations in the business community include:


* Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
* Discover Lehigh Valley
* Lehigh Valley Arts Council
* Allentown Art Museum
* Rotary Clubs , PA


Murtaza has won awards for both EBC Printing and for his service to the business community:


* 20 under 40 Young Business Achiever Award, Lehigh Valley Business
* Best Business in the Lehigh Valley/Berks Region, Lehigh Valley Business
* Networker of the Year award, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
* Three ADDY awards for Excellence in Self-Promotion


Murtaza is fluent in Swahili, Hindi, Urdu, Gujrati and Kachi.

LEADERSHIP

Murtaza has become a leader of the area’s business community through example. His story is well-known in the Lehigh Valley, and is an inspiration to any business owner. He was born in Tanzania, moved to America at a young age, graduated from college and immediately started a business from scratch. He has grown EBC Printing over the past 13 years by leading his staff to new heights, and by leading the print industry with technology and service.

Murtaza leads the staff of EBC Printing as the ideal supportive manager. At EBC, every week begins with the Monday all-staff meeting at 7:15 a.m. It’s an opportunity for the staff to discuss
ideas for the week, goals and any business-related items. Murtaza’s support extends far beyond the meeting. He invests in each employee for the long term. Employees receive mentoring, team building, outside education courses, workshops and specialized equipment training.

“Our digital press requires a four-week training that covers software, design, print production and finishing capabilities,” Murtaza says. “Our staff members frequently travel to software and equipment training workshops which improve their digital press operating skills.”

When it comes to education, Murtaza leads by example. Throughout the year, he and the EBC staff can be found side-by-side at Chamber seminars, learning ways to improve customer service or increase sales effectiveness.

EBC Printing’s legendary customer service has its roots in the empowered team that Murtaza has developed. “The workplace is a huge part of people’s lives,” he says. “Employees must be treated as partners and family members. Our employees show none of the frustration common to workplaces where training is not considered an integral part of the business.”

Leading his employees to new levels of responsibility, knowledge and empowerment is the first half of EBC Printing’s success. The employees also need top-quality tools to get the job done – and since day one, Murtaza has been a leader in the printing industry, ensuring that EBC Printing always has the most advanced technology.

From custom digital packaging solutions to banners to books, and from signs to phonebook-sized catalogs, EBC Printing’s capabilities are vast. Some of EBC’s machines are worth as much as a small house, but it’s the finished product that matters. Take a tour of their print shop and you’ll be amazed by the never-ending examples of work that Murtaza shows you.

EBC continually updates its equipment and software to deliver faster turnaround times and lower prices than other printers in the Lehigh Valley. Murtaza has also turned EBC into a leader in sustainability, offering a wide range of environmentally friendly print options.

VISION

Murtaza founded EBC Printing to help other business owners become successful, and EBC has grown from his commitment to selfless service.

EBC’s top concern is customer satisfaction. Murtaza makes sure each customer is 100% satisfied and provides a consultative approach to serve each customer’s needs. This approach has led to steady, organic growth for the company. As customers have built relationships with EBC Printing and requested additional services, Murtaza has added capabilities. For example, when one early client wanted blueprints, Murtaza invested in a blueprint machine. Today, EBC does a steady trade in blueprints for many architects and designers.

But sometimes, despite the range of services EBC offers, customers need a particular product or service that EBC doesn’t provide. In these cases, Murtaza draws on his vast network and refers the customer to a trusted business contact. “We’re proud to have developed a wide group of businesses we can recommend with confidence to our own customers,” Murtaza says.

This network is the foundation of Murtaza’s vision, and it’s what makes him such a successful entrepreneur. He is the Lehigh Valley’s consummate networker – he’s won the Chamber’s award for Networker of the Year – but his approach to networking is selfless. He prefers to create personal connections between businesspeople, a disappearing skill in the age of online networking. As business people throughout the Lehigh Valley can attest, these personal connections are more than social – they lead to real, bottom-line business growth. And as local businesses grow, sooner or later they need printing – and EBC is there to help.

“We exist to serve our customers, our community and our employees,” Murtaza says.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Murtaza believes that supporting the local community is critical to EBC’s business growth.

He is a member of a number of boards, offering leadership and vision to both business and charitable organizations.

* Board member of the Ambassador Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
* Board member of the Western Lehigh Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
* Board Member of the Forum for Ethics in the Workplace of DeSales University
* Board Member of LV Hospital Board of Associates

Murtaza also mentors students in Penn State Lehigh Valley’s business program. Interns work alongside him to learn not just the printing industry, but sales and management skills. And each year, Murtaza donates significant amounts of printing work to local non-profits, including Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, the Ben Yorgey Foundation, Lehigh Valley Arts Council, Da Vinci Science Center and Cetronia Ambulance.

Murtaza received the Paul Harris Award from Allentown Rotary Club West in 2010 and from Allentown Rotary Club of Emmaus in 2012, recognizing his embodiment of “service as a basis of worthy enterprise.”