The People's Printer

Nevada State Printer Don Bailey emphasizes training, while making himself accessible to all his in-plant employees. This dedication earned him the industry's top honor.

by CHRIS BAUER

ALWAYS READY to pass the credit for accomplishments off to his staff and organization as a whole, Nevada State Printer Don Bailey is characteristically humble when asked about winning IPG's Manager of the Year award.

"What it did was bring some real recognition to the Nevada State Printing Department itself more than to me," Bailey says. He reports that after he won the award, the department received a proclamation during a legislative session and was praised by the governor's office. Bailey also got positive feedback from the state agencies he serves. He confides that winning the prestigious award was a good public relations tool for his in-plant.

When Bailey was chosen as Manager of the Year in 1997, the in-plant employed 43 workers and operated with a budget of $4 million. He points out that the budget has grown to nearly $5 million and the shop now has 45 employees. Bailey's dedication to these employees is one of the strong points of his management style.

While legislative sessions are being held, the in-plant must run three shifts to keep up with the demanding workload. At most shops, this would mean the night shift operators would probably never see their boss. Not so at this Carson City, Nev.-based in-plant.

After putting in a full day at the shop, Bailey will often camp out on his office sofa for a short nap, awaiting the second and third shift employees. He does this so he can talk to each of his employees personally—listening to any questions or concerns they might have. It's a personal touch that Bailey enjoys.

Strong Dedication

"The easiest way to be a good manager is to be dedicated," Bailey notes. "You have to get involved in all aspects of the operation—you have to get your hands dirty."

This includes keeping up with new technology used in the shop. For this reason, Bailey is a strong believer in keeping a highly trained staff. Employees at the state print shop are cross trained on various pieces of equipment, as well as schooled in customer service and safety practices.

However the 30,000-square-foot in-plant was not always a haven for high- technology. This was especially true when Bailey first walked through the doors 25 years ago.

"When I first came here it was a 100 percent hot type shop," Bailey recalls. "It was a challenge to build it from scratch."

That building process has not slowed down in the quarter century Bailey has been in charge. The shop recently added a two-color web press, and is in the process of trying to secure more space. Bailey has been trying to expand the shop by constructing a 13,000-square-foot extension to the existing building, since the in-plant is now "wall to wall" with equipment.

Bailey has already secured space for a new copy center in Las Vegas. Set to open in February, the 1,800-square-foot center will service clients that now require jobs to be shipped to them. It has been estimated that the state will save $63,000 in shipping costs annually by having a copy center in Las Vegas. Bailey says the copy center will house a DocuTech and have one full-time employee to oversee the operation.

On top of handling the printing needs of the state, meeting with his staff, and keeping up with ever-changing technology, Bailey finds time to network with other government printers. He was instrumental in forming the National State Publishing Association, one of the largest in-plant organizations. He has served as NSPA president three times and will host next year's conference September 17-20, 2000 in Carson City.

But all of this is what Bailey loves to do. From picking up the craft back in high school, to the days he worked as a stripper, camera operator and press operator, to today as Nevada's printing authority, he is more than satisfied with the path he chose to take.

"I owe my life to printing," Bailey contends.