Customer Service Quality Control

MICHAEL WATKINS

**** **. ***** ****

Cordova, TN 38016

Telephone: 901-***-**** / Cell: 901-***-****

E-mail: abjo7c@r.postjobfree.com

Versatile print production and purchasing professional with over twenty

years of experience in management, operations and client support. Organized

with a proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects. Detail-

oriented, while keeping schedules and budgets. Deadline-conscious, yet

focused on maintaining quality and exhibiting grace under pressure.

Objective is to utilize analytical, creative, technical and business skills

and background in a progressive setting.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CYBER GRAPHICS (Bryce Corporation owned), MEMPHIS TN...2010

Photopolymer Platemaker for a leading supplier of photopolymer plates for

the flexographic printing industry. Responsibilities include photopolymer

media job setup, handling, mounting, imaging, processing, quality control

and packaging utilizing DuPont Cyrel, Kodak Creo and Flint photopolymer

imaging and plate making systems.

AS HOSPITALITY, MEMPHIS TN...2006 - 2009

Production Control and Purchasing Agent for the world's leading printer for

the hospitality industry with over $40,000,000 annually in sales for

customers such as the Marriott, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, and Choice hotel

chains.

Notable Accomplishments:

* Provided production control and calculated paper usage for over

15,000 jobs run annually on AS Hospitality's sheet-fed, rotary and HP

Indigo and Canon digital presses.

* Developed a method for calculating the maximum number of pieces that

could be run on any press sheet.

* Added a search capability to the Franklin estimating system that

simplified the creation of new estimates.

* Discovered and fixed non-committal issues of several rotary stocks as

data was imported from BFE to PICK.

* Simplified purchasing process by establishing "stores" with ASH

vendors possessing on-line capabilities.

* Participated in Six Sigma projects on semi-paperless office and

managing manufacturing waste.

* Developed workflow charts for Brand Services that helped in the

understanding of job production.

* Researched future print management systems for ASH; part of employee

relations committee.

* Created and developed KPI spreadsheets and reports with graphs to

track efficiency in the department.

Responsibilities:

* Lead production planner of ASH jobs utilizing management information

software - BFE and PICK.

* Planned production and provided quality control for various marketing

materials and business forms.

* Reviewed and approved die line mechanicals for materials requiring

die cutting, foil stamping and embossing.

* Lead purchasing agent for consumables, office supplies and dies.

* Estimator of in-house jobs and projects that required outsourcing.

THE JACKSON SUN (Gannett owned newspaper), JACKSON, TN ... 2005 - 2006

Commercial Print Coordinator for West Tennessee's second largest newspaper

Notable Accomplishments:

* Successfully transitioned pre-press from film to the more cost-

efficient computer to plate technology with the design and creation

of production templates.

* Increased sales and improved customer satisfaction for the Sun

Printing operations.

Responsibilities:

* Coordinator of commercial print jobs printed on the Jackson Sun's KBA

4/c web press and Sun Printing's 2/c sheet-fed presses.

* Commercial jobs included Memphis Flyer, Coal News and other regional

and national trade publications.

* Estimator, CSR, graphic artist and pre-press operator for Sun

Printing, The Jackson Sun's job press operation.

MaCaW SOLUTIONS, MILAN, TN ... 2003 - 2006

Floor Maintenance Owner/Manager servicing retail establishments in West

Tennessee.

* Management included sourcing, hiring and supervising crews of up to

eight subcontractors, scheduling, equipment maintenance, billing,

payroll, taxes, accounts payable and accounts receivable.

* Floor maintenance services included carpet cleaning and buffing,

scrubbing, stripping, and waxing floor tile.

* Subcontracted accounts included Toys R' Us, Wendy's, O'Reilys Auto

Parts, and Big Lots.

CENTURY 21 UNLIMITED, TANNERSVILLE, PA ... 2002 - 2003

Real Estate Sales Representative for a Pocono Mountain region real estate

office. Responsibilities included sales, marketing, contract writing and

negotiations, client support and customer service.

EMR SYSTEMS COMMUNICATIONS (now PEEQ Media), NEW YORK CITY, NY ... 1996 -

2001

Production Manager for a high end digital pre-press and print company with

prominent clients in advertising, publishing, fashion, education,

pharmaceutical and healthcare fields.

Notable Accomplishments:

* Oversaw successful release of advertising insertions totaling over

$25,000,000 annually for EMR's clients.

* Computerized plant instructions utilizing PSI thus leading to 230%

savings in job write-up time, clearer plant direction and overall

improved efficiency of operations.

* Established preflighting operations for EMR including the designing

and writing of a guidelines booklet.

Responsibilities:

* Managed print and pre-press production for prominent advertising

agencies and corporations including DraftWorldwide, Deutsch, McCann

Ericson, Publicis Bloom, Aetna, National Broadcasting Corporation,

Est e Lauder, Harry Winston and Liz Claiborne.

* Supervised EMR operations (scanning, retouching, composition,

stripping, proofing, press and bindery) for client projects such as

magazine and newspaper ads, billboards, catalogs, media kits,

stationery, posters, kiosks, sell sheets and direct-mail.

* Supervision of aforementioned processes and personnel included job

write-up, scheduling and quality control.

* Communicated order status with clients, vendors, EMR management and

the sales staff.

* Detailed knowledge of researching magazine and newspaper

specifications using SRDS.

* Estimator and buyer of outside vendor print, finish, fulfillment and

courier services.

* Purchased paper for jobs run on EMR's Heidelberg GTO and Karat

presses and outside vendor presses.

* Operator, trainer and researcher of EMR's print management system -

Programmed Solutions (PSI).

* Preflight technician for EMR utilizing QuarkXpress, Photoshop,

Illustrator and Flightcheck.

FREELANCE GRAPHIC ARTIST, NEW YORK CITY, NY... 1995

Freelance graphics artist for two companies - Executive Enterprises (a

management education organization specializing in the sponsorship of

business conferences for executives and professionals), and Harrison, Star,

Wiener and Beitler (a healthcare advertising and communications agency).

DOTS (DIGITAL OPERATIONS TECHNICAL SERVICES), NEW YORK CITY, NY ... 1995

Customer Service Representative for a high quality digital pre-press and

photography studio with prominent clients in publishing and retail

including Ziff Davis, Paper Direct and Dr. Leonard's catalog.

Notable Accomplishments:

* Created billing logs utilizing Excel that simplified and organized

the collection of services by accounting.

Responsibilities:

* Coordinated pre-press operations for printed materials ranging from

postcards to large mail order catalogs.

* Trafficked and provided quality control of proofs, digital media and

printed materials sent to clients, vendors and publications.

WATCHTOWER, BROOKLYN, NY ... 1988 - 1994

Pre-press Specialist for the graphics department at world headquarters of

an international educational publisher.

Notable Accomplishments:

* Selected as part of a three-person team of Graphic Artists, called

Graphics Services, that was responsible for the first all-digital

publications for Watchtower.

* Improved the efficiency of the color proofing operations by over 50%

with the reorganizing of equipment.

* Assisted in the development of techniques to utilize application

software in the retouching of broken type found in older publications

that were being reprinted by Watchtower.

Responsibilities:

* Photo retouching, text entry, composition and page layout of books,

magazines and brochures.

* Operations performed primarily with the Multi-language Electronic

Phototypesetting System (MEPS), developed by Watchtower to support

the more than 250 languages it publishes in - from Afrikaans to Zulu.

* 2 and 4 color stripping of film used in plate production. Scanning,

recording and miscellaneous camera work.

* Operated contact printing, duping, Dylux proofing, color proofing and

automated film processor equipment.

* Maintained and calibrated departmental equipment including silver

recovery of fixer chemistry.

* Trained department personnel and personnel from foreign branches.

* Operated in-sheet gluer, smasher and whip-stitching equipment in the

Watchtower bindery department.

DESKTOP PUBLISHING PLUS, WAVERLY, TN ... 1986 - 1988

Owner and manager of a profitable desktop publishing service that evolved

into the founding and publishing of The Baseball Summer Weekly, a popular

Humphreys County, Tennessee sports weekly.

Responsibilities:

* Established clients and functioned as a liaison between client and

printer.

* Hired, supervised and coordinated freelancers to handle reporting,

photography and text entry functions.

* Desktop publishing services included art, design and editorial work

for clients.

* Produced a wide range of printed material from letterheads to

newsletters.

* Founded and published The Baseball Summer Weekly as a promotional

vehicle for Desktop Publishing Plus.

* Performed all of the editing and most of the reporting, writing,

composition, art, page layout and design work.

Notable Accomplishments:

* Expanded The Baseball Summer Weekly from a two-page newsletter to a

twenty-page publication with photographs by the sixth issue.

* The Baseball Summer Weekly successfully led to more accounts for

Desktop Publishing Plus.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Print Management and Pre-press Operations:

* Experienced in all phases of print and pre-press project management

including job specifications, schedules, workflow, page makeup,

imposition, quality control, trafficking, press checks, estimating,

purchasing, fulfillment, shipping, distribution and billing.

* Thorough knowledge of planning print projects run on multiple

platforms including sheet-fed, web, rotary, digital and

letterpresses.

* Skilled in analyzing complex print matrices and strategically

planning their most effective implementation.

* Familiarity with multiple paper types and brands including recyclable

products with FSC Certification.

* Pre-press specialist and graphic artist utilizing conventional and

electronic techniques, scanning, preflight, graphic design, writing,

editing and proofing.

* Working knowledge of various print management systems including PSI.

* Experienced user of Macintosh graphics applications such as OSX,

Acrobat, QuarkXpress, Fetch, Pitstop and Adobe InDesign, Illustrator

and Photoshop.

* Working knowledge of multiple electronic file formats for print and

web trafficking.

* Advanced operator of pre-press equipment including Kodak Polychrome

computer to plate equipment and supporting software such as Creo

Newsmanager, Preps and Prinergy.

* Operator of DuPont Cyrel, Kodak Creo and Flint photopolymer plate

making systems for the flexographic printing industry.

Purchasing and General Business:

* Supervisory and business management skills including those acquired

through business ownership including sourcing, hiring, training and

disciplining of personnel.

* Experienced in materials management, inventory control, production

planning, cost control, strategic sourcing, negotiations, and

procurement practices.

* Working knowledge of ERP, WMA and MIS systems such as PSI, SAP, PICK

and Meta Communications.

* Experienced in managing and tracking purchase orders and

requisitions.

* Strong background in customer service and sales.

* Experienced user of PC applications such as Microsoft Windows and the

Microsoft Office series.

* Team player with excellent verbal and written communication skills,

attention to detail, and ability to train and work effectively with

colleagues, customers and vendors.

* Demonstrated success in improving efficiency of operations.

* Keen eye for strong design and effective writing.

Professional Development:

* National Computer Resource Center (New York, NY certificates of

achievement in QuarkXPress and Adobe Illustrator.

* Watchtower Graphic Arts School (Brooklyn, NY) certificates of

achievement based on Rochester Institute of Technology curriculum.

* No college or university education or bachelor degree, yet 20 years

of progressive experience in printing related industries.

Contact this candidate