President
Reno Type
Type of Business: Printing, Mailing, Promotional Products and Direct Marketing
Based: Reno, NV
Hails From: Reno, NV
Years Co. has been in Nevada: 43
Years with Company in Nevada: 27
Employees with Company: 14
How did you get into your profession?
I started off in my middle-school darkroom and wound up as photography editor of the Nevada Sagebrush – just when it transitioned to the newfangled “desktop publishing.” Though English was my major, when I left school, I found my new desktop publishing skills in high demand in the printing industry. I’ve never looked back!
What career advice would you give to someone just starting in your industry?
Don’t do it if you don’t love it. If you do love it, stick with it and work to become an expert in some specific and important aspect. Your expertise will be in demand, because no one knows everything.
What is an issue facing your industry an outside observer may not be aware of?
Many are likely aware that the supply chain disruptions affect promotional products, but there’s also a disruption in simple item procurement like ink and paper products. It takes more to get standard projects finished and, by the time we’ve sourced something, it could have been purchased out from underneath us by a competitor.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
“Go with the Flow” – everything could be a river analogy.
What was the most difficult experience you encountered as a leader?
I ran an experiential education nonprofit for 20 years in my “spare” time. A participant drowned during our whitewater guide training. The hardest thing I ever did in my life was to call the parents of a 30 year old, and tell them their son had died. Helping the people involved to heal was the most important work I ever did.
What leader do you look up to?
Davey, our production manager at Reno Type. He started as a delivery driver 20 years ago and today is held in high regard by everyone we interact with: clients, vendors and teammates. He’s always learning and teaching. What do you hope future generations can learn from your professional journey? Be ready to change. My company has had to completely re-invent itself four times. Had we not, we’d have gone the way of the dodo.
