Meet Jennifer Zera | CEO of Wittez

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Zera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Wittez emerged from a home renovation. Crazy place for a business to form, but in a bathroom renovation we were seeking cherry blossom prints on black tile. Every option we found did not meet our standard in either image or durability, but as will most Google searches, this search devolved into the process for printing on tiles and Wittez was formed. While we do more than print tile- predominantly walls- we can now create our own cherry blossom tiles.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a Robotic Muralist- that is to say I have a robot (named Penelope) that prints on vertical surfaces. This can include walls, concrete, brick, glass, tile, doors, curtains, etc. The list is long but just about anything in a vertical orientation. Crazy right? It’s a robot that prints on walls, inside or outside. We use vegan UV cured ink so no odor or dry time. Our ink consumption can be just 1-3 ounces for a full wall print. Prints are washable and take a few hours to print. Fun facts include the smallest item we have ever printed on was a fake nail. Our largest print to data was 11 feet tall and 54 feet long in Spartanburg, SC.

Wittez was the first to have the technology in America. At the time of this publication there are 5 operating machines that print on walls in North America. We spent the first year and a half just learning about how it works, how to make it work better, and to be the best we needed time. We service businesses and residential customers. This has been a big hit with schools and churches.

Our biggest hurdle has been education. No one knows the technology, they don’t know this is possible or that we exist. I spend most of my time educating those around me. It is surprising how fast fears pop up when we explain what we do. While I can not guarantee that Penelope (my robot) will never become sentient AI, I can guarantee that I will not cut out the artist. We offer graphic design services, however, my best partners are artists, photographers, and other graphic designers to create the art for me to print. We also do not replace traditional print services for banners, business cards, and the like. We are unique, solving a print problem the world did not know it had.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As an outdoor lover, my list included lots of parks. Hatcher Gardens in Spartanburg, Falls Park in Greenville (GVL), Summer Moon coffee visits (GVL) and Cartwright Food Hall for Flying Fox Tea. Abanico’s for Tapas in GVL has the best croquetas and bombas. I hope my friends come next spring to see the opening of Trueline in GVL and we can bond over drinks and incredible shows and entertainment. I never travel without knowing what fitness or yoga I need to see in my area and thus visits to Iron House Gym in Spartanburg, Friday night open mat at Revolution Martial Arts in Inman for some MMA and BJJ, then Yoga on Saturday morning at New Groove Brewery,

There is always something going on in the upstate even if it is just sitting on the back deck watching the sun set over the trees, fire pits, grilling, and drinks form all my local favorite breweries and distilleries.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My business partner- who likes to remain unnamed. She is awesome. One of the hardest things for small business owners to do is realize their limitations. She realized early on in Wittez that running the business and the constant decisions and problem solving were not her jam. She quickly reorganized and brought me in to do what I love and she hates. This is a brutally hard decision for anyone, but she did this to see her business become successful, it is a humble and challenging decision to make and I base all my decisions off of this one.

Website: wittez.com

Instagram: wittezverticalprinting

Twitter: wittezvertprint

Facebook: wittezverticalprinting

Youtube: coming soon!

Other: my email: Jennifer@wittez.com

Image Credits
All images by Wittez.com