Fruita is the 'sweet spot' for greeting card designer By WYATT HAUPT The Daily Sentinel Sunday, December 24, 2006 Nearly two decades after creating an initial line of four greeting cards that she marketed to state legislators, Linda Deaton heads a small company that boasts sales of a half-million units per year and a client list that includes the governor. Not bad for a former freelance graphic designer from Denver who said she was just looking for "some kind of business to do" where she could live anywhere she wanted. That turned out to be Fruita where Latitudes North, her greeting card company, has been based for about 10 years. "I was just looking for a sweet spot on the planet to live," said Deaton, whose mother once lived in the city where the population has doubled in the last 10 years to about 9,500. The company, which is housed in a 1,500-square-foot office space in a strip mall along U.S. Highway 6, features a line of about 120 greeting cards. Together with assistant Jan Likes, the duo processes an almost endless stream of orders throughout the year. "We aim to please," said Likes, who also lives in the Fruita. But the Christmas holiday season is the busiest time of year - 2006 is no different. Among some of its more notable clients is Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, who has been a customer for years, Deaton said. "In my previous life in Denver," she said. "I was always fairly active in the Republican Party and had known Bill and Frances (his wife) since he was a state representative." This year's Christmas card from Gov. Owens is similar to previous ones in the sense that it features a photo of the first family with part of the governor's mansion in the background. The governor is casually dressed in a light-blue, button-down shirt and beige slacks standing between Frances and their youngest son, Brett. His daughter, Monica, and eldest son, Mark, are positioned to the left. This season's photo of the first family was shot by Donn Bruns of Denver. On the cover of the greeting card is a colorful recreation of a watercolor that depicts Viki and Jack Thompson Gardens at the mansion. But this year's version will be the last featuring the first family because the governor is leaving office as a result of state-mandated term limits, giving way to Democrat Bill Ritter, who was elected in November. "I will do my best to get the business of the new governor," Deaton said. "But my chances of doing that are probably slim." Nevertheless, the upcoming year figures to be a busy one for Latitudes North. The company has outgrown its current space, evidenced by the stacks of greeting card boxes in just about every nook and cranny. "We need more room," said Deaton who aims to keep Latitudes North in Fruita. "It's a great place to live and work."