Gainesville web design startup Parisleaf announced Tuesday it will be pulling up some roots at its University Avenue location and replanting them in Gainesville’s Innovation Square over summer.
Its owners Chad and Alison Paris announced the move after identifying a need to expand. The two owners and their staff will begin to move to its new location, 107 SW Seventh St., within the coming weeks after making some renovations to the empty building in the square. They plan to open the new location in late July or August.
Four years ago, Chad and Alison started their environmentally friendly printing company called Parisleaf in Gainesville.
“During our research, we found that the printing industry was one of the most devastating industries to the environment you could possibly enter into,” said CEO Chad.
A year later, the couple married and expanded from a printing company to a design studio, offering customers a variety of design work such as printing, branding and web design. Now they’ve worked on websites such as Greenpeace and Causseaux, Hewett & Walpole in Gainesville.
Parisleaf has planted more than 25,000 trees across the world. Parisleaf donates 10 trees for every print job and 100 trees for every website design to local and international organizations that plant trees, said project manager Alison.
“We’re hoping to be a beacon in the workplace on how to do business and how to be environmentally conscious and responsible to have an amazing work culture,” Chad said.
Alison said positive reinforcement is a big part of the company’s culture.
“We all have a commitment to having a healthy work environment,” she said. “Everyone stays incredibly positive and upbeat.”
Parisleaf’s visual storyteller and UF alumna Ashley Crane said she has found what she loves doing at the design studio.
“When you’re surrounded by people that just want to be better all the time, it just drives you to be better,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 5/15/2014 under the headline "Parisleaf design company to move into Innovation Square"]
