In-plant Profiles

From his humble beginnings in Alaska, Larry Jablinske has worked his way through a very technology-focused industry. by CHERYL ADAMS When SAFECO Publishing Services won Best of Show in In-Print 2000—the very first time it entered the contest—no one was more pleased than Larry Jablinske, assistant director. The honor was just one more milestone in Jablinske's long career. Growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, Jablinske saw lots of snow, muddy roads and long summer nights. When his family moved from its log home in the woods to Seattle in the early 1960s, nine-year-old Larry quickly took to life on the Puget Sound. Over the years,

For Warren Fraser, there's a certain magic about living so far away from the rest of the country. "I can look out my office window and see the Alaska Range," says Fraser, manager of Printing Services at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. "If you want to be [in a place] with clean air and wilderness close at hand, but still live in a city that has a university and has cultural offerings...then there are some advantages

A few weeks ago I was out in Seattle, where my wife had been invited to speak at a conference. I took advantage of the trip to visit with several in-plant managers in that part of the world. This is the best part of the job, when I get to meet some of the people I've been writing about. Take Paul Katz and his comrades, for instance. Last month I wrote an article about the informal association of Washington school district in-plant managers to which Paul belongs. While in Seattle, I got to meet all those managers and attend one of their

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

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,

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

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