A Team Leader

As Niki Steenhoek likes to say, her employees don't work for her, she works for them. Together they have gone far.

Niki Steenhoek likes people. And with her upbeat, personable nature, it's hard not to like her back.

But being liked is not the Iowa native's goal. Working well with others is.

"One person can't do it all," she declares. "You have to have a good team."

Whether that team comprises coworkers or industry association members, Niki Steenhoek has shown a strong willingness to learn from others in her 24 years in the graphic arts business. This philosophy has propelled her through the ranks to become manager of Communication Resources, the 20-employee in-plant for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, of Johnston, Iowa.

Interested in art since her youth, Steenhoek graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1978, but found few openings for graphic designers. She started her career setting hot type and pasting up ads for a newspaper/commercial printer.

Nine months later she moved to a mom-and-pop shop where she did typesetting, creative layout, camera work and customer service. Around 1980 she was hired by Plain Talk Publishing, where she eventually ended up in the bindery, learning invaluable lessons in the finishing process.

In 1985, Steenhoek was hired by Pioneer—a developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers—as a typesetter and receptionist. She enjoyed interacting with customers as she coordinated their projects. Her role eventually changed to workflow coordinator. This is where she faced her first big challenge at Pioneer.

The in-plant at the time was having difficulty keeping track of which projects were in the shop and what their status was. To improve the situation, Steenhoek created a mainframe job tracking system. Though this helped, the data rapidly filled up available capacity. So in 1994, Steenhoek researched job management software programs and acquired the current system. This sparked a major upgrade in the shop's services.

"Before, we really didn't have detail on what their [customers'] projects were," she recalls. Customers never knew the status of their jobs. The new system tracked each step in a job's journey through the shop, letting the in-plant charge back based on exactly what work was done. Accurate estimates became possible based on job history data. Customers were overjoyed.

When the previous manager retired, Steenhoek filled in as manager until officially being named to the position in 1996. Right away she set about creating a team environment.

"I got the folks together and I said...'I work for you,' " she says.

She told them they had to help her understand their jobs and what they needed. This won her respect and cooperation. Based on team members' feedback, Steenhoek requested and received funds for new equipment. Workflow improved and services were added, like Web design and CD burning.

Today, Steenhoek says, the in-plant has become completely digital in its black-and-white and color toner output, and it is expanding this digital focus into the offset arena by installing a computer-to-plate system. This, she stresses, will save time for customers while giving them better quality.

She gives her team a voice in suggesting new equipment by sending them to trade shows. Her goal, she says, is to keep the in-plant's services always fresh.

Two years ago the in-plant took on mainframe printing. Statements that previously took the IT department 36 hours to print are now finished in 12 hours, Steenhoek says. They're output in zip code order, stuffed into envelopes and mailed, all in her department.

Steenhoek has become an expert at showing the value of her operation. Armed with data, she is ready at any time to show her costs compared to outside printers, the number of jobs in the in-plant and much more. The quality of the in-plant's work is never in question; Communication Resources has won several printing awards, both locally and nationally.

Steenhoek joined the International Publishing Management Association in 1991 and has held many positions in the Des Moines chapter, including president. She is currently the training/educational committee chair at the international level. She has received both her Certified Graphic Communications Manager and Certified Mail Manager certifications, and was named an "exemplary member" in 2000.

But personal recognition is not what keeps Niki Steenhoek going. Her biggest success, she says, has been developing people to their highest potential, encouraging them and challenging them.

"I really feel that everybody has to be a team," she says, "and I couldn't do it without them."