The New York State Department of Labor is investigating a short-lived printing and promotional materials company owned by Aprinta Group CEO Billy Dolan, Counselor has confirmed. The investigation was launched after former employees at Geneseo, NY-based Century Print filed complaints alleging they weren’t paid wages due to them. Dolan told Counselor the allegations are false.

Century Print was a partnership between Dolan and Randy Cofield, who claims the company ceased operations in September of 2017, Livingston County News reported. Cofield also claims Dolan “wholly owned” Century Print before it closed, and that he’s responsible for not paying employees for months. “I left the company in August because I could see what was going on and I didn’t want to be a part of it because that’s not how I do business,” Cofield told Livingston County News.

In an exclusive interview with Counselor, Dolan said that he’s fighting the investigation. “The eight employees who filed complaints weren’t paid because they didn’t clock in and they didn’t do their job,” Dolan told Counselor. “I have proof that I’ve paid all my other employees in other companies.” 

Dolan said that Todd Levine, CEO and president of Rochester-based sportswear manufacturer Alleson Athletic, urged him to save Athletica, Cofield’s former direct-to-consumer athletic goods business, from shutting down. Levine said that his company had been a vendor to Athletica for over a decade, and was owed a substantial amount of money. "Randy sold his assets to another company for a lot less than he owed us," Levine told Counselor. "All of his vendors took it on the chin." 

Having worked with Dolan for many years, Levine asked if he would salvage what was left. “I was brought in to try and save it, not ruin it,” Dolan said. “I came in to try and keep 17 people employed.”

Dolan took over on June 1, 2017, rebranding the company as Century Print and spending about $400,000 in assets, marketing and payroll, he said. Dolan told Counselor he was not involved in the day-to-day operations, leaving that responsibility to Cofield. Although he tried to get funding from investors, Dolan ultimately realized there was too much overhead cost. “I should have let everyone go and then hire them back as I needed them,” Dolan said. “It’s tough trying to start a business with 17 people and no revenue.” 

Dolan said he shut the doors around August, owing nothing except some rent for the location.

"I can vouch that Billy went into it with great intent to create something exciting and help these people that I know," Levine said. "Headwinds were too strong and I’m not sure his arrangement with Randy helped matters."

Despite a 4.7 rating on Century Print’s still-active Facebook page, several one-star reviews were posted starting in August as commenters chastised the company for failing to fulfill orders or issue refunds. 

An anonymous ex-employee told Livingston County News that paycheck issues began around April-May of 2017. Checks went from being late a day to late a week, the employee said, and at least one of the checks the employee received bounced. Sometimes workers were paid via company checks for net pay, the employee said, rather than payroll checks for gross pay that included tax and other deductions and withholdings. 

According to Livingston County News, Cofield estimated about 10 former employees had filed complaints with the Department of Labor, and that he and fellow former employees are owed “north of $50,000 in wages.” He said he’s also owed eight months of unpaid rent totaling about $50,000.

Dolan, named Counselor’s International Person of the Year in 2011, was the CEO of one-time Top 40 supplier Camsing Global. In 2014, Meridian PO Finance LLC, the senior secured lender to Camsing, sold all of Camsing’s assets to Capital Supply Group Inc., including brands such as Adva-Lite, Dart Business Accessories, Drinx, Falcon Promotional Products, It’s All Greek to Me, StyleWrite and Toppers. Sunscope then agreed to manage Camsing’s former brands, resulting in the Aprinta Group.

That relationships has since ended, though, and Sunscope and Aprinta operate as separate companies.