City of Los Alamitos/Rossmoor

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” Muhammad Ali is quoted as saying. One of Nesi Stewart’s favorite quotations, her life exemplifies this philosophy—although she does also find time for golf.

Nesi owns Printmasters in Los Alamitos, a business she and her now deceased husband, Carl, purchased in 2007. They had no experience in the printing industry, but they believed that they could continue to make this existing business a success because of Nesi’s interest in graphics and design and Carl’s experience with mechanics and equipment. Nesi’s adventurous spirit, always pushing her to explore something different, also prompted this decision.

Before purchasing this business, Nesi viewed the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce website and decided to join the chamber as soon as possible. “It was one of the best business decisions I made,” Nesi acknowledges. Soon Judy Klabouch, owner of Green Street Interiors in Los Alamitos as well as an active community volunteer and the Los Alamitos 1992 Americana Citizen of the Year, asked Nesi to join the chamber board of directors. As Nesi says, “Nobody says no to Judy.”

In 2020 Nesi became the president of the chamber board, thinking it was a one-year commitment, but because of the pandemic, her tenure was extended. She will step down as president in 2023. Later, Judy asked Nesi to join the board of directors of Casa Youth Shelter, an organization that helps youth in crisis. In addition to being a board member, Nesi began spending Christmas mornings at Casa, having breakfast and opening gifts with the youth in residence, what she describes as “a humbling experience.”

Nesi also uses her business to serve her community, for example, through the Printmasters art contest. Students at all levels were invited to create art expressing their feelings about their experiences during the pandemic. The company reached out to customers, associates, and others to collect donations for prizes and for the cost of printing a book of the art submittals. The books were sold, with the proceeds going to three nonprofits in Los Alamitos. During an exhibit of the art, several pieces were purchased, with half the proceeds going to the student artists and half to nonprofits. A local medical clinic selected several pieces to be hung on the clinic’s walls. The prize-winning students were recognized at a Los Alamitos City Council meeting. Nesi says, “One of my biggest thrills was seeing how excited the students were about the acknowledgements they received.”

A self-described woman of faith, Nesi is an active member of the Antioch Church of Long Beach. One of her church activities was to organize a small group of women church members to learn how to play golf while also strengthening their faith. The ladies took weekly lessons from the golf pro at Heartwell Golf Course, followed by an hour of Bible study based on Jim Sheard’s book

In His Grip, which provides a parallel between golf and Christianity. Nesi is “proud that many of the ladies are still playing (and praying) because of this experience.”

Nesi was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and lived there until her family moved to Lancaster, California, when she was 15. In Lake Charles her parents were involved in the local church, the school district, and the community. She and her three siblings stayed busy with many activities, including swimming, dance, piano, and Sunday school. The family lived in a segregated neighborhood, and she attended segregated schools until ninth grade when she was sent to an all-girls white Catholic school. She got a good academic education there, but she recalls, “More important was my exposure to discrimination and my ability to stand up for my beliefs and truths about who I was and what I believed in.”

Nesi credits her husband for much of her success, believing that she would not be where she is today if it were not for him. “Each day I’m reminded of something I learned from him that makes me a stronger and better person.”

Carl was also primarily responsible for choosing their puppy, Millie, which Nesi picked up just two weeks after Carl passed. “Millie is the joy of my life right now,” she says, adding that their morning walks “provide an ideal way to get a fresh start to each new day.”

Nesi has chosen to “pay her rent” in the city of Los Alamitos, making it a better place for everyone.