'The Best Job of my Life'

When Jon Bedsted was approaching his junior year of high school in Austin, Minn., his dad (who was also his guidance counsellor) made a suggestion.

"He said, 'What do you think about taking graphic arts?'" recalls Bedsted. "'Your older brother did that.'"

His response? "What's graphic arts?" he laughs.

Thirty seven years later, that initial confusion has blossomed into a rewarding career that has spanned two states and brought Bedsted to the manager's chair at Mayo Clinic's Print Publishing Unit, in Rochester, Minn.

Back in the mid-'70s, after taking his father's advice, Bedsted enjoyed two years of graphic arts courses. His instructor, Harlan Koch, inspired him to continue his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he earned his degree in Industrial Education with a graphic arts concentration. While working as a student teacher, though, he discovered something about himself: "That experience convinced me I didn't want to teach high school," he admits. "I found college teaching much more enjoyable and rewarding."

As he pondered his future, Koch figured in his life a second time. The assistant superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District, in the Denver area—while visiting family in Austin—asked Koch if he knew anyone qualified to manage his district's in-plant. Koch suggested Bedsted.

"He ended up interviewing me in my dad's office at the high school," says Bedsted. He got the job, and he and his wife relocated to Denver.

"That was a great job," he praises. "I learned a lot." He especially liked that he was involved with education, yet didn't have to teach. The shop employed six student workers, as well as eight employees. It also needed a lot of upgrading, so over the next seven years Bedsted replaced almost all of the equipment and oversaw the shop's relocation to a new facility.

Back to Minnesota

In 1989, however, a death in the family reminded Bedsted and his wife how far they were from Minnesota, so they decided to move back. He applied for several positions before finally being hired by Mayo Clinic as supervisor of duplicating. He inherited a small shop with aging equipment and 12 employees, most of whom had no printing background. Over time, he hired new employees with printing experience, and he began replacing the old equipment. The shop, he says, was one of the first to get a Xerox DocuTech.

"We started sending employees to some training classes, which they never had the opportunity [to do] before," he says.

One of his lasting contributions from this era was helping introduce a change in the way Mayo handled the 2,500 titles in its patient education library.

"Back when I came, those were all designed separately by different designers," he says. He was part of a group that initiated a system of preprinted shells, onto which the in-plant would overprint using the DocuTech.

"We were able to standardize the look of the patient education library," he notes. The system is still in use today, he says.

In 1996, Bedsted took a position as print buyer/analyst for Mayo, which he held for nine years. Then Mayo created a position to oversee the print shop, the print buying group and the forms warehouse. Bedsted applied and got the job.

"It's been the best job of my life," he proclaims.

He's now more involved with process improvement and strategic planning. He helped the in-plant bring in its first four-color sheetfed press last year and is currently researching an MIS system.

“It’s one of my top priorities,” he remarks.

Bedsted says his greatest success has been hiring outstanding, experienced people and creating opportunities to help them improve their skills.

"We've got a great group of people," he lauds.

Outside of work, Bedsted and his wife Krissa have three adult children and five grandchildren. For 16 years he has coached youth wrestling, and he also enjoys boating and collecting outboard motors and photography equipment. And though he acknowledges that he once considered pursuing a photojournalism career, he is happy with the direction life took him.

"I have no regrets about my career," he maintains. "It's been terrific."