Rodney Vessell: Every Day Is A New Battle

FOR RODNEY Vessell, Missouri State Printer, working in the printing industry was never part of his plan. A native of Farmington, Mo., a town of about 10,000 people, Vessell graduated from Farmington High School in 1980 with one thing on his mind: basketball. In fact, he attended the University of Missouri on a full basketball scholarship, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.

Upon graduation in 1984, he started sending out résumés. One of them found its way into the hands of Gary Judd, the Missouri State Printer. Judd called him for an interview.

“After college, I had no idea what printing was or how any of the facets of it worked,” Vessell recalls. Nevertheless, he took the job Judd offered and began working as a purchasing agent for the State Printing Center, buying and bidding on equipment, and purchasing raw materials. Though he was overwhelmed at first, Vessell found guidance in Judd.

After 10 years with the Jefferson City, Mo., in-plant, he was promoted to assistant manager, working alongside his friend and mentor. Then, in 2003, Gary Judd passed away suddenly. Vessell, who attributes his success as an in-plant manager to his friendship and working relationship with Judd, was appointed state printer not long afterwards.

“I can’t say enough about him,” he reflects. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.” And, though he did not plan on a career in printing, he intends to work for the State Printing Center until he retires.

Budget Woes

When Vessell started as state printer, the in-plant was still feeling the economic effects of 9/11, as many states, including Missouri, went through a budget crisis. For many months after the terrorist attacks, state agencies did not have the money to do as much printing as they had in the past. Staff cutbacks ensued. It took years for the State Printing Center to recover.

Today, business is good. Sales and impressions are back up to the numbers the in-plant enjoyed before September 11. Vessell says he is proud of the in-plant’s resiliency.

When he first started at the in-plant, Vessel was impressed by the tight-knit group of employees he joined.

“It was a real family-oriented atmosphere, which really makes such a difference,” he says. Vessell took that cue from Judd and tries to maintain the same level of camaraderie. It shows in his employees.

“The success we’ve had here has definitely been from the hard work our employees have done,” he says. “They’ve really stepped up to the plate and done a good job for us.” Though he says they do not need much motivating, he does share some pointers with them.

“I tell them that every day is a new a battle, and something new comes up every day,” he says. “If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.”

Vessell manages a staff of 39 full-time employees, who produce about 230 million impressions a year and roughly 15,000 jobs. These include tax forms, the executive budget, voter registration cards, business cards, letterhead, annual reports and newsletters for Missouri state agencies.

Changing with the Times

Over the last few years, Vessell has noticed that the requests for black-and-white digital printing have decreased. So he brought in a four-color Ryobi 3404DI direct imaging press to meet a changing demand. Since then, he says “color work has really boomed.”

To stay on top of demand and ahead of the game, Vessell says educating himself on evolving technologies is a priority. In addition to the Ryobi press, the in-plant has purchased an Escher-Grad computer-to-plate system from xpdex, a 45˝ Challenge paper cutter and a Canon image­RUNNER 550 digital press.

Outside of the in-plant, Vessell enjoys golfing and attending his daughters’ extracurricular activities.

“I’m very proud of them. They keep me pretty active,” he says of Shelby, 16, and Kayla, 13. “I run around, going to a lot of sporting events, that’s for sure.” He is also engaged, with a wedding tentatively planned for the spring.

Life is good for Vessell. He’s surrounded by family and is working a job he couldn’t be happier with. Even though he went to school for economics and would be working in financial management had he not gotten into printing, he is sure he made the right decision.

“I enjoy what I do. I get a lot of gratification from the work we do for Missouri State,” he says, adding, “I’ve been here too long to leave.”