What was your first job in the newspaper business?

A paper route. When I was nine I was an assistant paperboy. I have also worked in production as a machinist, a pressman, a pressroom manager and a production manager prior to my current position.

What do you like most about your job?

Helping people to maximize their potential by providing opportunities to implement technology and by making cutting-edge equipment available. I like implementing the innovative concepts to gain efficiencies and save resources.

What do you like least?

The amount of time that is required to deal with daily personnel issues.

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

Computer-to-plate equipment. Lastra unit Western Lithotech was selected for its high-quality, American-made and supported equipment.

Their machine weighed more than the competition. When I was a machinist apprentice under Bill Baker, he would tell me if I ever had a hard time making a decision on purchasing equipment, find out what each machine weighed and buy the heavier one because it would last longer.

I have used this idea in several purchase processes and it has proven to be good advice. In the case of CTP, this was not the biggest issue because other features like the location of support, service and plate supply were important.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph has had a relationship with Western for years since their plate manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, Texas, is 20 miles from Tyler.

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

Quality control, labor expenses and managing processes to accommodate long-term growth.

What trend are you keeping your eye on?

Unified system architecture in computer software platforms. This is the resurgence of the concept of one-stop shopping for all computer software needs.

Also, the development of violet laser technology. Finally, remote inking. Presses really haven’t changed over the years, other than less iron for the dollar. The peripherals like remote inking, spray dampening, video registration controls, as well as digital drives and programmable logic controllers for relay logic, are the areas where presses have changed.

Our Harris N-845 printing press will be 28 years old this year. I think we can get another 10 to 15 years of production out of it. I want to achieve all efficiencies available by using the latest enhancements.