Printer’s Ink for Blood. An Eye for the Future

Kevin Cassis
President, CEO
The Whitley Company

By Larry F. Hill, Ad Fed Board Member
Kevin Cassis didn’t realize it was genetics luring him toward the clack-clack of a printing press in his junior high school headmaster’s basement. It wasn’t until Kevin was working in printing full-time as a high school senior that he discovered he represented his family’s fourth generation of printers. Tradition thusly ingrained, Kevin’s focus is now on the future of the industry and The Whitley Company’s leadership role in it.

Initially headed for points west until a chance visit here (his first Austin address—the Pecan Grove RV Park), Kevin was hired as a rep in 2000 by Whitley’s venerable Johnny Jones, then returned to Cleveland as a printing consultant shortly after Jones’ death. In 2005, he came back to Austin at the request of Johnny’s son, Ron. Kevin and his financial backers bought Whitley in 2006, and Kevin was named President and CEO in September. “I saw the opportunity in Whitley’s brand, the name, Johnny’s legacy, the identity of the company, but also in the great staff and technology.” (Since the land at 3rd and Brazos was sold to a developer, Whitley will relocate in January 2008 to a much larger facility in the Ben White corridor.)

Administrative processes got Kevin’s attention first. “For the first time in 57 years, Whitley employees no longer hand-write job tickets. Everything from initial client contact through invoicing is now integrated.” The changes were welcomed, although he admits, “I brought in some people I used to work with in Ohio, and 2006 was not a great year to bring a bunch of Buckeyes to Austin.”

Producing a high-quality printed product is as important to Kevin as it was to his great-grandfather. But Cassis believes Whitley’s future (and that of the industry, whose growth barely keeps pace with inflation in the face of digital alternatives) lies in partnering with its customers to deliver integrated communications solutions.

“It’s not just ink on paper anymore,” he says. “For example, we’ve formed a subsidiary that works exclusively with higher education.” Displaying a series of full-color recruiting postcards for a university, he continues. “The images and content on each of these is tailored to the recipient’s interests—this one’s art, this one’s science. We integrate personalized data into the printed image, even creating a personalized URL the recipient uses to interact with the college. Each press sheet carries a different image. And then we follow up with personalized emails—no ink required. The agencies provide the creative and the content, and we provide the means to manage and deliver all of it.”

Kevin also stands firm in his belief that partnering with Whitley’s clients to make environmentally responsible choices is not only the right thing to do but is good business for everyone. “We’ve made a real commitment to provide environmentally and socially responsible solutions to our clients,” says Cassis. “We’re one of only 150 printers in the U.S. who are certified by the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council), which promotes and verifies sustainable forestry practices throughout the chain of custody for paper manufacturing.” In fact, he adds proudly, “Our new stationery will be printed on the first-ever-released zero-carbon-footprint paper stock.”

Cassis and Whitley support the Austin Ad Fed with a corporate membership, and Cassis believes, “Whether through membership, or donations, or even just the happy hours, I think it’s important to support these kinds of associations, for the good of everyone on all sides of the business."

When asked about the future of printers and agencies, Kevin replies, “Print’s not going away, certainly. I see our future in being an extension of the agencies. And we’ll go where the technology takes us.”