In a bold move accomplished at hyper-speed, internationally known Quark Inc., purchased 62 acres in the Cheyenne Business Parkway for what its President Fred Ebrahimi envisioned as a future campus-setting for his software company.
In 1997, Quark Inc, an internationally known company announced its purchase of 62 acres in the Cheyenne Business Parkway. Quark Inc., a leader in the high-end, professional electronic publishing and design industry, began its first steps of its vision with the construction of an 80,000 square foot order processing and distribution center in mid-April.
Cheyenne LEADS President Jack Crews said the best news of the plan is what the future holds for Cheyenne. “Quark has purchased sufficient land for its powerful long-term vision,” Crews said. Quark President Fred Ebrahimi said he envisions a campus sitting on the land just south of EchoStar Communications Corp.
The business transactions leading to the announcement were quickly accomplished. LEADS and Quark representatives held their first meeting on February 4th, 1997. In less than three weeks, Quark had met with private and city officials, made the decision to build in Cheyenne and began a fast track project that placed them in their facility by July 1, 1998.
Although Quark is international, Ebrahimi shared that doing business in other countries is much tougher than doing business in Wyoming. He said in Germany it would take two years to purchase the land and begin building a facility. He laughed and said, “In two years here I hope we have paid off the land.”
Warmed by the community’s welcome, Ebrahimi, a world traveler, said, “I have never seen any other community that welcomes as this community does.”
The facility will handle increased customer service, manufacturing, and distribution activities. Quark conducts its Wyoming operations as Quark Wyoming Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Quark, Inc.
Based in Denver, Quark, Inc. develops and distributes software for commercial publishing and graphic arts professionals using microcomputer-based systems. Quark Inc. develops software tools such as QuarkXPress, QuarkImmedia, Quark Publishing System, a high performance editorial management and versions of QuarkXPress, QuarkImmedia and Quark Publishing Systems. Via internal development, mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships, Quark plans to deliver software – from multimedia authorizing tools to database connectively and online transaction processing tools – that lets companies realize the full benefits of digital communications. Founded in 1981, Quark is privately held.
The July 1996 issue of Folio Magazine found that four of the top 10, and 12 of the top 27 biggest revenue-generating magazines in the United States are produced with Quark Publishing Systems. Of the top four magazines that use QPS, three are owned by Time Inc. – People Weekly, Time and Sports Illustrated. The fourth magazine is Reader’s Digest.
Other major magazines using Quark products include Business Week, National Geographic, Family Circle, Forbes and Rolling Stone.