Whatever it Takes in Tennessee

long runs of envelopes, so the in-plant added a Halm Superjet envelope press in 2011 and moved into this business. It now prints runs in the 50,000 to 200,000 range, but sometimes produces as many as a million.

Scanning was another new service the shop started offering. It now has four scanners and sometimes goes on-site to scan sensitive files. The in-plant uses a Contex HD5450 wide-format scanner to digitize maps and building plans for Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation, as well as the Department of General Services.

The Art of Gallery Wrapping

When a state commissioner inquired about having the in-plant matte and frame photographs to be hung in a state building, Golden explored the option of printing photos on canvas using the shop's Epson proofer and then gallery-wrapping them. The new service has been a hit with customers all over state government, and these gallery-wrapped prints now decorate many state offices. With three photographers on her staff snapping images all over Tennessee, there is no shortage of material. Without adding any new equipment, Golden says her in-plant has collected more than $10,000 from this service.

One of the biggest revenue additions to the in-plant came in late 2013 when the Division of Printing and Media Services integrated with the state's data print center. This idea had been bandied about for years, but it took a while to get the needed support.

"I knew it was the right thing for the state," Golden says. By letting the state's print experts handle the printing of bills, certificates, tax notices, motor vehicle renewals and other transactional items, the state has saved more than $1 million a year, she says, through improvements in efficiency, staff consolidation and reducing the operation's footprint. This new work has added about $3.5 million in annual revenue to the in-plant's coffers, bringing annual sales up to $7,392,184 last year.

A year ago, she moved the data print center into its current facility, which is in the same location as Postal Services.

"They were delivering to Postal three to four times a day, five days a week," she notes. Since the two operations were a few blocks apart, pieces had to be boxed up and delivered.

"Now it's 50 feet down the hall," she remarks. "Definitely it was a good move."

An Upbeat Outlook

With its international reputation as a musical Mecca, Nashville is a vibrant setting for a state capital. Golden says the city is booming right now, with job growth on the upswing and a generally positive vibe within state government. She is factoring this upbeat mood into her next five-year plan (dubbed "2020 Vision") as she tries to imagine the new businesses Printing and Media Services will move into in the years ahead.

"We definitely want to make sure we use technology in the best way possible," she muses, citing automated workflows and online ordering as areas of focus. She is currently reassessing the shop's PageDNA online storefront to determine whether it's sturdy enough to support a move into online ordering of letterhead, envelopes, note cards, forms and other items. Not one to let opportunity pass her by, Golden is determined to change the perception that government is slow moving and behind the times.

"Typically, people don't perceive state government as being the forward thinkers, the innovators, tech savvy," she laments, "and really there's a lot more great things going on in state government than we get credit for."

Golden intends to make sure her in-plant gets that credit.