Bent But Never Broken: The Five-Star Printing Story

Danny Paline is like the Energizer Bunny. He is no stranger to taking a lickin’, but with grit, determination, and the support of family, friends, and faith, he keeps on tickin’. This is his story.

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Paline was born on September 5, 1970, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the youngest of four children.? When he was seven, his father moved his family to the countryside to get out of the city and continue their farming business.? His father was also a full-time electrician and professional musician on the side. ?Side hustles are deeply ingrained in the Paline gene pool, as this profile will reveal.

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And so, the seeds of entrepreneurship were planted early with Paline, and he always knew he would go into business for himself, like his father and grandparents, who were also farmers who employed others. ?

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"When I was younger, my mom used to say that I was always in a hurry. I couldn't wait to be born and get things done. Even when I was seven or eight years old, I would tell my parents that I didn't want a boss. I wanted to do my own thing and run my own business," he recalls. "I used to set up lemonade stands in the front yard, even though we lived in the middle of nowhere, hoping that just one person would drive by.”

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Paline was a popular student in school with a big personality and lots of friends.? A self-described “non-conformist,” he excelled in history, data processing, and English and was thrilled to take classes on free enterprise, where he learned the basic frameworks of business.

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In high school, he met the love of his life, Holly. He was playing baseball, and she was a cheerleader. On the day they met, he informed her that he would marry her one day. Four years later, that became a reality. They have been married for 35 years and have three grown children: Jordan, 26, Breland, 25, and Logan, 21.? His wife remains his biggest champion and “cheerleader.”

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During high school, Paline worked multiple jobs, including a full-time position with a tire company. "I even hoped to get a loan to open my own tire business one day, but I was too young to be taken seriously back then," he laments. "This further reinforced my passion to do my own thing.”

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After graduating, with limited job prospects, he decided to join the Air Force and served for four years, including a deployment overseas during Desert Storm. While stationed, Paline acquired additional management skills by purchasing millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and medical supplies. However, he was eager to return to Louisiana and get to work in the private sector.

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Despite his experience in the military, job prospects were slim without a degree. So Paline took matters into his own hands and got into business for himself.

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“I opened something similar to what you would call a UPS store today in my hometown. I borrowed $5,000. I started the shop and we started picking up mail and metering it for companies and dropping it off at the post office.? We started developing services that we thought the local area needed,” he shares.

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After one of his retiring customers asked if he would be interested in buying a print shop, despite knowing nothing about the business, Paline jumped at the opportunity, particularly given \the attractive purchase price of just $5,000. He partnered with a friend, whom he would soon buy out.

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It was baptism by fire for the young entrepreneur who cut his teeth and a finger (literally) learning the ropes, from running the shop’s Hamada press to developing negatives.? Paline ran the business for five years until shutting it down in 1999, but he still kept a press on his personal property and did work on the side, under the name Five-Star Printing, an homage to the five most important people in his life: his wife, three children, and a nephew Aaron Harris, who sadly passed away at the age of 18.

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Paline went on to work for a major commercial printer in Baton Rouge running its inkjet department, but his efforts weren’t recognized despite the profits he brought to the business. “I’m just not cut out to be an employee,” he chuckles.

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Undaunted, he decided to go back to school to become a nurse, just like his wife. Once again, Paline worked multiple jobs to put himself through school, including working as a certified nursing assistant and a wound technician at a hospital, mowing lawns, delivering Domino's pizzas, and assisting his dad with the quail farm.? He had side hustles on his side hustles.

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Paline graduated from nursing school and became both a Licensed Practical Nurse and a Registered Nurse. He practiced full-time for 15 years while also running Five-Star Printing. He maintains his nursing license to this day and occasionally fills in where necessary. "Always have a backup plan," he learned from a mentor.

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Even working full-time as a nurse, Paline pursued his passion for print and rapidly expanded his printing business by leveraging his connections within the medical community and serving as a valuable resource to small businesses in Denham Springs, Louisiana.

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He capitalized with new equipment, was looking to expand, and was bullish on the future.

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And then catastrophe hit.? On August 16, 2016, a date Paline shall never forget, Denham Springs was devastated by a once-in-one-thousand-year storm that battered the region with 36 inches of rain in 24 hours.

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“The entire city was eight feet underwater,” he recalls.? “It was devastating.”?

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Paline's plant was completely submerged, resulting in irrecoverable damage (with less than a quarter of his equipment insured). Additionally, most of his customer base was decimated.

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He continued to work long hours as a nurse, but his business prospects seemed grim. Then, four days after the flood, an 18-wheeler arrived at Paline's property with a Ricoh Copier and other equipment. A business mentor, Allen Taheri, took it upon himself to offer assistance to Paline and Five-Star Printing. Taheri had grown a thriving business with eventual locations in Houston, Jackson, and Denver and was "paying it forward."

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“I owe him everything,” says Paline.? “And I am paying back the debt every single month.”

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He is also grateful to many NPSOA members for their advice during the difficult period, including Dennis Cogan and the late Charlene Sims.

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The gesture renewed Paline’s faith in people, but the storm also brought out the worst, including carpetbaggers who tried to lure Five-Star Printing’s customers.

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Paline persevered, initially leasing new space and then relocating Five-Star Printing to his personal property of 25 acres. “I built from zero and had to rebuild from zero.”

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Today, Five Star Printing has six employees and $1 million in sales and offers full-color digital printing, screen printing, embroidery, mailing, design, wide-format signage, and promotional products.?

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Current niches it serves include medical printing, health care, government printing, and general business printing for the local community.

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Speaking of community, Paline is active in Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, BNI and even serves this year as King of his local Mardi Gras Krewe of Orion (with crown and scepter to boot!).

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He is a proud member of NPSOA and is a great ambassador for the organization.? “I am indebted to the association for the advice I have received and take comfort in the security of not being in the industry alone.”

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Paline is optimistic for the future and has no plans to retire. “I will work until they take me out in a box,” he smiles.

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He would like to relocate his business to a more central location and open satellite offices to expand his reach.? If there were only more than 24 hours in a day.

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In his 30-year career in print, Paline has encountered both personal and professional setbacks. However, he has consistently displayed resilience, tenacity, and focus. Importantly, he remains grateful for the support he has received from his family, employees, the print community, and his faith.

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Never count out the Energizer Bunny Mardi Gras King!