A Leader Among Public Servants

After creating Missouri's state printing operation out of several scattered shops, Gary Judd worked tirelessly to grow it into the powerhouse it is today. This article was published in September, 2000. Gary Judd passed away in November, 2002.

Prior to 1980, government printing in the state of Missouri was a bit disorganized. There were 17 scattered print shops, each using outdated equipment.

And then Gary Judd took charge.

Under his leadership, 12 of these in-plants were consolidated into one centralized unit—and that operation has grown from $1.5 million in sales in its first year to $7.1 million in fiscal year 1999.

"And we're still growing," remarks Judd, 62, who has served as Missouri's State Printer for the past two decades. He has worked hard to keep the state printing operation up to date with technology. Its offices are networked, and jobs are transferred digitally between its five copy centers. Xerox DocuTech technology has replaced outdated offset duplicators. Judd has expanded the web printing business, and plans to add a new four-color, 20˝ Didde web. His operation is even preparing to move into variable data printing.

Small Town Roots

All this seems a lifetime away from Judd's humble beginnings in Ottawa, Kan., as the son of a well drilling contractor. Judd had no real interest in printing until a high school "diversified occupation" program sent him to work in the advertising and printing department of Mexico Refractories, which later became Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. The advertising manager, Sam Groff, took Judd under his wing and helped spark his interest in printing. Judd went on to attend a local trade school in Mexico, Mo., but kept his job in Kaiser's in-plant. In fact, he worked there for the next 12 years.

In the '60s, Kaiser transferred its printing operation to Oakland, Calif. Not wanting to uproot his family, Judd took a job on the commercial side at a mom-and-pop shop called K&M Printing.

"I learned all the commercial end, from the selling to the production," he recalls. For four and a half years he remained there, running the business when the owner was away.

Then, in 1971, Judd took a job with the Department of Corrections in Moberly, Mo., where he was put in charge of setting up a book bindery. The fact that he had never run a book bindery didn't deter him a bit.

"I visited a couple of book bindery operations and found out what needed to be done," he says. "It was just a matter of going out and procuring the equipment."

Not long after that, Judd was appointed manager of the print shop, where he spent the next six years.

When he heard the state's print buyer was retiring, Judd applied for his job, and was hired by the state's division of purchasing, in Jefferson City. Once there, though, he was not content to let things run as they always had.

"I set up a users group and saw there was a need for the state to have a centralized printing operation," he says. "So I wrote a master plan and set that up for the state," he adds, matter-of-factly. What he did, in fact, was pave the way for a much stronger, more efficient printing operation that has saved the state millions. In 1999 alone, he estimates, his operation saved $2.5 million.

Customer Service Is Crucial

One of Judd's primary goals is making customers happy.

"This whole organization prides itself on customer service," he boasts.

Judd has taken pains to make it easier for customers to drop off work. He has set up five quick copy centers around Jefferson City. Customers can drop off even large-run printing jobs at any of these copy centers and they will be picked up, printed in the main plant and delivered back to the copy center.

Judd's involvement in the printing industry is not only local but national. He's a charter member of the National State Publishing Association, where he served as president in 1994. Judd is one of the featured speakers at the association's 24th annual conference this month in Carson City, Nev.

But printing isn't all he thinks about. In his spare time he enjoys fishing, skiing, sports and working with stained glass. He and his wife Becky have three daughters and four grandchildren.

Still, the state printing operation means a lot to Gary Judd.

"I think it's my nature to help people and serve people," he reveals. "I've enjoyed all these years just being able to work with all facets of state government."

by Bob Neubauer