Lane Kathryn Hickey-Wiggin's Journey From Art Student to CEO

It’s not every day that a college graduate is asked to take over a printing company, but that didn’t stop Lane Kathryn Hickey-Wiggins.  

Hickey-Wiggins started at Dprint working part-time in marketing when she was a junior in high school, and at the time, her mom was running the company. Fast forward 18 years, and now Hickey-Wiggins is the third-generation family-owned company's president and CEO.  

“It kind of feels like a whirlwind in terms of all the things that have happened since then,” Hickey-Wiggins says.  

Hickey-Wiggins explains that after graduating high school, she stepped away from the company to pursue higher education. She got an associate's degree in business from Polk State College and her BFA in art history from Savannah College of Art and Design.  

And then, in 2012, her mom approached her and asked her if she’d be interested in being involved with the company again.  

“When she asked, I thought, ‘Well, why not? I mean, my degree is in art history. I have no idea how that's going to play into anything related to this company, but that's okay. We can see how it goes.’ So, the rest is history. I've been running the company since October 2012,” Hickey-Wiggins says.  

Hickey-Wiggins admits that shifting her mindset was one of the most challenging aspects of jumping back into the printing industry. When she got her BFA, she says she had every intention of putting it to use and that she had her sights set on moving to New York City.  

But considering she’s Lakeland, Florida, born and raised, and already knew how the company operates, she said it wasn’t too much of a culture shock. And, while the thought of being 22 years old and taking over a company was intimidating, she didn't back down. 

“Finding my footing in terms of all of the tenured employees, and understanding how I could fit into it, and how I could ultimately put my best foot forward to be able to do the best for the company and to be able to gain the respect that I feel is needed to be able to run an effective company. Those were all sort of daunting things, but it didn't back away from them,” she says.  

And back away, she didn’t. Hickey-Wiggins says she “put her money where her mouth was” and started working at the ground level. Whether it was running the shipping department or out on the floor running printing presses, Hickey-Wiggins worked to better understand what Dprint does so she could successfully run it and flourish while doing it.  

Today, Hickey-Wiggins is a huge advocate for women in print. She was one of the founding members of the Women in Print Alliance and has remained a devoted committee member since its founding in 2016.  

But before the concept came to fruition, Hickey-Wiggins describes the committee as a “band of rebels” who were trying to figure out how to advocate for women in the industry.  

“It's so hard to come in and feel like your voice can be heard amongst all these men. I would say that the most valuable thing that I'm starting to see come out of the Women in Print Alliance is that sense of connection, inclusiveness, and resources at your hands, and understanding that women are advocating for you and that they've got their hands on what is important in printing,” she says.  

Hickey-Wiggins says her mother is her primary source of inspiration behind empowering women in print and business.  

“I think that without her steadfast approach to business and showing me that you can be a mom and you can also run a company. I don't think if I hadn't had that example, I probably would have struggled to do all the things that I am capable of doing,” Hickey-Wiggins says.  

She continues, “It's overwhelming when you're in charge of a company, and you've got to account for however many employees you have and their well-being. I think, if nothing else, her very calm, patient nature helped me grow and opened the door to realize that there are so many avenues you can take. You can always continue striving to be the best leader possible and the best person possible.” 

And while it’s no secret that the print industry has been historically male-dominated, Hickey-Wiggins sees a change on the horizon, and she wants women in this industry to know their worth when they’re in rooms full of men — and to know that they are meant to be there.   

Hickey-Wiggins admits that at one point, she was the woman who was entering the room full of men but embraced the age-old phrase, “Fake it until you make it.”  

“I honestly felt so out of place the first time I went to an industry event, but I wasn’t going to let anyone in that room know that I felt that way. Confidence is a game changer, and you are capable of anything you want to be or want to accomplish. And this industry — although there are a lot of males in it — I would also say the dynamic is changing, and they're very receptive to seeing women in the industry,” she says.