The challenge is clear for us here @ Hillis, keep up with an increasingly rapid change in business. This can be uncomfortable for an industry that is based on tradition, repetition, craft and a conservative approach to the very issue that threatens our survival and growth-Change.
We have embraced change internally, whether by staggering work hours, re-purposing equipment and materials, engineering solutions is the primary focus of every employee in every function on the job.
It hasn’t been easy, but the change in attitude, and emphasis on cherishing the tradition of our existing business, and embracing the rapid pace of change, has led us organizationally to accept that we need to be flexible, nimble partners, and we can compete in a new way, and remain successful.
We recently exhibited at the Visual Media Alliance show and had the opportunity to meet many new customers, and demonstrate our varied capabilities. The show itself, accurately presented seminar topics that featured electronic media, but the presence of companies like Hillis, paper vendors, and other traditional media firms, was a nice counterpoint to the “new” media offerings.
If you would like a set of our all occasion greeting cards reply to us here, and you can experience our nod to letterpress and litho technique, that we produced for the show in May!
The general feeling, after finishing up 3 pretty strong months, is that Print is finding it’s way back into the collective media market. For many of us who have been through tumultuous times in the past, the most recent internet-centric shake-up of our beloved traditional manufacturing based communications industry came as a shock. The consolidation and merger phase seemed to give way to full scale fall-out for many printers of all sizes, with business failures across the country.
Now, with the industry poised as a lean, service driven, collaborative group of organizations, we are ready to take advantage of our strengths, the ability to be flexible, to rely on electronic media to assist in our production and communication, and work from a low volume platform to provide clients with a profitable value proposition.
At our core, Hillis has always been a community based business printer, and again, after 100 plus years, we are proudly fulfilling that tradition!
Visit us at the VMA “State of the Art” show on May 12th and see how we do it!
The San Francisco Giants are 2010 World Series Champions, bringing to a close a drought that dates back to 1958 when the team arrived from New York.
The first World Series appearance ended with a heartbreaking Willie McCovey line drive(1962), the second essentially ended by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and most recently in 2002 by a red rally monkey in Anahiem.
This victory was especially gratifying considering not only the long history of futility, but because of the true team spirit displayed by the roster of self proclaimed misfits and cast-offs. The blending of homegrown talent, recent call ups, last minute additions and role players combined to accomplish what the previous superstar and steroid laden teams in the past could not.
The World Series 2010 SF Giants did keep “torturing” fans throughout the end of the season, and certainly the Divisional and League Championship playoffs, but thankfully settled into a dominant winning pattern for the Series itself.
It was a Great Ride, Thanks Giants!!
Checklist: lock, gloves, helmet, air in tires, bandana*-head to the awesome Bike Valet @ 4th and King(Thanks San Francisco Bike Coalition). Rain or shine, the unfailingly polite staff @ the SFBC Bike Valet staff take great care of my ride until my bullet train return @ the end of the day.
The only possible downside to the biking portion of the commute is the exposure to road rage-cabbies, garbage trucks, shopping carts and yes-school bus drivers, not to mention the liberal interpretation of “stop” signs by a mixed group of casual to experienced(fixie type)cyclists. Altogether, the slow, meandering, earth saving 2 wheel commute roll can occasionally(daily?)resemble an anarchy induced, slapstick, wobbly, mucus filled, verbal volley-bookending a peaceful workday.
Do you bike to work? or to transit? Care to share tips? Share away, and get a *Hillis Printing bandana for your effort!
I am thrilled to be the new owner of Hillis Printing. Established in 1901(Yes-1901!)the opportunity to continue the legacy of one of the oldest printing companies on the West Coast is a rare one, and too good to pass up. Despite the challenges we are all aware of to the overall health of the print media, I am confident that a small, quality, regional/community printer can succeed in the modern digital era. Chris Cullen
