Cup-a-Joe

The board of directors of Printing Industries of America (PIA) recently allocated a quarter of a million dollars to support a variety of activities which will continue to spread the word of why print still has value.  While to many of us that is significant money – in the land of mass media, it’s peanuts.  It’s a 30 second commercial during a national football game; it’s a series of weekend ads in a local market.  It’s chump change.

Yet, the question remains – is it worth doing?  Many take the position that for the industry to try to stop/change the perception of print being antiquated is not achievable, while others feel that something has to be done – if for any reason just to make us feel good.  Well, PIA has taken on the role of making us feel good – and more.

Over the next 6-12 months, an upgraded website will be developed focusing on best practices, along with continued support of “Print In The Mix,” “Print Grows Trees,” and “ChoosePrint.org.” Regardless, of ones feelings to the value of this type of campaign, it can not be ignored that information can influence.  If every print producing company in the U.S. can influence 3 – 5 buyers, the needle will move in the right direction, but it has to start at the grassroots level.  If we don’t influence those local buyers, tell the fat lady to start warming up (thanks Dandy Don!).

Print in all its forms is still the most prevalent way of communicating.  The web; smart phones; signage; and tablets (in all their forms) are all vehicles for distributing the written (visual) word.  If one was to think about it, print is more powerful than ever – it’s just the way it is delivered that has everyone disturbed.

Think of all the new careers which have been created because print is no longer in the realm of craftsman using archaic ways to reproduce the printed word.  Today anyone can be an author, publisher and printer.  No longer do we just listen to the opinions of a handful of individuals who control the newspaper publishing industry.  Anyone with a blog site has the power.  The genie has been released from its bottle.

Here’s one more point which provides additional food for thought.  Per Gartner, a leading IT research agency, there will be approximately 64 million tablets in use by the end of the year.  That number goes to over 900 million by 2016!

Yet, if one is to consider the opportunities which abound for entrepreneurs who can think beyond ink on paper, there are fortunes to be made.  Or at least a good living for the next few decades.

I’m somewhat surprised in regards to the reaction of the Penn State students in the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno yesterday.  I don’t remember that kind of reaction when Dave Bliss got fired from Baylor.  And I wonder what would happen if Republican candidate Herman Cain threw in the towel over the alleged sexual harassment charges.  Could you see middle-aged Republicans harkening back to their “freak” days and burning flags and occupying college president’s offices?  Nah, it ain’t going to happen.  So why the reaction for Jo Pa?

I could delve into the myopic fascination we have for cultural heroes, but I don’t think that’s the path I’m going to take. What really fascinates me is the blind eye people take towards individuals who “perform.”  How many times have we (and “we” are all guilty) ignored behavior from an individual which was not appropriate? It could have been a plant supervisor verbally abusing an employee.  A sales rep who padded expense reports or was willing to “take care” of his/her customer regardless of the appropriateness of the request.  And I don’t even want to delve into the area of physical/sexual abuse of children and women — and how we decide to look the other way because the abuser may be someone “important.”  Which gets us back to JoPa.

If in fact everything we’ve heard about the assistant coach and the graduate student’s reporting to Paterno is true, what would have you done?  Would you have ignored the situation because you “needed” that person?  Would you have reprimanded the individual?  Would you have thrown a “friend” under the bus? Would you have reported it to the police?

At what point in time do we begin to realize that our community/work environment is best served when we are in harmony, and achieving the desired result at any cost also costs us our humanity.  It’s not an easy path, and it may be one that Joe Paterno decided not to take – and he will now lose the recognition that he spent 60 years building.

AHCA, a.k.a. Obamacare is front in center with the Republican presidential candidates.  ”I will repeal Obamacare.  I’ll grant a waiver on Day One to get that started,” says Romney. Governor Perry says, “I will use an executive order to get rid of as much of Obamacare as I can on Day One.”  And not to be outdone,  candidate Cain, states, “Obamacare must be replaced because it is a disaster.”  So, what’s really going to happen? read more »

I’m in one of my favorite places for writing – seat 20A.  I’m headed to Kansas City on a typical fall day.  Or is it?

In Texas the talk is not about football, it’s about the Texas Rangers and the team just being one win away from their first-ever world championship.  While in Missouri the talk is split between Mizzou leaving the Big 12 and headed to the SEC and will the Birds from St. Louis be able to mount a come back.  Everything should be clear by the end of the week.

In Fort Worth rumors abound about one of the area’s iconic printing companies.  A recent Fort Worth Star Telegram article put Branch-Smith in foreclosure.  Yet, in a conversation I had with management, we shouldn’t be so quick to close the door.  The article was a bit premature and there seems to be some deals going on which will provide new life for the company and its employees.

Early this year the Post Office announced a trial program in Austin to help promote direct mail.  It drew a few raised eyebrows including yours truly.  I attempted to get the attention of the USPS as well as our national leadership in how this program could backfire and be detrimental to the industry as a whole.  Regardless (no surprise), the program rolled out and was titled Direct Mail Hub, and now that it is beginning to affect more firms has drawn commentary from PIA’s Mike Makin and others.

Kudos to KBA North America, headquartered in North Texas as they recently were recognized by the Patent Board’s Patent Scorecard for manufacturers of heavy industrial equipment in 2011. The Patent Board’s Patent Scorecard is based on the scale, quality, impact, and nearness to core science of a company’s patent-based intellectual property.

Henry Wurst in Kansas City has announced they are closing their North Carolina facility.  It’s another sign of the times and not an easy decision based on a conversation I had with HWI’s president Mark Hanf.  Yet, with much of the Carolina facility’s work re-locating to the company’s two other plants, the company has balanced their capabilities with the market.

Speaking of the turmoil in the web industry, Quad is closing their Stillwater, Oklahoma plant.  The plant, which was a former Quebecor World operation employed over 200 folks, and will have a sizable impact on that community.

PIA MidAmerica is not immune to changes.  Long-time and familiar industry face Jim Oldebeken is leaving our family to pursue another path.  Jim was willing to play a different role with our Association over the past 10 years, but realized his talents were not being utilized.  With our need to re-balance budgets (a continual process over the past 6 years), the time was right for all of us.  Jim is now working with another association in Kansas City  – in the biomedical field and with plenty of upside for his career.  His replacement will be a familiar face in Kansas City — Loretta Nichols. She started her new career this past week and with her long-time industry experience and entrepreneurial nature should do an outstanding job for the industry.  Best wishes to the Big Guy – but I expect we’ll be seeing him around every once and a while.

OK, no comments about business today.  It’s the World Series, and although I admit to being a Texas Rangers fan, we’ve just seen four fantastic games.  And it’s now a series which will be the best of three.

Any good baseball fan has to have been ecstatic over the past week.  The first two games are one-run affairs with great defense, solid pitching and timely hitting.  It doesn’t get better than that.  Then came the fireworks of Saturday’s game.  Over 20 runs scored and probably one of the best players to ever play the game lights up the scoreboard with three home runs.  That’s only been done twice — by a guy named Ruth and another with the title of “Mr. October.”

With the series on the line for game 5, baby-faced Derrick Holland goes out and shuts down the “Birds” bats with a masterful mix of nasty breaking stuff and heat.  Yes, he had not performed to expectations during the playoffs — but remember this is a kid who threw four complete shutouts during the year.  What a game!

Now comes game six with Chris Carpenter who is admittedly one of the best pitchers in the game against C.J. Wilson who has been “challenged” during the playoffs.  I’m hoping for a great game tonight — let’s hope we get one.  And it wouldn’t hurt if Texas won it!

The past week has been chock full of Steve Jobs stories and adulations.  All well deserved, but when you really look at his life – and his impact on our industry – you realize that one or two small mis-steps, and you have another Wang Computer.

As I look at Jobs and many of the successful folks in our industry, it’s about vision.  It’s about being at the right place, right time – and knowing that there’s an opportunity.  Too often our heads are buried in the minutiae of life and running our businesses.  The end result is we miss the opportunities to excel.  In my mind, the real core of Steve Jobs, which made him a winner, was his vision. He was able to see things no one else saw, and when the opportunity was there, he was able to take advantage of it.  Plus, he was a bit of a hippie/anti-establishment type growing up.  He didn’t let the world constrain him.

With all the “bad” news we deal with every day, do we find ourselves looking at the stable full of horse****t, or are we looking for the pony?  It’s time to saddle up!

We have all heard the phrase that if you’re a leopard you can’t change your spots — and that might be a true for many in our industry.  The idea of becoming a marketing services provider or embracing internet solutions is not necessarily nirvana – no matter what all the industry gurus are saying.

First, let’s understand that not everyone can, or should be, a marketing services provider.  If you bleed PMS 200 and are a tech geek, you will NEVER become a marketing guru; regardless of what the sellers of equipment, or association types are declaring.

Second, you can not ignore the fact that there are more competitors than ever in the print landscape.  And I’m not talking about your former sales rep who moved down the street with “his” accounts and a “deal” from the press manufacturer.  Your competition is the Internet; print brokers (and firms like Innerworkings); big box stores (Staples, Office Depot) and your suppliers (UPS, FedEx Office, Xerox, Ikon/Ricoh, Apple, etc.).

Once you understand these two issues; you have two options.  The first option is find a customer base that does not need a high-tech touch, or needs a marketing expert.  They are out there – but are presently being served by other printers.  What is your strategy going to be to take their business?  And cheaper pricing is a losing proposition.  If you don’t have a strategy or are not willing to take the time to create AND execute the strategy, then look at option #2.  Get out of the business.  That does not mean liquidation – your company has customers and sales which should be of value to another company.  You may not get what you think your business is worth, but it will be more than if you were to just close the doors and walk away.  If you need information on valuation, or need to speak to a M&A expert, drop me an email.

For the individual who thinks they can become a tiger rather than a leopard, there are opportunities in this changing landscape.  For those who just like their spots, there are opportunities as well.

OK, I admit it.  I don’t get it.  There was a recent article in Businessweek which spoke about the President’s Job Plan and how it will help employ more folks.  Not being an economist (but I do have a piece of paper that indicates I received a Masters degree in Business), I am not able to see how the Administration’s voodoo economics (yes, I know . . . it’s an old phrase) will result in changing the present path.

And for those of us that didn’t go to Harvard or Stanford, let’s do some simple math.  The Obama Jobs Plan will spend $447 Billion over several years.  The net result, per a survey of various economists, would be to add or keep 275,000 individuals employed. Hmmm.  That’s $1.62 Million per person.  That’s what I call a REAL good use of money.  Or how about this, since we’re just throwing money away, what if we gave every taxpayer in the U.S. a “bonus” check of $2,052, which equates to $447 Billion.  What a country!

We’ve all heard the stories and anecdotal information about the dismal prospects of our industry.  Throw on top the economic and political climate and one is left to wonder – what future is there? read more »