After spending seven years as the vice president of a start-up firm that eventually was sold to a Fortune 100 company, Bothell’s Jeff Pascoe went to work in the corporate office of a well-known, large-sized retailer.

He quickly realized it just wasn’t for him.

“That’s when I decided I really liked the small-business atmosphere, that I wanted to be self-employed,” he said.

While Pascoe had been working in Chicago and considers that city his hometown, after college, he had spent nine years working for Boeing in Renton. When he began looking for a change of scenery, he said it seemed natural to look in this direction.

Working with Allegra Print and Imaging, Pascoe purchased Land Printing on Main Street in downtown Bothell. He took over in November. Allegra being a franchise operation, he changed the name of the 23-year-old business from Land Printing to Allegra in March.

“There’s been a lot of opportunity for me because they had a reputation for quality and service,” Pascoe said of Land.

For the most part, Pascoe said he works with other businesses, nonprofits, churches and similar customers. His printers can handle anything from business cards to posters or larger. His designers work with what he called state-of-the-art computer programs such as In-Design and PhotoShop.

Pascoe admits PCs and desk-top publishing have cut a bit into the printing business. Generally, he said someone who just wants a few copies of a simple document isn’t going to come into his shop.

“But if you want something that’s designed well rather than just whipping something out on a PC, you would come to somebody with a little more experience,” he added.

Pascoe said that while Land had a good reputation, he wants to raise the visibility of the business. Having joined the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, he said he was surprised, especially given the shop’s centralized location, how many other local business people were not familiar with Land Printing.

“Even though we’re part of a chain, we are still locally owned and operated,” Pascoe emphasized. He added he decided go with the franchise approach because of the marketing, purchasing and other benefits that go with it.

After working for Boeing locally, Pascoe went back to Chicago to work in a Boeing plant there. On the side, he started running his own Web-site design firm. When Boeing sold its Chicago operation, Pascoe went to work for a client of his Web company, SchoolKidz, which sells prepackaged school supplies. He said he suffered from some definite culture shock after going from that small firm to a large corporate environment.

“I’d rather do what makes sense for both the company and the customers,” Pascoe said, as opposed to worrying about office politics and corporate protocols.

As for moving himself and his family — which includes his wife and five children — to the Northwest, he said that was an easy decision.

“It’s a little more relaxed here than in Chicago,” Pascoe said.

He added he enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing and hiking. But stating he is somewhat still in business start-up mode, Pascoe said he hasn’t had a lot of time for things away from the office.

“But I know I will,” he said.