INSIDE EDGE. MEEt chuck. BoBBy'S BEat NEWS. MoBIlE. First name, Take a look inside to discover what we ve accomplished in 2013!

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1 BoBBy'S BEat tackle MoBIlE MEEt chuck IN the NEWS INSIDE EDGE First name, Take a look inside to discover what we ve accomplished in 2013! 1

2 BoBBy'S BEat Dear [John], Happy Thanksgiving/Holiday Season! Yes, it is that time of year again. Where has the year gone? This is a great time of year. Schedules seem to get more hectic with the close of the business year, parties, and family commitments. This is also the time of year that we can take time out to remember how fortunate we are and be thankful. On the business side, First Edge Solutions has experienced another exciting year of growth. We were named an Inc winner for the second year in a row. We have also added more key members to our team across the country, especially in our Atlanta facility which sets us up for strong growth in the Southeast Region for Our vision every day is to invest in industry leading technology, people, and value-added services that will help you and your organization better communicate and take your business relationships to the next level. On the community side, something I am also thankful for is the opportunity that First Edge has to work with and donate to the non-profits in each of our First Edge respective cities. We have many different causes that are all great ones either First Edge employees are passionate about or some of our great customers are likewise passionate about. It gives our company and all employees a great opportunity to help those less fortunate. So now, as we all work hard to clear our desks and calendars before the end of the year, on behalf of all of our team at First Edge Solutions, thank you. To all of our great clients, stakeholders, partners and future partners, we appreciate the relationship we have with all of you. Most importantly, Happy Holidays to you, your colleagues, friends and your loved ones! Robert McConnell Kraft President & CEO P.S. I am looking ForWarD To a great 2014 TogETHEr! 2

3 our PhoENIX office IS MoVING In 2008, First Edge Solutions acquired a print communications company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The acquisition brought with it an expansion of multichannel communications into the insurance and educational markets. In early 2011, the Phoenix office expanded with the creation of its own creative advertising agency, known as FE Agency. Complete with its own growing team and core competencies, FE Agency responded to the need in the marketplace for concept development. We are excited to announce that coming mid-december of 2013, First Edge Solutions & FE Agency will be relocating to a much larger, new and improved office in North Phoenix. The new office will be two levels, with First Edge Solutions & it's printing warehouse occupying the first floor and FE Agency taking over the second floor. We look forward to a great 2014 in the new office! 3

4 To tackle mobile start wit h A Beginner s Mind. -Kevin Brandt One of the big problems with mobile technology is no one fully understands what mobile is, what mobile can do or more importantly, what mobile could do. In order to develop strategies to conquer the mobile space we have to forget the past. We must assume that what has been done before and for that matter, what is being done now is inadequate and unsatisfactory. As a former colleague once told me, in order to be truly innovative we must use a beginner s mind to approach each challenge as if it never existed. I constantly challenge my teams to use their beginner s mind, not by pointing out where they should look for answers, but rather where they are not allowed look. By removing the obvious as an option, we eliminate complacency and stimulate the type of creative thinking that leads us to great solutions. For example, a few years ago, the physicians at Children s Hospital of Wisconsin were faced with the challenge of saving the life of a young girl who had contracted rabies. 4

5 Up until that point, no one had ever been cured of the disease once it had progressed to the extent it had with her. The lead physician assembled a worldwide team of experts in the field and asked them to list every single approach that had been taken previously. Once the exhaustive list of options had been written down, he ripped the sheet from the pad, tore it up and said, Every one of these patients died. Now what are we going to do? Last year that young woman graduated from college because of a beginner s mind. The excitement of living in a mobile world is there are no rules. Mobile is fertile ground for the beginner s mind. And while there are no rules, there is one inalienable truth we must all follow. If someone is willing to let us into the palm of their hand, we better have a pretty good reason for being there. We need to come to grips with the fact that what we want them to hear doesn t matter. The only thing that matters is what they want to hear. Am I suggesting developing mobile strategies requires us to reinvent the wheel? Absolutely not. However, what I am suggesting is that it is our obligation to uncover innovative ways to use our new mobile wheel. We must look for situations where mobile might not be considered as a viable option, or for that matter even considered. And once we find that opportunity we must give ourselves the freedom to go about finding a way to make it work. We must never deny. We find ourselves at the beginning of a new era of consumer and brand engagement. The possibilities are only hindered by the restrictions we place upon ourselves. The only way to truly make an impact is to face the mobile challenge head on without fear of failure and a with A beginner s mind. 5

6 WElcoME chuck SMallEy We took a moment to sit down and chat with Chuck Smalley, our new Director of Client Operations / Business Analyst for First Edge Solutions, Phoenix to discuss his background in the print industry and find out what it is about print that inspires him so much. WITH over 25 YEarS in the business, Chuck remains knowledgeable of emerging trends in the industry and talks about how successful print materials will adapt to the technological advances of today. Read below to learn more about Chuck and the future of print. FES: Tell me a little bit about your background. c: I got involved in printing when I was 16 years old. I had the luxury of having print shops available to me when I was in Jr. High and I absolutely loved it. I ve been in printing basically my whole life. All of my after school & summer jobs I worked in print shops. When I went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, I got a degree in Graphics Communications with a Printing Management concentration. After I graduated school, I joined the business forms industry. I spent 25 years in the industry and worked my way up from the front office to a Production Supervisor on the floor. I then became a Plant Superintendent and eventually a Plant Manager. Due to business conditions after 911, the company decided to close the plant. I ended up working for Cigna HealthCare and managing all of their document production, which is how most of the people at FES know me. 6

7 FES: You come to FES as a former client. What is it like now being on the other side? c: I ve always told people that having somebody as a client that understands the industry is both a blessing and a curse. It s a blessing because I understand the industry and I can have empathy, but it s a curse because I understand the industry and I know what can and can t be done. It was very good for me to be on the other side for the 9+ years that I was with Cigna. Now I come back into the industry with a different perspective. I m quick now to say, We need to think about this from the customer s perspective. FES: What do you enjoy most about working at FES? c: The challenge. I will admit that after my work at Cigna, I had accomplished a lot. I moved out of the document area and got involved in project management with the healthcare reform initiatives. I had done pretty much most of what I could do in my position. We all like challenges. The work here at FES right now is challenging my thought processes. FES: You re a print guy inside and out. You have a lot of experience and passion for print. What is it about print that gets you going? c: My passion has really evolved over the years. When I first started out, what I loved about the print industry was that you re always doing something different every day. No two days are the same; no two products are the same. While that still remains a part of it, I ve learned over the years to appreciate process and procedure and the value of being efficient and running a business, as well as valuing our employees as our most valuable asset and treating them with respect and giving them opportunities to grow. I m a firm believer that our people should have the opportunity to move up and develop. We as a management team owe that to them. WE NEED to think about this FRoM the customer S PERSPEctIVE. 7

8 CHuCk vs PrInT FES: What s the future of print? Do you think it will always be around? c: There will always be a need for print. What s going to happen is that as technology evolves, there will be more and more demand for other channels of communication. Print is not going to go away, it will never go away. Print on paper will be with us forever, but there will be more sophisticated ways of communicating. What I like about FES is that we incorporate all of it; the new channels as well as traditional channels. them about the number of carts we have so I guess I would like to see less carts. Less carts, more conveyer. Anything we could do to move our product without having people touch it would be ideal. PHoEnIx'S SunSHInE FES: Do you have any ideas for FES that you would like to see executed in the office? c: I like to tease the production department about having fewer carts in the plant to transport our materials. I m a firm believer that we should reduce the amount of touches we have with our product. I m always teasing FES: What s your favorite thing about Phoenix? c: I like warm weather. I grew up in southern California. I loved the warm weather there and was always at the beach growing up. Summer was always a special time and it had that special feeling. Here it s like its summer year round. It s great. Plus, I met my wife here. 8

9 CHuCk &SPorTS FES: What s your favorite sport? What s your favorite team? c: Baseball. Arizona Diamondbacks. I m a season ticket holder from the inaugural season in 98, so I ve been a season ticket holder since day one. Before that I was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan growing up in LA, but now I just can t give them any allegiance at all. FES: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be? c: Credible. You get what you see. I like to develop trust with people. MY WorD HolDS value. "credible" FES: What do you want your colleagues and clients of First Edge Solutions to know about you? c: I m excited to be back in the industry. I have a lot of experience to offer. My history will allow me to help others. I ve been told I have a knack for asking the right questions so that we do things correctly the first time around. I m here to help our clients and employees grow. "I M here to help our clients and EMPloyEES GRoW." 9

10 FIRSt EDGE SolutIoNS at the head of the Pack! understanding CHangIng CoMMunICaTIon DYnaMICS The new landscape of empowered customers, dizzying technological advancements, and globalization means that print service providers must re-think their craft. Corporations are seeking partners that can help them deliver deeper customer engagement and interaction. Graphic communications service providers of all sizes need to future-proof their businesses in terms of services, solutions, and data capabilities so they can deliver relevant information and optimize customer service. First Edge Solutions President & CEO, Robert Kraft states, We ve developed a laser focus on delivering more relevant solutions to our clients across all media channels. In addition, we ve developed a healthy obsession with metrics to demonstrate our value to customers and better manage their budgets. We want to have solid business discussions so we can understand client needs, and we are doing this while continually driving our focus on innovation. We are committed to staying ahead of the pack. To read the entire article, please visit: 10

11 C H EE R S! First Glass 2013 We hope you can make it out to the next one and thanks to all that came out! First Edge Solutions (FES) Milwaukee held it s 3rd annual First Glass Event Thursday September 26, First Glass is an event that allows FES staff the opportunity to meet and greet our local customers and vendors in a relaxed atmosphere. It was a nice early fall evening and the ambiance of a good time was in the air; there were appetizers which included bacon wrapped water chestnuts, finger sandwiches, along with free beer and wine. Live music and great conversation filled the air. It is an excellent networking opportunity for all. The turnout was very good too...even the mascot from the city s basketball team, The Milwaukee Bucks named BANGO was in attendance. It was definitely a First Glass event. 11

12 First name, on behalf of First Edge Solutions, we wish you a Happy Holiday s and a great new Year! BoBBy'S BEat tackle MoBIlE MEEt chuck IN the NEWS INSIDE EDGE North Black Canyon Highway Phoenix, Arizona First Last Name Address Suite City, State Zip