Better Than Baseball

Randall Bramlett

Randall Bramlett always loved baseball. In fact, the director of Printing and Mailing Services at Columbus State University (CSU) always wanted to become a professional ball player.

“I tell people the only thing that held me back from achieving my dream of playing in the major leagues was a lack of talent,” he deadpans.

So after graduating high school, and in need of a job, Bramlett settled instead with becoming a print shop apprentice.

“I remember thinking, ‘this will be good until I find something else,’” he says.

Forty-two years later, his dream of playing professional baseball pushed aside, Bramlett has stuck with printing, which he says he enjoys very much.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ga., home of CSU’s 132-acre campus, Bramlett spent a few years in Atlanta running quick copy shops before finding his way back home to pursue an opening at CSU. He began as a press operator nearly 23 years ago, eventually moving up to pressroom supervisor. Twelve years ago he became director, a position he has held ever since.

In his time there, Bramlett has been directly involved in some key changes at the in-plant. For example, he says, when he started at CSU, the shop only provided printing services, it still made metal plates and it had a dark room. At the time, Bramlett says, there was little demand for full-color printing.

“Back then,” he says, “my philosophy was to keep up. Now, you have to stay ahead and you have to anticipate what the needs of your customers are going to be.”

One of the first major changes came when Bramlett “ushered in the digital color era,” as he describes it, by installing a Presstek DI direct imaging offset press. Then in 2008, when the budget crisis struck, Bramlett says the shop’s funding took a 25% hit. Instead of succumbing to an early demise, he knew it was even more imperative for Printing Services to prove its relevance. The in-plant began to expand its services by adding wide-format printing. About five years ago, it brought addressing and mailing back in-house and became known as Printing and Mailing Services.

About six years ago, the in-plant solidified its position as a valuable campus asset by moving from the “back” of campus to the center, where it is now more easily accessed by students and departments. The move, Bramlett says, increased the in-plant’s importance and relevance.

Now, Printing and Mailing Services holds open houses and sends out bi-monthly postcards featuring different services, offerings and even different members of the in-plant staff.

Although outsourcing was a real threat when Bramlett began at CSU, he says the in-plant now has the full support of the administration.

“Not only have we proven our relevance,” he says, “we’re saving the university money.”

A Reason to Come to Work

Bramlett has both proven his in-plant’s relevance with CSU’s campus and administration and proven his leadership skills. He was named university employee of the year a few years ago. This came as no surprise to many because of the respectful way he treats his 12 full-time and four student staff members.

“I’ve always wanted to treat people the way that I want to be treated,” he says. “When I was working for other people, I didn’t always get that. But I want them to have a reason to want to come to work in the morning.”

That includes occasionally getting dinner with the team, taking day trips and even bringing the whole team to Graph Expo a few years ago, when it was in Orlando, Fla.

Bramlett says he is most proud that Printing and Mailing Services has not only been able to survive outsourcing, it has continued to grow and improve, something he says everyone on the team has fully embraced. One of the issues always on Bramlett’s mind is how the in-plant will continue to grow and what services should be considered, even if customers aren’t asking for them yet.

He tries to attend as many shows as possible to stay on top of what’s new in the market. He and a few of his employees are In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) members, and he has found many benefits to attending the Southeastern University Printing & Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) as well.

Future Plans

In the future, Bramlett says he hopes to expand his shop’s offerings to include engraving, which would be positioned as a partnership with the school bookstore. Engraving would give Printing and Mailing services the ability to provide name badges and other specialty items, such as wine glasses.

Bramlett and his team are also beginning to think about a succession plan, as he rounds third base and heads for retirement in about five years. There is already a solid management support team in place, and he wants them to be prepared for his eventual departure. Until then, he expects many changes and improvements to take place in Printing and Mailing Services.

Once he retires, Bramlett plans to go on plenty of cruises, something that he and his wife already enjoy doing every year. He also enjoys gardening because it’s a way he can “turn off the world and reality.” He has some flower beds, although he mostly grows vegetables, including peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and potatoes. His favorite things to grow, though, are tomatoes.

Even though Bramlett let go of his professional baseball dreams many years ago, the game has been a constant in his life. At one time, he played travel softball and became involved with coaching youth sports when his children were young, something that he continued even after they grew up.