Former Royal Navy Petty Officer Lee Taylor has left a career in the forces to take on a new challenge as the owner of the Minuteman Press franchise in Newport.

While serving for 23 years, Lee was involved in the former Yugoslavia conflict in the 90s, the 2003 Gulf War and four separate tours to the Balkans. He undertook a variety of different roles including marshalling helicopter take-offs and landing at sea, financial accounts director on HMS Illustrious , the Fleet Flag ship and project managing the £5m site accommodation development at the Royal Navy air station in Yeovil, Somerset.

In a complete change of career, he will now be using his skills and experience to launch Minuteman Press in Newport.

Minuteman Press has leased the 1,000 sq ft ground floor offices in Hill Street , Newport. New state-of-the-art printing equipment has been installed at the premises and Lee has already started to take orders for business stationery, promotional products and scanning services as well as recruiting his first employee.

Lee said, “I wanted to manage my own business and do something completely different when I left the Royal Navy. I explored a wide variety of different options and chose to invest in the Minuteman Press Franchise after researching the company, finding out more about the products and services they provide and importantly the quality of the comprehensive training and support package they provide to help their franchisors succeed. This has included me studying at their training academy in New York and ongoing support from the UK management team.

“I live in Cwmbran and have been following with interest the regeneration of Newport. It’s an exciting time for the city, the local economy is growing and now is an ideal time to launch a business that provides essential services required by the majority of companies.”

Jennie Howells, graduate surveyor at Nuttall Parker Commercial LLP, let the Hill Street offices to Minuteman Press on behalf of a private landlord.

Jennie said: “The offices are in a great position in the city centre. The layout of the offices were ideal for the requirements and the allocated parking spaces provide Lee and his customers with easy access to and from the building. We worked with the landlord and Minuteman Press to negotiate a 10-year lease to suit both parties.”