Tyrone Simpkins
Tyrone Simpkins got his first taste of printing while serving in the U.S. Army. As a senior logistics non-commissioned officer in the early 2000s, he was responsible for producing documents, and on occasion he would be tasked with printing 100 or so briefing books, 60-70 pages each, using an office copier. Frustrated with how long it took, Simpkins aired his complaints to a designer, who invited him to visit a nearby Defense Automated Printing Services facility. There, he got his first look at high-speed digital printers. He was in awe.
“I’m a young army guy. I’ve repelled out of helicopters. I’ve shot multiple weapons. I’ve done all kinds of things, but you just don’t see that type of [equipment] every day,” he says. “It was truly an awesome sight to see.”
That experience stuck with him and would later influence his decision to accept his current position as chief of Logistics Operations and Publishing Services at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C.
Military Background
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Simpkins joined the U.S. Army soon after graduating from high school. He served for 20 years, earning his business management degree by taking evening classes at Liberty University.
In 2012, the year after marrying his wife Kathy, he retired from the military, and the couple moved to Washington, D.C., to be near his wife’s family. Simpkins then began his job search, and soon spotted an opportunity with FERC where he could utilize his logistics experience. What really caught his eye, though, was something buried in the job description.
“I felt like they kind of snuck in the printing services and copy center management,” he recalls. It intrigued him. “When I saw that, I was like, this actually would be great. My background in logistics management, along with my willingness to jump into the official printing officer roles … it was a win-win.”
So, in 2013, Simpkins walked through the doors of FERC’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and began his second career. “It has been a great ride ever since,” he says.
While working at FERC, Simpkins continued his education, earning a master’s degree in organizational management from Webster University.
In his role, he is responsible for much more than printing. He oversees conferencing services, logistics operations, the executive chauffeur program, relocation services, parking, warehousing, and property management. But printing and mailing, he says, take up 50% of his day-to-day work, bringing him into numerous high-visibility projects. He attends planning meetings for projects that will include public-facing printed pieces so his team knows what to expect.
“You kind of want us to be involved sooner rather than later to ensure that you can meet your deadlines,” he says.
Adding Automation
When Simpkins first walked into the in-plant in 2013, he found a shop using 15-year-old Xerox equipment and a somewhat erratic job intake system, with jobs coming in 10 different ways. He streamlined that process with an automated system that offers customers easy access to job tracking and status. Then he replaced the aging equipment with leased Ricoh digital presses, allowing the agency to upgrade every few years and keep its technology current.
“It saved the agency money also, because we eliminated some of the last-minute maintenance, after-hours type of requests,” he says.
Inside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's in-plant, Ty Simpkins (right) stands with Aaron Clements by one of the shop's Ricoh Pro 8320s.
The in-plant prints a variety of pieces for FERC such as public notices, information pamphlets, environmental impact statements, newsletters, certificates, maps, and floor plans. Its 12 employees are all supplied by the contractor SourceAmerica, which specializes in providing opportunities for people with disabilities. They come trained and eager to work, and Simpkins has nothing but positive things to say about them.
“It makes for an awesome work environment and atmosphere,” he says, praising their positive attitude, eagerness to learn, and resilience in the face of change. “It is one of the best things that I’ve ever experienced.”
He seeks to motivate his team by encouraging them to be open with him about their concerns and listening to them.
“I make it my job to communicate with each and every person,” he says. “I make sure that no one gets to escape from me coming by and briefly talking to them about how they’re doing, and I try to act upon anything … that’s causing them some concerns.
“I’ve shown the team that I have no problem … fighting for what we know we need,” he adds.
Simpkins credits his army experience with teaching him this style of leadership.
“I was trained in the military to be a leader — a manager,” he says. “Taking care of the people means the people will take care of you. It means that there’s no job that comes down that the team won’t be able to handle.”
He praises the senior management team at FERC for also taking this approach.
“I feel that the senior management actually listens and takes our recommendations to heart,” he says. “They’re truly and genuinely concerned about the people.”
One new addition supported by management is a wide-format printer with a scanner. Once it arrives, the in-plant will be able to digitize maps and floor plans, work that is currently being outsourced.
“Now we’re going to bring those [jobs] back onsite,” Simpkins says. He sees this generating a lot of new work from offices eager to digitize old documents being stored in warehouses.
Another way he’s looking to improve the in-plant is by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze shop data, pinpoint causes of machine downtime, and further streamline job intake.
“I don’t believe AI should be put in any type of position where it’s going to replace one of my operators,” he says. “But I do think AI can be utilized to fill the gap.”
‘Knowing Who You Are’
Simpkins is keenly aware that, as an African American in the printing industry, he is underrepresented.
“As a manager responsible for … printing areas and mailing areas, I don’t really see a lot of people that look like me,” he says.
Despite his years of leadership experience, he doesn’t always feel that others in the industry see him as the expert he is.
“I definitely think that I’m not taken as seriously or as an expert on certain things,” he observes. “And it’s probably because they just haven’t experienced or had to work with someone that looked like me before. And that’s just the reality of it.
“But I do feel it. I felt it at an expo. I felt it at local meetings or just out and about while I’m doing market research,” he continues — but he refuses to let it affect him.
“It’s all about knowing who you are. I know who I am. I know what I know. And I know what I’m great at. And my work speaks volumes. Every manager that I’ve ever worked for, every person that’s ever been on my team has been extremely satisfied with … the products that I’ve produced and the way I’ve operated.”
His efforts have certainly been honored within FERC, where he’s been recognized more than once. He brushes these accolades aside, however, and says it’s more important to him that his team gets the praise.
“That’s really what matters to me is when the team gets the acknowledgement, because they truly put in the hard work,” he says. “I really love when senior leaders come down to the center just to see the team who provided this awesome support for their staff. And that’s a great feeling.”
Outside of work, Simpkins enjoys spending time with his wife Kathy and his six children, two of whom are young adults.
“They keep me extremely busy,” he says.
But he also saves time for his favorite hobby: bowling.
“If I wasn’t here and doing this ... I think I would have been a professional bowler,” he laughs. “You’d see me on TV. I have some perfect games under my belt.”
Tyrone Simpkins: From Army Logistics to In-plant Leader
Tyrone Simpkins
Tyrone Simpkins got his first taste of printing while serving in the U.S. Army. As a senior logistics non-commissioned officer in the early 2000s, he was responsible for producing documents, and on occasion he would be tasked with printing 100 or so briefing books, 60-70 pages each, using an office copier. Frustrated with how long it took, Simpkins aired his complaints to a designer, who invited him to visit a nearby Defense Automated Printing Services facility. There, he got his first look at high-speed digital printers. He was in awe.
“I’m a young army guy. I’ve repelled out of helicopters. I’ve shot multiple weapons. I’ve done all kinds of things, but you just don’t see that type of [equipment] every day,” he says. “It was truly an awesome sight to see.”
That experience stuck with him and would later influence his decision to accept his current position as chief of Logistics Operations and Publishing Services at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C.
Military Background
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Simpkins joined the U.S. Army soon after graduating from high school. He served for 20 years, earning his business management degree by taking evening classes at Liberty University.
In 2012, the year after marrying his wife Kathy, he retired from the military, and the couple moved to Washington, D.C., to be near his wife’s family. Simpkins then began his job search, and soon spotted an opportunity with FERC where he could utilize his logistics experience. What really caught his eye, though, was something buried in the job description.
“I felt like they kind of snuck in the printing services and copy center management,” he recalls. It intrigued him. “When I saw that, I was like, this actually would be great. My background in logistics management, along with my willingness to jump into the official printing officer roles … it was a win-win.”
So, in 2013, Simpkins walked through the doors of FERC’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and began his second career. “It has been a great ride ever since,” he says.
While working at FERC, Simpkins continued his education, earning a master’s degree in organizational management from Webster University.
In his role, he is responsible for much more than printing. He oversees conferencing services, logistics operations, the executive chauffeur program, relocation services, parking, warehousing, and property management. But printing and mailing, he says, take up 50% of his day-to-day work, bringing him into numerous high-visibility projects. He attends planning meetings for projects that will include public-facing printed pieces so his team knows what to expect.
“You kind of want us to be involved sooner rather than later to ensure that you can meet your deadlines,” he says.
Adding Automation
When Simpkins first walked into the in-plant in 2013, he found a shop using 15-year-old Xerox equipment and a somewhat erratic job intake system, with jobs coming in 10 different ways. He streamlined that process with an automated system that offers customers easy access to job tracking and status. Then he replaced the aging equipment with leased Ricoh digital presses, allowing the agency to upgrade every few years and keep its technology current.
“It saved the agency money also, because we eliminated some of the last-minute maintenance, after-hours type of requests,” he says.
Inside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's in-plant, Ty Simpkins (right) stands with Aaron Clements by one of the shop's Ricoh Pro 8320s.
The in-plant prints a variety of pieces for FERC such as public notices, information pamphlets, environmental impact statements, newsletters, certificates, maps, and floor plans. Its 12 employees are all supplied by the contractor SourceAmerica, which specializes in providing opportunities for people with disabilities. They come trained and eager to work, and Simpkins has nothing but positive things to say about them.
“It makes for an awesome work environment and atmosphere,” he says, praising their positive attitude, eagerness to learn, and resilience in the face of change. “It is one of the best things that I’ve ever experienced.”
He seeks to motivate his team by encouraging them to be open with him about their concerns and listening to them.
“I make it my job to communicate with each and every person,” he says. “I make sure that no one gets to escape from me coming by and briefly talking to them about how they’re doing, and I try to act upon anything … that’s causing them some concerns.
“I’ve shown the team that I have no problem … fighting for what we know we need,” he adds.
Simpkins credits his army experience with teaching him this style of leadership.
“I was trained in the military to be a leader — a manager,” he says. “Taking care of the people means the people will take care of you. It means that there’s no job that comes down that the team won’t be able to handle.”
He praises the senior management team at FERC for also taking this approach.
“I feel that the senior management actually listens and takes our recommendations to heart,” he says. “They’re truly and genuinely concerned about the people.”
One new addition supported by management is a wide-format printer with a scanner. Once it arrives, the in-plant will be able to digitize maps and floor plans, work that is currently being outsourced.
“Now we’re going to bring those [jobs] back onsite,” Simpkins says. He sees this generating a lot of new work from offices eager to digitize old documents being stored in warehouses.
Another way he’s looking to improve the in-plant is by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze shop data, pinpoint causes of machine downtime, and further streamline job intake.
“I don’t believe AI should be put in any type of position where it’s going to replace one of my operators,” he says. “But I do think AI can be utilized to fill the gap.”
‘Knowing Who You Are’
Simpkins is keenly aware that, as an African American in the printing industry, he is underrepresented.
“As a manager responsible for … printing areas and mailing areas, I don’t really see a lot of people that look like me,” he says.
Despite his years of leadership experience, he doesn’t always feel that others in the industry see him as the expert he is.
“I definitely think that I’m not taken as seriously or as an expert on certain things,” he observes. “And it’s probably because they just haven’t experienced or had to work with someone that looked like me before. And that’s just the reality of it.
“But I do feel it. I felt it at an expo. I felt it at local meetings or just out and about while I’m doing market research,” he continues — but he refuses to let it affect him.
“It’s all about knowing who you are. I know who I am. I know what I know. And I know what I’m great at. And my work speaks volumes. Every manager that I’ve ever worked for, every person that’s ever been on my team has been extremely satisfied with … the products that I’ve produced and the way I’ve operated.”
His efforts have certainly been honored within FERC, where he’s been recognized more than once. He brushes these accolades aside, however, and says it’s more important to him that his team gets the praise.
“That’s really what matters to me is when the team gets the acknowledgement, because they truly put in the hard work,” he says. “I really love when senior leaders come down to the center just to see the team who provided this awesome support for their staff. And that’s a great feeling.”
Outside of work, Simpkins enjoys spending time with his wife Kathy and his six children, two of whom are young adults.
“They keep me extremely busy,” he says.
But he also saves time for his favorite hobby: bowling.
“If I wasn’t here and doing this ... I think I would have been a professional bowler,” he laughs. “You’d see me on TV. I have some perfect games under my belt.”
Related story: IPI Visits Five In-plants in Washington, D.C.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.