PFFC - September 2008 - (Page 80)

EXPERIENCE SPEAKS uWhat is the biggest threat to the converting industry right now? Excessive price increases by major raw material producers. If the increase isn’t 100% justified, then all you are doing is hurting your customer and ultimately yourself. uDo you have a personal hero? My father, who managed to make running a business and raising a family appear so effortless while I was growing up. He always made time for the family no matter what was happening. Use a target, break down the steps it will take to get there, and then get started. uWhat is the biggest mistake you made and how did you fix it? Business is like baking a cake. When you stop following your recipe, you get a flat cake. Unfortunately, I once allowed our business to stop following our business plan and things started to go flat. We recognized it as an organization, returned to following our recipe, and our cake has been rising ever since. uWhat is the best advice you ever got? “Let your customers do the talking.” Client-led dialogue generates an understanding of their needs and sets clear expectations. Unfortunately, we often spend more time talking than listening. success visioning to give yourself uRobert A. Jessup uPresident of Jessup Mfg. Co. uManagement style | Lead by example uPersonal motto | Work hard and play hard uHow did you get into this business? My grandfather started Jessup Mfg. in 1956. My father purchased the company in 1973. I have been around the business my entire life but couldn’t wait to get out of college to pursue a career in finance. Somehow, years later, I found myself involved in setting up a new coating line and fell in love with the business. uHow do you handle a difficult customer? Don’t let the situation drag on. You must immediately engage the customer, get to the root of the problem, and search for an equitable solution. uWhat is your key to uWhat is the worst advice you ever got? “If you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.” Refusing to delegate is deadly to a business. Managers use the excuse they have no one qualified to delegate a project to when in reality they refuse to delegate because they are scared to lose control. uWhat management retaining good employees? Setting clear goals, ensuring the tools are available to get the job done, and recognizing both individual and group achievements is the key to maintaining a positive work environment. uWhat sustainability efforts has your company made? We are installing a new RTO thermal oxidizer at our coating facility, and a key part of our design criteria is a heat recovery system that will provide both hot BTUs for our process as well as heat for our plant. books have influenced you? Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Wiliams, challenges deeply held assumptions about business and gives insight into leveraging collaboration and communication technologies to survive in a global economy. About Jessup Mfg. Co. u2815 W. Route 120, McHenry, IL 60051; 815-385-6650 uwww.jessupmfg.com uFounded 1956; 3 plants; 75 full-time employees uSpecialty | Coated, cast, and laminated safety and visual warning products Do you know a manager who should be featured here? Write to yolanda.simonsis@penton.com. 80 | SEPTEMBER 2008 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.jessupmfg.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - September 2008

PFFC - September 2008 Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Flexo Printing Cover: Green Converting Green Printing Labelexpo New Product Digest Focus: Ink What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Equipment Buyers & Sellers Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - September 2008

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