Texas In-plant Conference Draws 43 Managers

There are a lot of in-plants in Texas. The Lone Star State is, in fact, the only state with its own annual in-plant conference, the Texas Association of College and University Printers (TACUP) conference, which has been taking place for 38 years now. Last week the association met again, joining forces with the Southwest Association of College and University Mail Services (SWACUMS) this time, to bring together 43 managers representing 30 colleges, universities, school districts and government agencies.

"We were very fortunate to have so many great managers from Texas and Oklahoma in attendance this year," remarked conference organizer Donna Horbelt, director of UTHealth Printing Services. "Along with one of the best vendor shows we have had in years, the networking capabilities were outstanding. There was definitely something for everyone to take back both personally and professionally."

Convening in League City, Texas, near Houston, the group spent three days networking, attending sessions and visiting the 28 vendors whose wares were on display in the vendor showroom.

Nearly 30 vendors had displays at TACUP 2015.

The highlight of the conference was opening keynote speaker Beverly Chiodo, a retired professor in the Department of Management at Texas State University, whose thought-provoking presentation on "Character-driven Success"offered a new perspective on how to motivate others to excellence. She stressed the importance of recognizing outstanding character traits in others to raise them to greater levels of achievement.

Also on the agenda:

• Jimmy Lamb, of Sawgrass Technologies, talked about diversifying with dye-sublimation.
• Lewis Kindle related updates from the US Postal Service.
• Ricoh's Debbie Pavletich talked about the value of in-plants and how they can streamline processes, increase throughput and improve operational efficiency.
• Pam Campbell discussed how proper mail piece design can significantly decrease postage costs.
• Gary Dow, of Rolland Enterprises, talked about environmental sustainability.
• Aaron Johnson, of GTxcel, expounded upon the value and benefits of e-publishing.

TACUP Attendees also got to tour UTHealth Printing Services, home to a new five-color Heidelberg SX74, and the mailing center at MD Anderson Cancer Center.