"Years of ups and downs, and we've grown bit by bit."
—Dick Proctor, owner of Library and Educational Services
Dick Proctor learned how to work from a young age. By the time he was in college, he was running his own small business, selling books to pay for tuition. After working as a full-time teacher, Dick decided to go back to building his business, selling educational books based on Christian values and morals.
"Out of my garage, I rented a room in a cold-storage building."
From there, he moved first to a rundown former car showroom, then to a larger rental building and finally to their current location, surrounded by nature along a beautiful bend on the St. Joseph River in southern Michigan. Dick's staff includes several members of his family including his daughter Michelle.
"We work hard to provide wholesome, educational books, CDs and DVDs for kids at affordable prices," Michelle says.
With much of their clientele being churches, libraries, charities and non-public schools, including home schools—with very tight operating budgets—Dick's business offers quality materials these institutions would not otherwise be able to afford.
"We've had tearful thanks from them for helping them to build libraries for the kids, which is extremely gratifying to us," Michelle says. "Knowing you are helping to supply quality materials (that are otherwise unaffordable) that thousands of children will use over the years, is a privilege and blessing to us," she adds.
To learn more, visit Library and Educational Services at the Marketplace.