company culture Archives

Employee Spotlight: Pat Scanlon

Posted on May 9, 2023May 9, 2023 by Camille Lehmann

Author: Camille Rosa, Senior Marketing Specialist

Nahan is proud to have many extraordinary employees and we love taking the opportunity to share their stories with you. It’s not only our product quality that we take pride in, but the people who make the quality our customers expect, possible. In this Employee Spotlight, we are featuring Pat Scanlon, Pressman, and member of the Nahan team for the last 28 years.

Pat Scanlon, Pressman

A Master of Print

Pat first ventured into the print industry in 1978, through a high school vocational program at Volkmuth Printing. Volkmuth originated in 1938 in Waite Park, MN, and would eventually be purchased by Quad Graphics, running until its closure in 2014. Pat earned his MPA (Master Printers of America) accreditation from the Printing Industries of America (PIA) in 1988. In 1990, he moved to working in the printing department of Banta Catalog Group. From there, Pat accepted a job at Nahan in 1995.

An Accomplished Pressman

One of the reasons Pat enjoys his role of Pressman at Nahan is the opportunity to think through and recommend ways to produce projects on the press. An accomplishment he prides himself on is being part of a team to start up three presses: M1000BE, Sunday 3000, and the Man Roland Rotoman.

“Working on these press teams gave me the opportunity to better understand how and why these presses are built the way that they are.”

-Pat Scanlon, Pressman

Even after 45 years in the industry, Pat says he still enjoys the art of putting ink on paper. Being part of a team where he is passionate about what he does, and where he gets to help people new to the industry learn more everyday about the ins and outs of print, gives Pat joy each day he comes to Nahan.

Beyond Nahan

Outside of work, Pat enjoys spending time with his family, his wife Theresa (also a member of the Nahan team), snowmobiling, fishing, going to the cabin, and riding motorcycles. In fact, he and his wife are planning a cross-country motorcycle trip this summer from Minnesota to northern California and back. Pat says his favorite place he’s traveled to so far has been Europe, where he and his family traveled across the continent. He also had the opportunity to go to Germany to be trained on the Man Roland Rotoman press.

When asked what the best piece of advice he’d ever been given was, Pat replied with “Don’t be afraid to learn something new every day.” In Pat’s decades long experience in print and 28 years of dedication to Nahan, he has truly shown the essence of this advice. Always willing to learn and to teach, Pat is an incredible value to the Nahan team and a tremendous individual as well.

Employee Spotlight: Mike Gillen

Posted on November 9, 2022November 9, 2022 by Camille Lehmann

Author: Camille Lehmann

Mike Gillen, an anchor of Nahan’s training team, has played an integral part in our success as a growing organization, now home to over 400 employees. We believe in empowering our employees with training and development opportunities. Much of this is accomplished through our Nahan University program, which Mike played a large part in launching in 2019 in partnership with St. Cloud State University. I had the privilege of learning more about Mike’s career journey throughout the print industry and what he’s passionate about outside of Nahan.

Mike Gillen, QA and Training Lead

Decades of Experience in Print

Mike’s career in print began in the 1980s, where he spent several years at Post Publishing Co. During that decade, the Minnesota printing industry was more uncertain, resulting in his workplace closing in-house production. With three children at home, he began searching for another opportunity. What happened next, was the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with Nahan. Coincidentally, his thumbing through the Yellow Pages and making phone calls, led Mike directly to Mike Nahan, our CEO at the time. Nahan had just purchased a new Heidelberg Web 8 Heatseat Press and we were in need of people to run it. Nahan was growing so quickly, that multiple shifts were needed, and Mike began working night shifts regularly. After a couple of years, Mike moved to the Twin Cities area to be close to family and left Nahan. Mike Nahan always left the door open for him to return, which he did in October of 1989. Now Mike is celebrating over 30 years at Nahan.

From Humble Beginnings

Mike shared that what makes him most proud is how Nahan has grown from its humble beginnings to the highly successful print and mail operation it is now, all while not losing its heart. He commends the group of people he has worked with on their strong work ethic and ability to press through challenges, particularly those on Press 288 who he worked alongside for 14 years. It is the people who have helped shape Nahan into the successful company it is today.

“We’ve always done a wide variety of things at Nahan and taken on challenging projects. What’s fascinating and rewarding is that each person brings something a little different to the table and the combination of all of us finds ways to make it happen.”

-Mike Gillen, Production Trainer

Passionate About Print

Even though he can’t explain it, Mike says he has always had a fascination with printed material; everything from the equipment that prints ink on paper, the controlled processes, and all the human interaction that is required as well. Being a part of a team that preserves production quality and trains others about the amazing attributes about print.

Mike and some of his family

Beyond Nahan

Outside of Nahan, Mike is passionate about his family, heritage, faith, and his woodworking hobby. He always finds a thrill working with reclaimed lumber. He describes one of his favorite things to do is watch movies with his wife as they try to figure out the plots of the story. Whenever he gets the chance to travel, Mike enjoys capturing photos of memories. Through the generosity of a grandfather, he was able to go to Israel in 2018, one of his favorite trips so far.

Author Bio: Camille Lehmann is a Senior Marketing Specialist and has been on the Nahan team since January 2020. Camille is responsible for managing Nahan’s social media, blog content, and other internal and external content communications. She graduated with her Masters of Science in Marketing with a specialization in Project Management in 2020. In her spare time, Camille enjoys visiting new coffee shops and restaurants with friends, playing tennis, and finding new Pinterest projects.

Employee Spotlight: Ryan Newell

Posted on July 20, 2022July 22, 2022 by Camille Lehmann

Author: Camille Lehmann, Senior Marketing Specialist

Earlier this year, we announced the exciting news of our addition of a second location in Pennsylvania. It has been a thrilling past few months getting the operations up and running. One of the people who has played an integral role in this success is Ryan Newell, Director of Manufacturing at our East Coast location. I had the privilege of getting to know Ryan better and what has made him proud to be a part of the Nahan team after only a few short months.

“One of my favorite parts about my job is producing something that is top quality and wows clients. Then add the fact that I get to be a part of a team that is so collaborative. We’re always learning from each other.”

-Ryan Newell, Director of Manufacturing

Ryan Newell, Director of Manufacturing

Coming Aboard Nahan

Ryan joined the Nahan team in March 2022 as a Production Shift Manager at Nahan’s East Coast location in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania. In July 2022, he was promoted to Director of Manufacturing. Ryan began his direct mail career as a technician in Prepress, later moved to a Direct Mail Specialist in Lettershop, and then was promoted into various management positions. When asked what professional accomplishment he is most proud of, Ryan says that leading an initiative to implement a digital print platform is top of the list. And now he is excited to be adding starting and expanding the Nahan East Coast operations to that list. We are excited about what this second location means for the future of Nahan and the additional ways we can serve our customers. Ryan’s efforts are have been a huge part of driving success for Nahan East.

“The best piece of advice I’ve ever heard is to work hard, don’t cut corners, and always give the maximum of your ability.”

-Ryan Newell, Director of Manufacturing

Beyond Nahan

When Ryan isn’t busy helping lead the way for Nahan East, he enjoys spending time with his family in the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania. You can almost always catch Ryan doing something outdoors in his free time. Whether it is fishing, hiking, hunting, or playing a round of golf or cornhole, Ryan’s there for some fun and fresh air. Thank you Ryan for being a dedicated member of our team!