Kerry Mehle: A Well-schooled Success
DON’T CONFUSE Kerry Mehle with a “professional student,” a person who milks college with watered-down academic effort year after year, using education as an excuse to avoid the real world and real work. A former skilled student turned consummate print professional at Moorpark College, Mehle gives maximum effort, makes no excuses and produces excellent work.
Mehle is graphic communications technician for the Moorpark, Calif.-based community college. A one-man production band, he executes the gamut of responsibilities—from customer service, estimating and billing, to running film, plates, press and bindery equipment, and even job delivery—handily and happily.
“I like to be involved in the job process from beginning to end versus sitting in an office shuffling papers,” he asserts.
His career path has not been as straightforward as his shop’s workflow, but Mehle has followed his head and heart every step of the way. His interest in print production was piqued by his high school’s industrial arts program.
“Printing just struck a chord with me,” he remembers. At a senior-year career seminar, he met a Moorpark representative, who mentioned that the college planned to start a graphics program. Mehle was hooked.
In 1971, Mehle became the first Associate of Arts degree recipient from Moorpark’s graphics program. After graduation, he worked briefly at a local commercial printer, but “switched majors” when an opportunity arose at Moorpark’s in-plant. He got the job and went back to school.
“It was nice to work there and get paid, rather than just get a grade,” he laughs.
Why change course so soon? “Unless you’re at the front desk or the owner of a commercial printer, you don’t get to see a lot of the customers,” he explains. “I like to deal with clients personally, and I really liked the people at the college. Moorpark was a new, maverick-type school.”
Moorpark had opened its campus in 1967 with in-house graphics and printing. The shop also served as a classroom and Mehle taught print production for several years.
“But, ultimately, teaching wasn’t my calling,” he acknowledges. “I’m a production man.”
After nine years at Moorpark, Mehle quit to start his own commercial shop.
“I did that for 11 years, but I ended up too stressed out,” he recalls, noting that he didn’t even have time to vacation with his wife and two children. “I just didn’t enjoy going to work anymore.” By 1991, he found himself pining for his alma mater.
Coincidentally, his old position became available again. “I believe things happen for a reason,” he muses. Moorpark’s productive son returned once more. “I’ve been here ever since and I can envision retiring from here,” Mehle declares. “You can’t beat the climate and the area, and the position is still so much fun. There’s no reason to leave.”
About two-and-a-half years ago, Janeene Nagaoka joined Moorpark as on-campus graphic designer. “Kerry is terrific to work with,” Nagaoka opines. “We try to communicate on every job so that the transition from design to print is pain-free.”
Mehle and Nagaoka cater to every department on campus. Work includes programs, fliers, posters, stationery, applications and forms, and the college catalog.
“On a typical day I may create a postcard advertising an upcoming event at our on-campus zoo, a newspaper ad with info about summer registration, business cards or an invitation for graduation,” Nagaoka notes.
The 2,500-square-foot shop averages 300 jobs a year, operating eight hours a day. It is not intended as a profit center. Mehle’s job is to charge back his annual supply costs, which he estimates at about $85,000. His priority is to keep customers coming back.
“We do not have first right of refusal, so I may have to bid on a job,” Mehle reveals, “but very little work goes off campus.”
Output had been solely offset until last summer, when the in-plant added a Konica Minolta bizhub C500 digital color copier to help an overworked Mehle reduce turnaround and keep those jobs in-house. Mehle expected to output 8,000 to 10,000 color copies per month, but actually averages almost 17,000 copies.
Fortunately, he was prepared for his underestimation, thanks to IPMAserv, the In-plant Printing & Mailing Association’s e-messaging community.
“I was advised to buy technology with the capacity for twice my anticipated volume,” he reports. “Initially, I thought we overbought, but just like the postings said, we are doing double what we thought.”
Mehle has no second thoughts about his career choice. “This is a great field,” he declares. “I’ve heard it said that if you find a job you really like doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.” IPG
- People:
- Janeene Nagaoka
- Kerry Mehle
- Places:
- Moorpark, Calif.