In-plant Profiles

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.

After 17 years as director of Printing Services at Berea College, Melvin Cooper has no regrets. "It's been a great choice for me," says Cooper. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it."

As a child, Charles Kerr moved around a lot. A real lot. "By the time I was 13, I'd liv

When Robert Donahue started as director of purchasing at Franklin University, one of his goals was to revamp the mailing services operation and cut costs. His success there got him thinking about other ways to save money for the 111-year-old private university, based in Columbus, Ohio. In particular, he wondered how much the university was spending to outsource printing and whether the school could save money by getting equipment and printing that work in-house.