In-plant Profiles

AS FALLING leaves carpet the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, so has the autumn of Gary Williford’s career arrived. After 34 years at the university—30 of them in the in-plant—Williford plans to retire in a few months from his role as manager of the school’s Graphic Arts Service department. But while others might view their final days as an opportunity to kick back and coast to an easy farewell, Williford has insisted on pushing forward, preparing his 55-employee operation for the days after his departure. “I owe this organization. It’s been good to me. It’s a part of my life,” he explains. “I want

So much is happening at Ohio State University these days that it might be easier to ask “what’s not new?” The 71-employee operation has consolidated several departments under a new name, upgraded its digital printing equipment and added a state-of-the-art print management system. Under the new name UniPrint, the Columbus, Ohio-based in-plant has brought together printing services, copying, document imaging/addressing and the copier lease program. Copying has been moved into the offset facility, and its old space is now a customer service center. “We gained a synergy by having all of our production in one location,” notes Jeff Dible, assistant director. Those production capabilities have been enhanced

WHEN BRIGGS & Stratton Graphic Services moved into its new 26,505-square-foot facility in June, life got a whole lot better for the shop’s 34 employees. Workflow improved, shipping and receiving became a snap and the shop’s image soared thanks to an inviting reception area. But perhaps most marvelous—the dream of in-plants everywhere—is this: the new shop has windows. “Some of the pressmen have even commented to me how nice it is to have the windows,” remarks Debbie Pavletich, manager of the Milwaukee-based in-plant. All of the offices and parts of the shop floor have them, and the natural sunlight has made a difference in

MIKE SCHRADER, his wife, Deb, and their two sons—Rob, 13, and Pete, 11—reside in a small town halfway between the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Schrader was born and raised here, in Berlin, Wis., just northwest of the Fond du Lac headquarters of Mercury Marine, where he is manager of Printing & Mailing Solutions. As far back as he can recall Schrader had an interest in graphics and drawing. While in high school, he painted signs and vehicles for local businesses. He went on to receive an Associate Degree in Commercial Art in 1984 from Western Wisconsin Technical College, in LaCrosse, Wis.,

WHEN THE Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s in-plant moved into the computer-to-plate world in 2000 by installing an ITEK 2430 polyester platemaker, everything changed at the eight-employee shop. “Moving to CTP was a dramatic change for us and improved our productivity significantly,” says Dale Travitz, group leader. The platesetter produced plates for the shop’s four presses: a two-color Heidelberg, an A.B.Dick T51, a Multigraphics 1250 with a T-head, and a Davidson perfector. Those presses printed the majority of the Hershey Medical Center’s materials—everything from brochures and flyers to newsletters and forms. “But as demand for four-color printing continued to climb,

In the latest IPG video, Mike Renn, assistant vice president of core services at Mellon Financial, in Philadelphia, relates how his in-plant’s new Presstek Vector TX52 platesetter is saving the company money: “We don’t need chemistry with this, so we save $10,000 a year just in chemistry costs,” Renn says on the video. “Just add water and that’s all you have to do to it.” The video tour also covers the seven-employee in-plant’s Ryobi press, Xerox 6060, Xerox Nuvera 120 and other equipment. To see it all, go to www.ipgonline.com/video/ipg_mfcp.html

Dominion, a Richmond, Va.-based energy company, has installed an eight-color, 23x29˝ Ryobi 758 press in its in-plant. It is the first eight-color Ryobi press installed in the United States, and it joins a four-up, 20x27˝ Ryobi 684 and a two-up Ryobi 3302 press. The shop, which has a $2 million budget, handles all color billing inserts, plus brochures, posters, annual reports and calendars—as well as pro bono work for Dominion’s philanthropic partners. The eight-color press is expected to bring more than $500,000 in annual savings because its six-up format allows for fewer overall impressions and the UV dryer eliminates drying time.

BRIAN CHEPREN, supervisor of Central Printing Services at Pinellas County Schools, is a fixture in the Florida printing business. His father was a lithographer who taught his son the trade, and Chepren began working in his dad’s business when he was just 12 years old. He worked weekends and summers until he went to Eckerd College where he earned a BA in business administration. Chepren went back to printing even after college; in 1969 he secured a position in the blueprints department at ECI, a defense contractor now called Raytheon. He then moved into the offset area and ultimately found himself supervising a

HERE’S A nightmare that no manager wants to face: Being hired to run an in-plant only to have your boss decide to outsource the whole shebang six months later. After being hired in August 1996 as manager of Printing Services for BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) of South Carolina, John Fabian awoke to find his dream job turning scary. “They hired me because the former manager was retiring,” he says. “Work had been slow to get to the customer, and I had a digital background in addition to offset know

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