Steven Howe: Driven to Succeed

STEVEN HOWE'S drive has been integral to his professional success at previous jobs and in his current role as manager of Printing Services, Stores and Mail Operations for the city of Cincinnati. But it was his driving that steered him onto the right career path.

In the mid-1980s, Howe, who was born and raised in Cincinnati, was working as lead inserter for a mailing services firm that contracted with the University of Cincinnati. When the contractor needed someone to fill in as a truck driver, Howe decided to give it a spin.

"They needed someone with a clear driving record," he laughs. "And, fortunately, I fit the bill."

University Duplicating Systems (UDS) was on Howe's route, and while delivering there, he received a job offer. In 1987, he was hired by UDS to run its Xerox equipment.

"Within a year, I was made the lead operator and, about six months later, became division manager," he recalls.

When Howe started, UDS was a walk-up copying facility run by five full-time employees. Under Howe's direction, UDS absorbed the university's satellite copy centers and began operating a retail post office division.

Copy volume increased from about 300,000 copies to two million impressions a month. Howe initiated in-house graphic design, delivery services and UPS shipping. He worked with Xerox to upgrade technologies.

Eventually, Howe was appointed assistant director of Reprographic Services and began encroaching on territory that had belonged to the school's offset print shop. In time, UDS became the school's premier printer and, in 1995, the offset shop was merged into it.

"When I took over, the in-plant was $700,000 in the hole," Howe reveals. "In a year, we made up that deficit."

Howe's aggressive management style was a wake-up call to in-plant employees.

"They were scared to death of me, because I really raised expectations," he acknowledges, wryly. "But, I didn't ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't have done. It was nothing for me to make deliveries myself or to stay at the shop all night. The staff knew that I was acting in the best interests of the business—and they saw a manager who...appreciated them, and who would work side by side with them. So, they began stepping up to the plate."

Time for a Change

Howe left the university in December 1998, at which time the operation boasted about 40 employees. "I felt that I'd reached my peak there, and so had the business," he explains, noting that the school was heading toward decentralization. He then accepted a job with the city of Cincinnati as Printing Services manager. Initially, Howe experienced culture shock.

"When I started, the shop had no digital technologies," he exclaims. "There was a small offset print shop with an 18˝ press, a mailroom and a copy center. I thought, 'Oh, what did I do?' " But, Howe met the challenge head-on.

Initially, he focused on changing business practices. "Before I arrived, if a customer brought in a job and didn't need it for three weeks, it would sit here for three weeks," Howe recalls, adding that there was a fee for same-day service. "Those policies were out, immediately."

The in-plant began increasing business and, by 2004, had saved enough money to invest in new Xerox black-and-white high-speed digital equipment.

"Since we had no first right of refusal, we did a lot of advertising, and we'd match or beat competitors' prices," he continues. "We added graphic design services and worked with a vendor for presort mailing."

Recently, the shop upgraded to Xerox 127s, and added a Xerox 510 wide-format printer, as well as a Xerox Docu–Color 7002. The biggest change, though was when the in-plant added an MGI USA Meteor DP60 Pro multi-substrate digital press—one of the first U.S. installations.

"We're still working out a few bugs, but overall, the [DP60 Pro] has done a great job," he says.

Howe admits that volume has decreased and "color isn't encouraged" at the nine-person in-plant, due to government directives. Still, he finds ways to keep business up.

"For example, letterhead is now watermarked only through our service," he states. "98 percent of the city's printing is produced through us because we've showed them why they don't need to deal with outside people."

Undoubtedly, Howe can "make the call," both in the office and out on the baseball field, where he's served as a youth baseball umpire for 30 years. "I love baseball," he declares. "It's a true team sport."