In his 23 years at Grocery Supply Company’s in-plant, Keith St. Clair has ensured his shop’s success by seeking out new business and adding the right equipment, including a four-color press and computer-to-plate equipment.

By Kristen E. Monte

“No one in the company knew what to do,” says St. Clair. “I had to protect my employees and myself. I started talking to vendors and they pointed me in the right direction. I went to seminars. It really got us on track.”

In 2001, St. Clair fell in love with the A.B.Dick 2340 digital platemaker at a conference and went to his boss to sell him on it. At the end of 2001, the shop replaced its Davis press with a Ryobi perfector and added an A.B.Dick 9995 two-color press and an A.B.Dick 9975 perfector. He says it was a good time, because the economy was on a downturn and the shop was able to afford new equipment with low interest rates. The ability to do four-color work turned the shop around, he notes, making this upgrade one of his biggest successes as a manager.