In-plant Profiles

Having grown up around printing, Doug Weatherly has found it to be a natural fit. His father co-owned a print shop, at which his mother was involved in taking orders, working with customers and handling finances.

Insurance is all about planning ahead. As the in-plant for one of the largest health insurers in the United States, Highmark's Corporate Printing Services (CPS) operation recently executed well-planned facilities and technology upgrades that leave it extremely well-positioned for the future.

It was his first job in printing. The sole press operator for a classified ad magazine publisher, Paul Bethel was alone in the pressroom on that fateful day in 1983, running an old five-unit Harris web press.

As Print Shop Manager for Richland School District, Rachelle Palmer knew there was room for improvement in the way her Richland, Wash., district was handling printing. "The current system was just not keeping up with increasing volumes and the changing needs of the staff," remarks Palmer.

Spend just a few minutes with David "Jerry" Hill, the new California State Printer, and you'll feel like you've been friends for years. His cordial demeanor puts newcomers at ease as he quickly launches into stories from his long life in the printing business. And having spent nearly every one of his 66 years in a print shop, Hill has a lot of tales to tell.

Stepping into The World Bank’s bright, spacious Printing & Multimedia Services operation on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., one is immediately struck by how much this in-plant has advanced from its days in the basement of the Bank’s downtown D.C. headquarters.

Shelter Insurance, a recognized insurance and financial services leader, has built a solid reputation on integrity, excellence and an ongoing commitment to improvement. That commitment is reflected in its full-service Document Services operation, located in Columbia, Mo.

Tina Gray has managed the Oklahoma Department of Human Services' in-plant for 10 years, and she couldn't be happier. With a solid staff and an unforeseen passion for printing, Gray says the joys of the job outweigh the challenges by a long shot.

Besides declining print volumes, shrinking budgets and the many other demands facing today's in-plants, University of Minnesota Printing Services faces a special challenge: the in-plant operates in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the largest metropolitan area in a state where printing is manufacturing's second-largest sector.

Vanderbilt University Printing Services continues to thrive by combining a well-established, bustling offset operation with burgeoning business opportunities and digital solutions to meet and exceed customer demand.