Growing With The Changes

Marvin "Pete" Beck has guided his in-plant through many changes in his 26 years at Geisinger Health System—including both a merger and a de-merger.

Marvin C. "Pete" Beck is a modest man, prone to deflect praise toward his team of print professionals at Geisinger Health System, in Danville, Pa. "I'm just an operations guy," he demurs.

But Beck's accomplishments speak for him. Notably, he guided his in-plant through a merger three years ago with Hershey Medical Center of the Penn State Health System, then navigated the de-merger ("You can call it a divorce," he says) this year.

Beck and his team had seven months—until June 30—to change the name on all the printed stationery of a 6,000-employee organization.

"During the changeover, there were some nights when I wondered when it was going to get done or how it would in this time frame," Beck admits. But under his leadership, all went smoothly.

"My people tackled the change very well," Beck says. "I'm proud of how the staff has embraced the recent trials and tribulations."

Strong Staff Work Ethic

Beck oversees 19 employees in reprographics, plus eight in mail services at the main campus and about 31 couriers logging over one million miles a year. He lauds his staff's work ethic, adding, "We work for a good company and they recognize that."

With two major hospitals, a 300,000-member HMO, about 75 clinics throughout central Pennsylvania and various other entities, Geisinger casts a large shadow in the region. Its in-plant was formerly housed in tight quarters under the morgue, but moved in 1989 to new 22,000-square-foot digs designed by Beck and his assistant manager after visits to other in-plants.

"Our biggest success was to design, justify and move into the new print facility," he says. "It was a difficult project, and took a long time."

The in-plant not only gained new space, but new respect, as well, earning the right of first refusal on all print jobs.

"If we can't do it, we act as a conduit to an outside firm and select the prime vendor," Beck says.

Although he enjoys his job, it was love of a different kind that led Beck to printing. While in the Air Force, he received training in mail handling and a "very short course" on printing, using an offset duplicator. Local nationals can't print classified information for military overseas so he was pressed into service, Beck explains.

Once discharged, he struck out for Long Island, managing a large chain grocery store there from 1971 to 1974. On a visit to his grandparents in Shamokin, Pa., his uncle, who is about his age, introduced Beck to a classmate who ultimately became Beck's wife.

Beck returned to Pennsylvania and took a mailroom supervisor's position at Geisinger. Three months later, the mail and printing operations were combined under Beck's direction.

In those days, he had two small offset presses and one automated offset machine doing mostly black-and-white work and NCR forms.

"We didn't do typesetting or plates; the plates were done by the medical photography department," he recalls. Within two years, though, the print shop had its own typesetting and prepress departments.

Today, Beck oversees a budget of $2-3 million, and the in-plant sports four two-color offset presses, a Didde web press, a Xerox 5390, a Xerox DocuTech, a Bell & Howell mail scanner, a labeler for bulk mail, two mail inserters, a full prepress department plus collating and finishing equipment.

Looking To The Future

This year, Beck hopes to get a new imagesetter and move the Xerox equipment into a separate office. Future plans include starting a new costing chargeback system and expanding the in-plant's four-color work.

The secret to his success? "Most of it is that I have good people," Beck remarks. "My supervisors and I have a good open rapport."

Although he admits to occasional what-if reflections on his life, Beck says, "I like the company I work for and the people I work with."

His wife has worked for Geisinger 34 years as an otolaryngology technician, while raising two sons, now 24 and 35.

"They're not at all interested in printing, but we have some very good discussions on management," Beck laughs.

He enjoys living in the mountains and being close to a golf course for relaxation.

"I made a good choice," he says.

By Janet R. Gross