What was your first job in the newspaper business?

Route #42 for The Chronicle. I delivered 85 papers a day on my trusty Western Flyer bicycle. I started delivering papers in 1971 and ended in 1974. And no, I had no plans at that time to make my career at The Chronicle.

In spite of that lack of foresight, after college I ended up working again for The Chronicle starting in 1979. First, I started working as a computer technician for three years, then as a paste-up artist/compositor for three years, then as retail sales representative for seven years and prepress supervisor for two years before becoming production manager in 1994.

What do you like most about your job?

Two aspects: One, the people I work with, at every level within our organization. I have been blessed to be surrounded and supported by the finest group of people I could ask for, and it might sound trite, but without them I can do nothing. I would print all of their names here if Newspapers & Technology would let me. And two, the freedom our owner, publisher and board of directors have given us to succeed as well as fail.

Our organization has grown considerably in the last eight years because of the leadership we have — leadership and support — which is constantly present but never overbearing. It’s both a terrific work environment and a tremendous responsibility.

What do you like least?

Failing to satisfy our customers, both internally and externally. I really don’t like having to tell someone we have disappointed them. Fortunately, because of the people who work here, it doesn’t happen very often and when it does, we usually get better at what we do because of it.

What was your newspaper’s most recent purchase/installation?

In 1998 we installed 11 units of a Dauphin Graphic Machines DGM 430 single-width press and a DGM 1030 folder. The installation process went well, our transition period was relatively smooth and press equipment and staff have long since integrated. DGM did a great job.

While production volume has grown every year since installation, average makeready times, press speeds and start-up waste percentages have either been maintained or improved every year. Our next large purchase will be a new or re-conditioned inserting system.

What is the biggest challenge your newspaper is facing in production?

Communication. Person-to-person and department-to-department communication is the most difficult thing in the world; it is hard work. Bringing our various departments together for the purpose of making a completely different product every single day, and printing/packaging/delivering it on-time with accuracy requires very high levels of communication and cooperation.

To aid in that communication, we’ve used an in-house production database for many years. Created from scratch using Filemaker Pro, it is updated in real-time and contains nearly every scrap of information anyone in any department might need in order to complete their respective missions. As our production work has become more complex and varied, the database has grown to become an indispensable tool to foster and improve communication.

What trend are you keeping your eye on?

Process-centered management, and particularly, using technology to automate processes. With the input of virtually every staff member who wishes to contribute, we’re always looking for ways to improve production, reduce errors and waste — in some measure by implementing standard operating procedures throughout the organization.