Leading the End-to-End Launch of a Production Ecosystem

Large convenience retail chains maintain a competitive edge with large amounts of high-quality interior and exterior signage, advertising, and branding—a level of professional marketing financially out of reach for independent owners.

Our mission was to level the playing field.

I was tasked with founding a new department from the ground up that would allow our smaller stores to compete at a high-tier retail level without the prohibitive costs, while simultaneously providing our larger chains with a streamlined, vertical service model.

Strategic Operations & Infrastructure Management

I spearheaded the end-to-end launch of the facility by managing the primary capital expenditure budget and logistical roadmap. My procurement strategy was rooted in extensive field research, including on-site audits of established print shops, manufacturer consultations, and industry trade shows to evaluate machinery performance.

Complex Installations: Managed the delivery and installation of heavy industrial equipment, which included coordinating with contractors for critical electrical upgrades to the building.
Staged Procurement: Implemented a two-phase rollout to protect cash flow—installing core production printers and cutters for rigorous material testing and training before scaling into specialized machinery as demand peaked.
Spatial Engineering: Used Sketchup to design the facility layout, ensuring the floor plan optimized personnel safety, ergonomic workflow, and the specific power/clearance requirements of the hardware

Inventory, Margins, & Workflow

To ensure the department was and fiscally sustainable, I established:

Cost Logic & Pricing Matrices: Partnered with accounting to build dynamic pricing models that factored in material waste, labor hours, and maintenance costs, ensuring every project protected the company’s margins.
Inventory Logic: Developed a standardized naming convention (e.g., VM3-54) that linked raw materials to software and equipment for simplified procurement and ensure proper production settings.
Workflow Automation: Built a custom production management system in Monday.com, tracking every job from file submission through final quality control with clear ownership and priority triggers.

Operational Scaling & Crisis Response

Once the infrastructure was set, I transitioned the shop into a high-output internal agency, moving from a build phase to a fully operational service provider.

Catalog vs. Custom: I scaled the shop to support a dual-revenue model: maintaining a robust ready to order catalog of sign inventory for immediate fulfillment, while simultaneously managing high-touch custom branding requests.
Mission-Critical Support: The shop became invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic for major clients like Jacksons Food Stores and ExtraMile. We provided an agile, rapid-response production line for in-store signage and safety branding that shifted almost daily, providing a level of speed and cost-savings that third-party vendors could not match.

Leadership & Team Development

As the department lead, I focused on building a sustainable team culture and maintaining the high technical standards required for industrial print.

Management & Mentorship: I managed and mentored a junior designer, overseeing their professional development, workload prioritization, and daily creative output.
Technical Onboarding: I authored the department’s SOPs and personally trained staff on all proprietary software, large-format print procedures, and finishing techniques to ensure consistent quality and safety.