Joe Ranoia

AS A CHILD, Mark Shaw dreamed of flying to the stars.  And though his current role as operations specialist for National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec) isn’t exactly the same as being an astronaut, it’s still his dream job. “It’s fascinating,” he enthuses. “It motivates me. The brilliance of the scientists there, it’s amazing.”

“OUR PRIMARY focus really is color,” declares Dallas Johnson, from his office at the University of California-Riverside. “We’ve moved away from black and white. We saw that as sort of a dying market…still see it that way.” With 35 years of printing experience to guide him, Johnson thinks he has a pretty good idea where the industry is headed. So when the director of Service Enterprises decided to move his in-plant away from the “dying” monochrome market and into the more promising world of color printing, he did it in a big way.

MANY IN-PLANT managers find their way into the graphic arts industry by accident. But for Robert Delgado, following in his father’s footsteps and running a print shop was always part of the plan. As Print Shop/Mailroom/Facility Manager for Western Growers, an Irvine, California-based agricultural association and insurance provider, Robert Delgado knows that pursuing a printing career was the right move. Working in his father’s shop as a teenager, he knew that graphic arts provided stability. “Printing seems to be pretty good whether the economy is slow or not,” he says. So even though he attended Golden West College, in Huntington Beach, Calif., as

SERVING A major utilities company like Portland General Electric (PGE) can be a challenge, to say the least. After all, PGE provides power to over 1.5 million people in Oregon, covering 52 cities in a 4,000-square-mile radius. Its in-plant, Print and Mail Services, handles virtually all of PGE’s printing in its 7,000-square-foot facility. This includes customer billing and notices, mapping books for the line crews, training manuals, engineering/architectural drawings, presentations, self-mailers and more. This amounted to 35 million pages and 12 million mail pieces in 2007. Despite this monumental workload, the 13-employee in-plant has not only impressed PGE with its proficiency, it

IT IS a tale told over and over. An in-plant expands its technology, adapts to the times and survives. For Carmen Crist, however, the expansion of Printing Services at Michigan State University has not been a matter of survival. Rather, it has been entirely about serving the university in the best way possible. For Crist, director of both Printing Services and Administration and Planning at MSU, the role of his 17-employee in-plant has evolved from printing words on paper to any form of communication that benefits the university—even if it means less profit for his department. “Measuring success only by a bottom

VERY YEAR, the City of Los Angeles Publishing Services holds an open house to show off its capabilities and meet its customers. This year’s event had a very special twist: it celebrated the in-plant’s 100th year of existence. Established in 1907 with two police officers working part time, the city’s in-plant has flourished over the past century to become a 47-employee operation incorporating some of the latest digital technologies. Only a handful of in-plants can boast 100 years of operation, and Publishing Services made the most of this accomplishment at its recent open house. The event celebrated the rich history of the shop

Allen Palovik’s tenure at Knott’s Berry Farm Amusement Park, in Buena Park, Calif., resembles a ride on a roller coaster. It’s filled with ups and downs but keeps moving forward. Thirty-three years ago, as a high school student, Palovik took a job at the amusement park. He never left. Now, as supervisor of Reprographics, Palovik, sits back at his desk while the loud roar of the renowned Ghost Rider roller coaster shakes his office, and reflects on his time at Knott’s Berry Farm with fond memories and a deep appreciation of his place in the park’s rich history. Palovik was born and raised in Buena Park,

EVERY IN-PLANT strives to be an asset to its parent organization. Spartan Stores’ Graphic Services department takes this even further. The in-plant’s 82 “associates” work tirelessly to give their parent company a strategic advantage over the competition in the wholesale and retail food distribution business. And what is this strategic advantage? Well, versatility for one. The in-plant provides so many services it can meet virtually any demand. It can take a job from design through fulfillment, while offering excellent customer service. Convenience and fast turnaround are other strategic advantages. The 36,000-square-foot in-plant is housed right at the Spartan Stores corporate office in Byron Center,

WHEN RAJ Nadrajan took the job as director of Document Solutions at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, he knew the in-plant needed change. Upon his arrival he discovered the full extent of the task ahead of him and admits it gave him pause. “After my first few weeks when I joined the operation, I did not have much hope that the operation would make it,” Nadrajan remembers. “I even considered going back to my last position, but stayed to challenge my ability to make the operation one of the best in the industry.” Five years later that goal has become

TONYA DEMERSON follows a simple path to success: She takes the opportunities given her, excels and earns more opportunities. Throughout her brilliant career this cycle has repeated itself, and it continues to pay off. At April’s IPMA conference, Demerson received the James M. Brahney scholarship, awarded annually to an IPMA member who is pursuing a degree in corporate publishing or management. Demerson, Reprographics manager for the City of Denton, Texas, took a unique road to her career in printing. Born in Queens, N.Y., raised in Amarillo, Texas, Demerson originally arrived in Denton to attend the University of North Texas as a psychology

DESPITE THE rise of digital color printing, in-plants still have a pressing need for good black-and-white printers. These devices form the backbone of many an in-plant. In-plants can sink or swim depending on which printer they choose, though. To help you make the right choice, here are some tips from in-plant managers who have gone though the selection process. First Tip: Know what you’re getting “We did a lot of research,” says Bev Lucas, “and determined what features we needed, and determined which equipment would fulfill our requirements before we contacted vendors.” As manager of Printing Services at Bellevue Community College, in