When Opportunity Knocked, He Answered
As the IPMA conference pulls into Philadelphia this month, Jim Leake will be there to introduce people to the city he loves.
By Erik Cagle
The International Publishing Management Association (IPMA) conference visits Philadelphia this month, and Jim Leake is in heaven.
The president of the Philadelphia chapter of IPMA and a 10-year member, Leake loves to interact with people. The association and the conference provide the opportunity to both teach and learn, and herein lies the value for Leake, senior graphic services specialist for the National Board of Medical Examiners.
"The IPMA is an invaluable resource in learning about this trade, and a fantastic resource when you're reviewing a piece of equipment or looking to do a new job," lauds Leake, who has garnered the IPMA's Certified Graphic Communications Manager (CGCM) certification. "Everyone helps each other, and it's a great place to make contacts."
Leake didn't map out a master plan for a career in printing. Clearly, however, destiny and the profession sought him out.
"I fell into it, really, in high school when I took a printing course," the Northeast Philadelphia native explains. "When I graduated, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I was told about a school that would be a good fit for me. But it wasn't a major, thought-out plan."
That school was Thaddeus Stevens State School of Technology (Stevens Tech) in nearby Lancaster, Pa. In 1985 Leake graduated with an associate's degree in printing technology.
Degree in hand, he took a counter job at a quick copy center, Printer's Place, which had six locations in the city. Leake was minding his own business, making copies in early 1986, when opportunity walked into his store in the form of a headhunter.
"She asked me if I knew of anyone who might want to come work for the National Board of Medical Examiners in-plant," Leake recalls. "I told her I would."
Eighteen years later, Leake has graduated from graphic services clerk to senior graphic services specialist, heading up the NBME in-plant staff of two.
Solo Act
Leake was a one-man band at the in-plant upon his arrival, with a high-speed copier and one offset machine but not much in the way of binding. He had to hand collate booklets, dropping them into the bookletmaker one set at a time.
"It was a small shop, with not a lot of room to move," Leake says, figuratively and literally. "But I made the job more than it was when I came in. The amount of work, responsibility and importance of the work increased over time."
The NBME has a staff of 300, and Leake provides them with supporting documents such as manuals, presentations, promotional pieces and brochures.
"It is a challenge managing the customers, as each person has to be handled differently," he says. "Communication is the key, learning what the customers' expectations are and communicating to them what we can and cannot do."
The in-plant packs a lot of punch in its 650 square feet of operating space with a pair of 18˝ presses, a Xerox 5900 copier and assorted booklet making, perfect binding, cutting and folding equipment.
In 2002 the in-plant merged with NBME's technology services department, and Leake found himself doing more data operations work, such as variable data printing and making CDs. And while some work is being lost to electronic media, Leake is busier than ever. Large jobs that were once outsourced are finding their way onto the Web, and the smaller printed portion of those jobs is now his responsibility.
Leake is not the proverbial old dog; he still enjoys learning. Last year he graduated summa cum laude from Cabrini College, receiving a BA degree in organizational management. Along the way, he picked up an appreciation for art and dove headfirst into a history class.
In his spare time, Jim Leake enjoys traveling. Among his favorite places are Puerto Rico and Nova Scotia, Canada, and he has driven through most of the continental United States. But roots keep pulling Leake back to Philly.
"I love Center City and being able to walk out my front door and do all kinds of shopping," he says. "I like the park systems, green areas, the restaurants. I lived in the suburbs for six years, and they have their own charm. But I love city living…it's home."
