Company History
Aspen Digital Services was effectively founded in 1999 as a late-night freelance graphic design effort on the part of founder Kevin Bradford, who at that time both worked in a print shop full-time and went to college full-time. Kevin had chosen graphic design as a serious career pursuit after working both in customer service and management in an AlphaGraphics® quick-print shop in Sandy, Utah.
Introduction to Graphic Design
When the Sandy AlphaGraphics' full-time graphic designer/pre-press specialist left the business, Kevin, who was the manager at the time, had to hire a replacement. But capable designers were difficult to find, and of necessity, Kevin began learning the ins and outs of graphic design and pre-press, to keep the business moving while the process of hiring a new designer played out.
Career Decisions
Kevin found during that time that he had a natural understanding and talent to apply in the graphics/prepress world, and ultimately decided to pursue that path. He was hired by a different, nearby AlphaGraphics to head the graphics/pre-press work there, working and night schooling full-time until obtaining an associates degree in graphic design and multimedia management in early summer, 2001.
Entrepreneurial Visions
While working at the Fort Union AlphaGraphics he realized that he wanted to work entrepreneurially, rather than as an employee. So, toting a fresh degree and feeling ready to take on new challenges, he quit his job a couple of months after finishing school and launched Aspen Digital Services on September 1, 2001.
Aspen Digital Services - First Attempt
He soon discovered that, while he had marketable skills, education and experience as a graphic designer and pre-press specialist, he was ill prepared at that time to own a business. After just a few short months of poor business performance it was clear that he "didn't know what [he] was doing," and that he didn't have enough capital at the time to both obtain the experience he'd need to succeed (which wouldn't happen overnight) and provide for his family (which now numbered four—himself, his wife, Heidi, and sons Micah and Isaiah).
New Employment in Oregon
Kevin and Heidi had previously decided that they wanted to raise their family in rural Oregon, where Heidi grew up, rather than in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. And they reasoned that if Kevin had to look for new employment (he did!), he may as well search in the place they ultimately wanted to call "home." So Kevin reached out to a print shop in Baker City, secured an interview, and then a job (as the shop's graphics/pre-press specialist), the family moving there in early 2002.
Aspen Digital Services - 2nd Attempt
After working in Eastern Oregon for five and a half years—adding along the way experience as a production scheduler, and cutting his teeth in the website design market—Kevin decided that he needed to again make and entrepreneurial attempt, quitting his job and hanging out the "Aspen" sign once more in November, 2007.
This time, with a more rounded-out understanding of business, and with more experience to bring to bear, generally, Aspen Digital Services started strong, and has continued to make slow, steady, gains, branching out over time into other marketing-related fields, acquiring new skills and additional businesses, bringing some of his kids into the trade, and establishing Aspen Digital Services as a dependable source for printing, graphic design, web and email hosting, web design, systems development, and tech support, providing service up to the very periphery of these broad categories (a "graphic designer" wears many hats!).
Adding Brands
Two additional brands have been added to the Aspen name since 2007: Elkhorn Hosting (domains, web and email hosting) in 2016, and Cattleman Press (commercial printing) in 2021. The foundation, however, is Aspen Digital Services, the name pointing to the glue that binds it all together—digital services that bridge the gap between our customers, who may not know or speak the digital language, and the demands of the modern marketing world.
The Future
We are looking forward to serving the Eastern Oregon area for years to come with professional design, print, web, email and other services, all of which works to provide our customers with a stable "assistant" in their own efforts to communicate, advertise, compete, and succeed in today's digital world.
Thank you for visiting, and "Thank you!" to our customers; we appreciate and count on each one of you for our success!
Kevin Bradford, Owner
Aspen Digital Services
Cattleman Press
Elkhorn Hosting