In-plant Profiles

Pat Seier has dedicated more than 20 years to making her in-plant an integral part in the success of Kutak Rock, an Omaha-based law firm. by BOB NEUBAUER Patricia Seier never planned on working in the printing industry. She was only looking for a better-paying job when she took a position in the mail room of Kutak Rock, an Omaha, Neb.-based law firm. But after working there just a few years, fate intervened. "Mr. Kutak asked me if I would be interested in heading up their copy center," Seier recalls. "I had absolutely no background in printing." She learned fast. Over the

If it has anything to do with paper, Printing Services at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is likely in charge of it. by Caroline Miller AT THE University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Printing Services has found a simple path to rich rewards: "We are trying to follow the paper," says Printing Services Director Geoff Bant. "We try to diversify as much as we can. We don't want to just be a printer or just a copying place. We try to be a lot of everything. The campus needs all sorts of things; the challenge is to provide these services without losing money." The university is

Paul Molfino started the in-plant at UC-Santa Cruz soon after the university opened in 1965. As the school has grown, so has his operation. by Bob Neubauer Poised on a hillside overlooking the Monterey Bay, some 90 miles south of San Francisco, the University of California-Santa Cruz has come a long way since it opened in 1965. The land that once held a cattle ranch and a quarry now teems with over 12,000 students. Witnessing much of that growth has been Paul Molfino, the employee with the longest career of service at UC-Santa Cruz. When he was hired 37 years ago to start

ASU's in-plant internship program reaps rewards for both students and the in-plant. By Caroline Miller Bob Lane has a vision for Arizona State University's Graphic Information Technology Facility (GITF): He believes that someday it will be known as the RIT of the West. Just six months ago, Lane helped merge ASU's academic program with its in-plant to develop a unique partnership. "I was trying to figure out what makes a department important to a university," explains Lane. "It's not enough to add value anymore." So Lane suggested a merger. The graphics program had recently been moved from ASU's main campus to ASU East,

Ken Baker started Office Services as a one-man act. In his 37 years there, he has built it into an award-winning 19-employee operation. by BOB NEUBAUER You wouldn't know it by his accent, but Ken Baker was born in London, England. "I was a war baby," says Baker. "My mother came over on the Queen Mary, and I came with her." For one who came from so far away, though, Baker is perhaps most well known in Colorado Springs for how long he has stayed in one place. For the past 37 years, he has served as manager of Office Services for the

Poly Plates Vindicated While polyester printing plates may have once been guilty of stretching and failing to register, those days are now past, according to a study by Printing Industries of America's Graphic Arts Marketing Information Service. The study uncovered numerous examples of printers producing quality process color work in tight register. Today's poly plates can handle up to 25,000 impressions, the study says, and will work on a range of presses. They can print products with half tones, screen tints and heavy coverage. For more information, visit www.gamis.org. Profits Down Quick printers reported a drop in profits in 2000, according to the

When the City of San Diego's in-plant sees an opportunity, it rushes right in to take advantage of it. The resulting mix of services, both traditional and nontraditional, has kept customers happy. by CAROLINE MILLER Not only is variety the spice of life for the City of San Diego's in-plant. It's also the key to its success. "We've found that we've had to continually reinvent ourselves, and that like all good in-plants we have to always anticipate the needs of our customers before our customers do," says Liam McGuigan, deputy director of the general services department for the City of San Diego. Situated

Despite directing one of the country's largest in-plants, George Morton tries to maintain a personal relationship with each employee. by Bob Neubauer To say George Morton is concerned about his employees is simply not saying enough. "Every day I go out into the plant. I talk to my employees. I find out how they're doing, what their ideas are, what do they think we can do better, and we listen to those things," says the 55-year-old director of the Washington State Department of Printing. And with 157 employees—110 or so of them in the main plant—that is no easy task. "It's a commitment,"

Schwab Litho San Francisco Schwab Litho, the printing arm of the financial firm Charles Schwab & Co., is a survivor. When recent company cutbacks brought the most layoffs in Schwab's 30-year history, the in-plant stayed intact—and with good reason. With the third highest sales-per-employee figure of all the in-plants on this year's Top 50, Schwab has made a spot for itself on the corporate landscape at Schwab. "Until the culture goes paper-less, I believe we have a solid future," remarks Mark Geyer, director of the in-plant. Operating on a chargeback system, Schwab Litho doesn't "officially" have an annual budget. However, as a department

State of Washington Olympia, Wash. Despite being one of the country's largest in-plants, the State of Washington's Department of Printing behaves much more like a small company in the way it treats its employees. "We're very pro-people," remarks Dan Swisher, assistant director of the Olympia, Wash.-based operation. "We like to grow from within. We like to involve everybody in our operation. And we like everybody to have fun doing it." To show employees how important they are, Swisher says the department's director, George Morton, visits each employee every single day. With 105 employees, that's a tough task, but the payoff is great. Trying