In-plant Profiles

When you work for Sunkist, it's pretty important to be able to print the color orange. That was one of the first things Tim Criswell realized five years ago after he was hired to run the in-plant at Sunkist Growers, in Sherman Oaks, Calif. At the time, the small shop was printing only forms and stationery. Everything that featured Sunkist's five-color logo had to be printed outside. This irked Criswell. He wanted to print that logo. "That, to me, was easy growth," he says. So he traded an unneeded collator for a used one-color Heidelberg KORD and went to work. Customers had

It's not often a school district print shop lands the printing for an entire city. But Carson Bartels, coordinator of central print services for Waterloo Community School District, saw an opportunity to grab an extra 17 percent of additional revenue for his in-plant, and he took it. Nine years ago, Waterloo, Iowa's city print shop had just said good-bye to its veteran manager as she left for retirement. The city was considering outsourcing the abandoned in-plant's work, but Bartels stepped up, insisting that his four-employee shop could pick up where the old manager left off. Bartels proved his in-plant could save the city money,

Trinity Church has played a part in much of New York's history. On September 11, 2001, it participated again. The in-plant, as usual, was there to help.

"In college you learn management skills from a book. In the Navy you get hands-on experience dealing with many different types of people in very stressful situations," says Jimmy Robinson, printing department director at the University of West Alabama. Drawing from the leadership skills he learned as print shop supervisor aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (and the strategies he read in college), Robinson has spent 19 years building this small southern in-plant into a seasoned survivor responsible for 95 percent of all the work printed by the university. Technology, quality and efficiency, he says are the focus areas that will keep an in-plant alive.

When you're the only guy in the print shop, everything's your fault. So if the in-plant isn't pulling it's weight, it's your job on the line. "Over the years, watching so many shops go out of business, I've looked for different avenues to take [to ensure the shop's survival]," says Larry Clements, director of printing at Redlands Community College and the shop's only full-timer. The solo operation is especially tough because the El Reno, Okla., school won't let Clements charge more for printing than the cost of the materials. With a profit margin thinned out to a big fat zero, Clements did what anyone

In-plants at health care organizations, like Mayo Clinic, feel that their work is helping to save lives. Story by Mike Llewellyn "You can feel extremely good about working here," says Claire Metzler, supervisor of the in-plant at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. And with good reason. Mayo Clinic is one of the most respected names in health care, priding itself on its compassionate patient care and best known for its cancer treatments and organ transplants. Likewise, Mayo Clinic's in-plant is a standout in its own industry, with 27 employees and a full range of services, extending even to Web-based job submission and data

Pete Twentey has traveled a long road, but the sharpest curves are yet to come. by MIKE LLEWELLYN Every morning, Pete Twentey gets in his car and drives 74 miles from his home in Frederick, Md., to the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., where he is director of Material Services Operations. It's been a long road for Twentey, and to show for it, he's pulled together some rock-solid experience. "I've been in this business for 34 years," he says, adding that he picked up his first printing job after leaving the military. "I was just driving up the road looking for a

By recognizing new opportunities for growth, the BYU Print and Mail Production center has increased both its revenue and services. by Mike Llewellyn Sales grew solidly over the past year at the Brigham Young University Print and Mail Production center. Director West Barton attributes the increase to an academic trend. He explains that "independent study," or distance learning, has been a great opportunity for his operation. "We've gone from 26,000 student packets four years ago to 75,000 this year," he says. "And we're looking to reach a goal of 500,000." This growth pushed the in-plant up four ranks on last month's Top 50, placing

With steady management and an eye for technology, Tim Hoffstedder has brought his in-plant into the digital age. by MIKE LLEWELLYN When a good thing comes your way, you stick with it. Tim Hoffstedder found his at Western & Southern Financial Group's in-plant. Now printing manager, Hoffstedder has been working at the shop since the tender age of 17, just after his high school graduation. "I really didn't choose this," he says. "But I enjoyed it, so I stayed." Hoffstedder started as an entry-level bindery operator 35 years ago. Leaving the bindery for the smaller presses, he soon took on prepress and typesetting,

Whether rooted in a quest for cost cutting, a push for improvement or an executive/legislative power struggle, serious threats are dogging the country's largest in-plant. by BOB NEUBAUER These are stressful times for the Government Printing Office. Since May the 141-year-old institution has been challenged, disparaged and ignored by the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—despite receiving stellar marks in an audit of its financial statements. Even the excitement of a new Public Printer seems dulled by the political bickering going on between the executive and legislative branches. As Bruce James takes the reigns from departing Public Printer Michael DiMario, the