PICA Emerging Leaders

As our Emerging Leaders re-enter their shops this week after the The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) Fall Management Conference, we would like to reflect and recap. We had a remarkable weekend learning and practicing new management skills that we all will take, practice and share. All while getting to network and grow new relationships among the Emerging Leaders and the print Leaders in the Carolinas. Emerging Leaders is incredibly grateful for every print business, vendor, sponsor, and mentor that has supported us while we began this journey for our industry, the growth of youth in print will be achieved through this incredible support. #printis #printcarolinas #picamembers #girlswhoprint #emergingleaders

PICA Emerging Leaders! #picaemergingleaders Caroline Clark. Oliver Webb, Justin Frazier. Bryce Poremba, Heaven Nemeth, Colleen Clark. #PICAMembers #PrintCarolinas #printis #leaders Imagine Elite Print Finishing Salem One Domtar Poole Printing #picafallconference #PICAMEMBER #PrintCarolinas #printis

Our next PICA EL profile is on Justin Frazier Director of Project Management at Salem One and Director of EL NC Engagement. In his role Justin handles three facets of the business in three different locations: direct mail in Kernersville, NC, commercial print in Winston-Salem, NC and wide format in Concord, NC. While a student at UNC Greensboro pursuing a degree in supply chain logistics Justin answered a classified ad for Kinko’s. This gave him an introduction to print and a few years later he found himself working at a logistics company that purchased a Canon image runner. Though he was originally hired for his logistics background he discovered a love of print through their in-plant printing department. One of Justin’s vendors in this role was Salem-One, his future employer. He developed a great working relationship with Salem-One and when looking for a new professional challenge he eventually took a role there. Justin started his career at Salem One in direct mail. He approached the print industry with aplomb, learning as much as he could as quickly as he could. His enthusiasm and work ethic provided him with an opportunity to become a team leader. From there he became a project management supervisor, eventually becoming director of project management in January of this year. Justin is excited for Salem One’s future as they continue to expand. He shared that the company has really begun to focus on regional and national level clients, while still providing exceptional service to their local customers. He attributes Salem One’s success to the company’s focus on “making sure we're putting the right folks in the right seats, moving folks around, putting them in the right positions, staying aggressive in our employee retention and hiring and educational programs. We give our leaders the authority to make decisions in real time. It's empowering our teams to move more rapidly.” As one of the more experienced Emerging Leaders, Justin hopes to set up the group for success before moving into a mentor role. He sees Emerging Leaders as a huge opportunity to show kids there is another path to success that doesn’t require a college degree. The print industry needs support when it comes to recruiting and Justin is happy to be a part of that support.

Our next PICA Emerging Leaders profile is on Mordecai Scott Chief Business Development Officer at Loftin & Company Printers in Charlotte, NC and serves as Director of EL Networking. Similar to many of his emerging leaders Mordecai began his career in print through an internship, working at Loftin & Co while a student at West Charlotte High School, and into Davidson College. Following college, he spent 13 years in DC in commercial real estate before moving back to Charlotte and reconnecting with Loftin & Co in June of 2023.  Mordecai sees connections between his former career and his present; “print and commercial real estate are both venerable industries which are learning how to adapt to new technologies, the rise in AI, and how that aids the creative side of the product and business development.”  Though Mordecai is excited about emerging technology and the benefits of bringing youth into the industry, he also values the history and traditions of the printing industry. Loftin boasts a 125-year history and is still being run by the Loftin family. Mordecai believes that what sets Loftin apart is the personal touch they’re able to bring customers while still running large quantity jobs. “A benefit of Loftin is that you can pick up the phone and call us and say we need some last-minute changes as a conversation.” When working with his customers Mordecai tries to focus on how he can enhance the experience.  During his first year back at Loftin & Co Mordecai enjoyed overcoming challenges in his new role. One of his favorite projects was for the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The invites were printed in metal, onto a black backer on 100-pound gloss paper and foil stamped in metallic ink. The complexity of the job made it difficult, but also incredibly rewarding. He sees Emerging Leaders in a similar way, as a problem-solving operation that works together to inject youth into the industry. He’s enjoyed the unity he’s seen in Emerging Leaders. The group has “one goal and we want to see each other succeed.” The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) believes the Emerging Leaders is a shining example of the strength in our industry. #printis #printcarolinas #picamember

Our next Emerging Leaders Profile is on Colleen Clark, S&E Planning Manager at Imagine in Charlotte, NC and the Secretary of EL. Collen attended Clemson University for graphic communications graduating in 2015, knowing she wanted to go into print at the start of college she never looked back. Collen began her career in print as an account manager working at the National Print Group, West Rock, and Imagine. She began working at Imagine in 2018 and in 2023 became the planning manager. Colleen was driven towards print due to a love of business and math. Her current role is perfect for her as she oversees the daily workflow for the estimating of the planning team. Her role involves looking into pricing analytics and making sure Imagine is competitive in the present market. When asked what drew her to sales operations over account management Colleen replied “I like the pricing analytics side, I like continuous improvement, and this role really allows me a lot of that. How can we do it better, how can we be more efficient, effective, and get it done quicker?” However it’s not only the analytics aspects that Colleen enjoys, but also the people. In sales operations she’s able to interact with everyone on the floor, from those with 30 years of experience to interns she’s working with for the summer. The wealth of knowledge in place at Imagine has allowed them to embrace technology and continuous improvement. Colleen enjoys the entire process of her job, seeing an abstract idea become a physical product she can see in stores. As someone who works with many vendors and suppliers Colleen saw the networking opportunities of Emerging Leaders, but her excitement for EL goes beyond that. Colleen wants to be an advocate for the print community saying “I want to show people what we can do and how to get into this industry, because a lot of people aren't even aware it exists.” Colleen pointed to how influential her own internship experiences were and how it led her to a career she loves. The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) #PICAMembers #PrintIs #PrintCarolinas #girlswhoprint

An incredible Emerging Leader stepping into another leadership role! We love to see our Emerging Leaders grow as individuals as well as in their careers!

Our next The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) Emerging Leaders Profile is on Bryce Poremba, our Emerging Leaders Chairman and Vice President of Sales at Elite Print Finishing in Burlington, NC. Bryce grew up working at Elite Print Finishing, a family business, working with his step father Steven Roberts President of the EPF and mother Marcy Roberts. Growing up he served as a helping hand at EPF, but did not see himself pursuing a career in print. During college he was originally drawn to the medical field, studying chemistry and biology at UNC Wilimington and then receiving a masters of Public Health from East Carolina University. Bryce didn’t stop here, wanting to increase his opportunities he also sought out a business degree. Following his graduation Bryce received an unexpected job opportunity from a familiar place. A sales executive was leaving EPF and Bryce decided to pick up the mantle and return to EPF, becoming a sales executive in January of 2018. He thrived in the role, and this year became Elite Print Finishing’s Vice President of Sales. He has relished the opportunity to work with a wide array of industries servicing food and beverage, pharmaceuticals cosmetics, and multi-media with Elite’s products. Today Byrce's job consists of supporting sales reps and managing client relationships, which span nineteen states. Elite is an impressive shop that takes a great deal of pride in highlighting firepower with their ability to work twenty-four hours a day, five days a week, diversity of the equipment, and experience of their employees. All of Elite’s operators have around 10-15 years of experience. Though Bryce values the experience of his fellow employees he’s excited to see new people joining the industry, saying “I want to grow this industry and to do that there needs to be more of us, more young people.” Byrce believes the foresight of starting Emerging Leaders will help the print industry thrive. #printis #printcarolinas #picamember

The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA)'s next PICA Emerging Leaders Profile is Oliver Webb, Project Manager for Salem One in Winston Salem, NC and EL Director Programs for North Carolina. Oliver’s start in print began at Appalachian State University, graduating in 2021. His graphic communications program required him to participate in two internships. The first internship was DDi Print during an especially volatile time in the industry and the world at large, the Covid-19 pandemic. The second was at Salem One. After his graduation Oliver went from intern to full time employee, getting to work on many packaging projects. One of his favorites was packaging for Stirring Cocktails that doubles not only as a carton, but also a calendar. For Oliver the best part of the job is the variety. At Salem One “nothing is consistent, which has its ups and downs, but allows for a lot of experimenting. A lot of our clients will actually just send us a product and say please design something around it.” Oliver’s job has a lot of moving pieces engineering, layout, math, and customer service. He’s enjoyed developing relationships with customers and collaborating with them. Oliver was recently promoted to team lead at Salem One, for him it's exciting to see people come into the industry completely green and work their way up from the bottom, just like he did. As team lead he is now a part of hiring for his department, and hopes to see younger people joining the industry. For Oliver his education gave him a foundation of knowledge, but working in a print shop was where his true education began. To Oliver the only thing needed to get started working in the print industry is a willingness to learn and enthusiasm for the job.

Our next The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) PICA Emerging Leaders Profile is on William Killius, Sales Representative for Lindenmeyr Munroe Charlotte, NC. Will, a Virginia native and James Madison University graduate, had no plans to work in paper or print after graduating in 2023. He had no strong ties to the industry and his previous sales experience was in a jewelry store and other local jobs, but a childhood soccer teammate connected him to Lindenmeyr Munroe, a paper and packaging merchant which has served its customers for over 150 years. A typical day for Will involves working through emails, finding what his customers need sourced whether that's strapping for packaging products or uncoated or coated papers. Many of his customers know exactly what they want. Will’s expertise comes through when finding alternatives or unique solutions when problems arise. His overall goal is to get them a lead time that works with the print shop’s schedule and get his customers a competitive price. Though Will’s path into the print industry was unexpected he’s enjoyed seeing the communities that arise across the Carolinas. Will primarily serves the Asheville area. He’s seen firsthand how “every single one of [his] printers knows each other, or at least of each other, and they all communicate. It's very important to keep your relationships with everyone. Everyone's going to talk to each other, and you need to try your hardest to make sure you've done right by everybody.” For Will the most exciting part about Emerging leaders is joining a group of his peers that will allow him to expand his print knowledge and develop relationships with local printers. Will added that he’s “excited to see the creativity of these young people, utilizing skills that they've learned throughout the years and from their mentors, and seeing how they grow as emerging leaders.”

The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) is excited to share today's PICA Emerging Leaders Profile on Stanley McCloy III; Emerging Leader Director of SC Engagement, and Sales and Business Development Manager at Professional Printers in Columbia, SC. Stanley’s career in print began early, starting in his teens while attending Lexington High School. Stanley took a course in graphic design. This path led him to Clemson’s University Graphic Communication Program. The program gave Stanley a diverse print education learning about screen-printing, flexo, and much more. His program required him to participate in two internships while studying. Stanley went above and beyond finding three internships, the third was Professional Printers, his eventual place of employment. Stanley’s advice for young people looking to start in the industry is to “take advantage of the internships.” Stanley originally started as a sales associate, a hybrid program where new employees work a hybrid role managing accounts and performing customer service. Stanley now manages the associate sales program, the internship program, and generates leads for the entire sales team and develops accounts. Stanley has come to expect the unexpected in print. For him “there's diversity every day, I can plan my week out and have a general idea of what I'm going to be doing, but the great thing is that there's that variety. Every job that comes through our plant here is custom. So every single job, every single client has their own considerations.” Stanley values the personal focus Professional Printers pays to both customers and employees. From his perspective the number one pillar is always the client. Stanley is excited for the future of Emerging Leaders and the print industry as a whole, he believes there's a change coming to the industry and that Emerging Leaders is a part of that . “People who have been in the industry for a long time are aging out. Someone has to take over. The industry has to get younger. Collaboration is really important. When we get these programs running we all benefit.” For Stanley the best part of the group thus far has been the sense of community it’s provided, meeting people with completely different print backgrounds that he may not have ever interacted with otherwise. #PICAEmergingLeaders #PrintIs #PRINTCarolinas #PICAMember