Governor Visits Washington Department of Printing

The Washington State Department of Printing recently welcomed Governor Chris Gregoire at its main printing plant in Tumwater. The Governor scheduled her visit specifically to personally thank agency staff for their outstanding support during the preparation of the governor’s budget documents this past December.

As that budget was going to press, a violent storm knocked out power to a significant portion of the state, including the Department of Printing’s main plant and copy center. Word reached the Governor of the significant challenges the agency staff overcame to ensure the timely delivery of the more than 1.3 million printed and bound pages that made up the budget documents.

During a brief walk through the in-plant, Governor Gregoire stopped often for personal greetings and photographs with staff. After touring various production departments in the plant, she stood on the catwalk of one of the larger presses and addressed all agency staff.

During this historic visit, she emphasized the “value of Washington’s printing in-plant operation, as demonstrated during the windstorm.” She expressed her gratitude for the exceptional hard work during the days following the storm and acknowledged the commitment and dedication of the staff to Public Service.

“I provide the content, but you transfer it into a document the user wants to open,” she said.

Stay Visible to Upper Management

A key aspect of maintaining a sustainable in-plant is upward visibility by senior management and budgetary authorities. These decision makers are typically focused upon the organizational core competencies. Transforming one’s organization from a necessary overhead function to that of a value-added division is critical. Changing this perception is not easy without well-timed and relevant promotion.

In-plants serve an invaluable service, and as managers we spend countless additional hours passionately guiding those services to satisfy our customers’ needs as well as serving the “organizational greater good.” Letting others know about the heroics and accomplishments of our staff is an essential part of every manager’s job. We must find ways to internally celebrate successes and then document them to senior management and key constituents.

Communicating your value upward is essential. If you don’t do it, who will?

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire addressed staff of the Washington State Department of Printing from the catwalk of a six-color Komori Lithrone 628P during her recent tour. She thanked the in-plant’s 130 employees for their dedication.