HKM continues celebrating 100 years with you our customers, dedicated employees, partners & suppliers. We previously shared our humble beginnings in the 20’s and took you through the 60’s, if you missed them then follow this link.

Now we turn to the 70’s where HKM sees significant growth, Color TV and TV advertising take off and 8 track tapes & 8-cylinder cars appear. The country comes out of a recession but still wrestles with social and political unrest with Kent State, Watergate, Nixon’s resignation, and the continued Vietnam antiwar protest.

HKM During the 70’s
HKM purchases Evans Type & Art renaming it Elyria Graphics. Opens Ford Printing in Lakewood, Beachwood Business Services in Beachwood, and Margarite Munn in Cleveland Heights. In equipment, HKM significantly expands its printing capacity adding a 1 color 22 x 28 Heidelberg, and a 2 color 23 x 29 Harris Press. Further, the company adds a Xerox 730 which allows for pressure sensitive labels to be affixed to mailers and envelopes.

Cleveland — Storms on the Horizon
In sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team was organized (’70) and the Cleveland Barons played their last hockey game (’73). The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is established. The Great Blizzard of 1978 hits – the worst storm in Ohio’s history. Kent State shootings take place — rocking the nation during a Vietnam antiwar protest. Ohio enacts the Ohio Income Tax and the Ohio Lottery is approved. The Xenia Tornado hits killing 33 people (’74).

Happenings in the World

Bell bottoms, maxi dresses, and streaking hit the scene. Disco peaks with Studio 54 and the release of Saturday Night Fever (’77) starring John Travolta and the music of Donna Summers, The Village People and The Bee Gees. Rock (Queen, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Three Dog Night) dominates the airwaves heard on 8 track players in 8-cylinder cars. The Brady Bunch are on TV and Star Wars hits the big screen.

The wireless phone is invented, microwaves, color TV and the earliest home computers all appear. Coke introduces a musical TV ad seeing sales soar. Mikey Likes It, Have it Your Way, and I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing were catchy tag lines. Cross channel marketing begins with movie launches and fast-food tie-ins.

The Environmental Movement starts with Earth Day and the Clean Air & Water Acts coinciding with the energy crisis and the 3-Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Accident. Watergate, Nixon’s resigning, and Vietnam anti-war protest all rocked the nation. A conservative backlash starts with the establishment of the
“New Right”.