(SAINT CLOUD, Minn.) – February 7, 2023 – Nahan, a full-service, direct marketing and print solutions provider, is proud to announce it has been awarded Star One – Commitment, from Printing Industry Midwest’s (PIM) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Accreditation Program. As one of the first in the industry to unlock this achievement, we’re excited to continue working with PIM to grow this program in the industry.
This program is comprised of a passionate group of PIM members working towards creating foundational changes in the recruiting, hiring and training practices of our industry. Achieving this accreditation demonstrates our compliance and dedication to being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company.
“We’re proud of the DEI initiatives we’ve implemented in recent years. This recognition from PIM underscores that we’re on the right path to helping the printing industry diversify and expand opportunities for marginalized groups,” said Chad Coss, VP, Human Resources at Nahan.
Nahan’s journey to becoming a more diverse and inclusive company will continue as we work towards the next star level, Aim. To achieve this level, Nahan will review our processes and documentation, setting measurable goals on how we can move forward with having an effect on DE&I.
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About Nahan
Nahan is a full-service direct marketing and print solutions provider. Our portfolio of services includes strategy, creative, data, analytics, print production, mailing, logistics and fulfillment services.
Founded in 1962 by Jim and Helen Nahan, the company established a strong reputation for providing high-quality direct mail and commercial print and exemplary customer service. What was then a 15-person, family-owned print shop is now home to over 400 employees, including industry-leading experts in direct marketing strategy, data, analytics, creative, and more.
For more information about Nahan and our services, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
ABOUT PRINTING INDUSTRY MIDWEST
Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) is the trade association representing print service companies in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Membership resources add value to companies that provide print, graphic communication services, market or manufacture supplies for the printing industry. Visit PIM’s website (www.pimw.org) or call PIM’s office (612.400.6200) for more information and questions about membership.
ABOUT PIM’S DE&I PROGRAM
Printing Industry Midwest’s (PIM) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Accreditation Program was designed to create foundational changes in the recruiting, hiring, and training practices of our industry. This program was created by the PIM Diversity Coalition, a group of individuals from companies who are members of PIM, who put together metrics and a process for accreditation that will help your company continue to uphold and enforce a more diverse and inclusive company environment. For more information, please email Kristin Pilling-Davis & Sadie Johnson (diversity@pimw.org) or visit our website (www.pimw.org/diversity/).
SAINT CLOUD, Minn. – September 20, 2022 – Nahan, a full-service, direct marketing and print solutions provider, announced today it has won the Digital Printing/ Direct Marketing Best in Category Award at the PRINTING United Alliance Premier PRINT Awards for the South Dakota Department of Tourism “Your Guide to Great Finds” campaign.
The mini-catalog campaign was created in collaboration with client Lawrence & Schiller to promote South Dakota’s unique travel destinations.
“We’re honored that our collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Tourism and Lawrence & Schiller has been recognized by Printing United Alliance this year. It demonstrates the agility of the Nahan print platform and our ability to produce highly unique, and personalized print pieces,” said John Klumb, VP, Sales.
The recognition caps off a summer of achievements for the Nahan team. At the June Printing Industry Midwest (PIMW) Star Awards,Nahan received multiple awards for its work, including:
Award of Recognition, C-4 Product Catalogs: C.C. Filson Company Mailer
Award of Recognition, C-4 Product Catalogs: Boundless Summer and Fall 2021
Award of Recognition, C-4 Product Catalogs: Patagonia 2021
Catalog Certificate of Merit, W-4 Direct Mail Campaigns, Consumer: South Dakota Tourism Great Getaways
Team members from across the organization were also honored for their service and expertise, including: Senior Marketing Strategist Camille Lehmann, who was awarded Marketing Professional of the Year, and Senior Account Manager Amanda Thompson took home the award for Customer Service Professional of the Year.
Teammates Brandon Jacklin, Manager of Postal Logistics, Laura Karels, Lead Designer and Jennifer Chirhart, Fulfillment Production Supervisor were also honored as nominees during the gala.
“We are extremely proud that so many of our team members were nominated and recognized for their outstanding contributions this year,” said Krista Black, VP, Marketing and Account Services. “Our team works hard to provide the highest levels of service and quality to all of our clients and being recognized by our industry for their achievements this year is an honor.”
About Nahan
Nahan is a full-service direct marketing and print solutions provider. Our portfolio of services includes strategy, creative, data, analytics, print production, mailing, logistics and fulfillment services.
Founded in 1962 by Jim and Helen Nahan, the company established a strong reputation for providing high-quality direct mail and commercial print and exemplary customer service. What was then a 15-person, family-owned print shop is now home to over 400 employees, including industry-leading experts in direct marketing strategy, data, analytics, creative, and more.
For more information about Nahan and our services, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
SAINT CLOUD, Minn. – April 19, 2022 – Today, Nahan announced it has rebranded. The effort includes a new logo, refreshed visual identity, and an updated website.
The rebrand reflects Nahan’s growing suite of services that include marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics — coupled with world-class print production and postal strategies — providing a fully integrated solution for its clients. The news follows on the heels of Nahan’s earlier announcement that it had expanded its direct mail capacity and geographic footprint through the acquisition of a Pennsylvania-based facility.
“Our business has evolved dramatically in recent years, including an expansion of the services we offer, enhancements to our printing platform, and considerable additions to our leadership and management teams,” said CEO Mike Ertel. “We’re excited to unveil updated branding that more accurately reflects the company we’ve become, which is a one-stop-shop for our clients’ direct marketing needs.”
Founded in 1962 by Jim and Helen Nahan, the company established a strong reputation for providing high-quality direct mail and commercial print, and exemplary customer service. Sixty years later, what was then a small family-owned print shop, is now home to more than 400 employees, including industry-leading experts in direct marketing strategy, data, analytics, creative, and more, with facilities in the Midwest and East Coast.
“The team at Nahan is driven by our immense pride in our company’s history, combined with the ambition to push ourselves in new directions and deliver greater results to our clients,” said Mike Logar, SVP, Sales and Marketing Services. “Great marketing is more than just delivering the right message at the right time — it’s also about making real connections with people. And Nahan is purpose-built to create those connections.”
For more information about Nahan and to view the new Nahan branding, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
Acquisition of Intellus Marketing Mail Division Assets Will Allow for Faster Speed to Market for Customers’ Direct Mail Campaigns
SAINT CLOUD, Minn. – April 12, 2022 – Nahan, a full-service, direct marketing and print solutions provider, announced today it has acquired the mail division assets of Intellus Marketing. The purchase allows Nahan to strategically expand its geographic footprint and complement its existing Minnesota facility with enhanced printing, mailing, distribution, and logistics capabilities that enable faster speed to market.
“Direct mail is the fastest-growing segment of our business,” said CEO Mike Ertel. “The addition of an East Coast facility strengthens our already best-in-class platform with improved cycle time, which is integral to our end-to-end direct marketing solution.”
The dual facilities will also increase Nahan’s overall print and mailing capacity to support the growing needs of its expanding customer base. The former Intellus facility, located in Montgomeryville, Pa., is equipped with a high-speed direct mail production platform which enables high volume execution of direct mail campaigns.
With the direct mail industry facing headwinds due to supply chain issues and paper shortages, companies like Nahan have partnered with marketers to find creative solutions, such as redirecting marketing dollars toward trigger-based communications that are highly targeted, personalized, and timely.
“With the increased focus on triggered direct mail campaigns, marketers are seeking integrated solutions to increase agility, efficiency, and effectiveness,” said Mike Logar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Services. “This acquisition puts us in a strong position to produce direct mail campaigns that will deliver high-performance results for our customers and drive business growth in a highly competitive market.”
About Nahan
Nahan is a full-service direct marketing and print solutions provider. Our portfolio of services includes strategy, creative, data, analytics, print production, mailing, logistics and fulfillment services.
Founded in 1962 by Jim and Helen Nahan, the company established a strong reputation for providing high-quality direct mail and commercial print and exemplary customer service. What was then a 15-person, family-owned print shop is now home to over 400 employees, including industry-leading experts in direct marketing strategy, data, analytics, creative, and more.
For more information about Nahan and our services, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
Did you know that Gen Z makes up 20% of the population? While it may be hard to believe at first, the newest generation of consumers (born between 1997 and 2012) are now a major contender in the world’s retail scene. The oldest of this generation is a recent college graduate and starting new life stages, while the youngest of which are just embarking into their teenage years. This generation of consumers boasts a spending power of approximately $140 billion (Rolling Stone, 2021), making them an extremely valuable target audience that you should be reaching. They’re ready to spend their money, but they hold brands to high standards.
Embrace the Physical Quality of Direct Mail
Gen Z may be known as “Digital Natives,” meaning they grew up around technology, but they’re also overly served digital ads. Additionally, in the midst of a pandemic, they have a thirst for the personal and physical touch (Forbes, 2021) that digital ads cannot provide in the same way tangible items can. Utilizing direct mail helps reach this audience that has overflooded inboxes and social ads with something that fills this innate need.
Integrate Technology with Direct Mail
As mentioned, Gen Z is often referred to as “Digital Natives” and most do not know a world without the Internet or smart phones. And while marketers should embrace this opportunity to stand out with the physical quality of direct mail, it is also a chance to integrate technology with it for the best of both worlds. How can one do this? Marketers have found success with using a scannable QR code for a quick way to assimilate information while keeping the copy and creative on a mail piece minimal. The use of augmented reality also provides for a unique way for consumers to virtually try on or place items.
Make Sure You Stand Behind Something
At the end of the day, Gen Z cares about more than service offerings and discounts. They care about what your brand stands behind. They want to know what you support, how you support it, and they will do the research to find out. Gen Z is also more likely than other generations to switch brands to align with their personal beliefs/values (Business Insider, 2021). The social justice movement is one example of a cause that Gen Z is often passionate about. They are more likely to give their brand loyalty to brands that have diversity programs and support related local and national organizations.
Use Gen Z to Market to Gen Z
Who does Gen Z want to listen to? Whose voices do they care about? Your messaging is more likely to resonate with them if you are using those who are similar to them in age and life stage. Gen Z is very different from previous generations in the environment they grew up in, and they are more likely to take the word of those who are coming from that same frame of reference. This generation of consumers is actually twice as likely as millennials to make a purchase based off an influencer recommendation or testimonial (70% of which are under 34) (Rolling Stone, 2021). Are you ready to expand your reach to Gen Z? We’d love to help you with your direct marketing strategy and creative to do just that.
Testing is a key component of any successful direct marketing program. The most impactful direct mail marketers are constantly testing creative, lists, and offers, which enables them to make marketing decisions armed with more insight.
We have found that testing means different things to different people. Clients approach it in a variety of ways.
In this white paper, we provide an insiders guide to effective direct mail testing for programs of all sizes and across industries. It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting started with testing or a seasoned pro, our guide will provide you with actionable insights you can implement today.
Learn how the four phases of the testing process work together to drive optimization.
Research
Pre-Testing
Testing
Post-Campaign Assessment
If you’re ready to test smarter and drive ROI for your program, fill out the form below for the full guide to direct mail testing today!
The new year brings new direct marketing trends and continuations of ideas that advanced in 2021. Like the beginning of last year, 2022 gets its start in an advertising saturated society with technology at the fingertips of nearly every consumer. In such an environment, knowing how to stand out to the right consumer at the right time, is a necessary skill for differentiation. Below we’ve rounded up five direct marketing trends for 2022 for you to ponder as you plan your marketing strategies:
1. When it comes to words, less is more
Want to catch a consumer’s attention in the mail? Don’t overload it with unnecessary text that crowds the mail piece. You only have a limited amount of time to entice the consumer to act. If the consumer perceives that it will take too long to read the piece, you may have just lost your chance for them to get to your Call to Action. Provide enough to get your point across, but don’t leave the consumer drowning in words.
2. Combining Digital and Print
While both digital and print advertising have their own advantages, together, they make the ultimate power team, especially in the wake of the phasing out of third-party cookies. Whether it’s using QR codes or pre-in-home-date digital ads, the addition of digital to print will become more popular as marketers get creative to increase ROI. Nahan’s solution to this is Direct Mail Companion™, used to create a seamless message before, during, and after your direct mail or catalog in-home date, leading to greater response and higher ROI.
3. Augmented Reality
Marketers can harness the power of Augmented Reality (AR) to layer computer-generated dimensions onto a real-world setting. Consumers can use their hand-held technology to view direct mail and catalogs with AR to view how certain products would look in a space. Utilizing this technology gives consumers a memorable and enriching experience that is hands-on.
4. Targeting by Challenge and Not Demographic
What prompts consumers to pursue a service or product? Most often it is a need that they want to fill and they believe that a specific service or product will fulfill that need. Instead of only looking at consumer targeting by age or geographic region, including the segmenting of your target audience by unique challenges and/or behavior may return more favorable responses and make messaging feel more personal.
5. Use of Informed Delivery
When consumers use Informed Delivery from the USPS, they are able to see ahead of time the mail pieces they are receiving each day. Not only are they aware of what is coming, but they are also able to interact with the mail pieces by clicking on the images and view offers from the business’s website. According to the USPS, by September 2021, nearly 43 million users had registered for Informed Delivery and that number is expected to grow throughout 2022.
Author Bio: Camille Lehmann is our Senior Marketing Specialist and has been on the Nahan team since January 2020. Camille is responsible for assisting in Nahan’s marketing strategies and goals. 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.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – November 17, 2021 – Nahan announced that it has expanded its digital printing platform with the addition of the ProStream 1800, manufactured by Canon Solutions America. “This state-of-the-art continuous feed inkjet press will enable Nahan to deliver highly targeted and personalized print at exceptional speeds with award-winning quality and flexibility, unlike anything we’ve seen,” said Nahan CEO Mike Ertel.
Speed
With the ability to produce over 62 million letter impressions per month, the ProStream will increase Nahan’s overall capacity, while reducing production cycle times and enabling faster speed to market for its clients.
Quality
Setting a new benchmark for inkjet quality, the ProStream1800 provides a color gamut beyond offset standards on most papers. At full speed, the ProStream leverages 1,200 dpi resolution with Canon multi-level ink drop size modulation for smooth shadings, striking details in dark tones, and sharp fonts.
Flexibility
The ProStream allows for flexibility across a wide range of media, including standard offset coated, uncoated, and inkjet optimized papers from 40gsm to 300gsm. This will allow Nahan to efficiently produce a wider range of formats than ever before, from premium direct mail, to catalogs, self-mailers, and more. Another compelling feature of the ProStream is that it can produce fully variable 4-color catalog covers in-stream – a new and unique advance in capabilities for Nahan.
“We’re proud to partner with Canon Solutions America on this investment in our future,” said Paul Overn, Vice President, Operations at Nahan. “Their constant innovation and support is invaluable as it has enabled us to meet our customers’ increasing needs for speed and personalization.”
About Nahan
Nahan is an award-winning, privately owned, direct marketing and print solutions company. Nahan leverages the power of omnichannel marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics coupled with exceptional production and postal strategies to closely connect brands with customers. For more information about Nahan, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
About Canon Solutions America, Inc.
Canon Solutions America, Inc. provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. Canon Solutions America, Inc. helps companies of all sizes discover ways to improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs in conjunction with high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit csa.canon.com.
DesignRush is a B2B marketplace that connects brands with professional full-service agencies, web design companies, digital marketing firms, direct marketing firms and top technology companies. Their platform lists over 9,300 agencies from over 50 different countries and is consulted by thousands of decision-makers looking to start a project.
“We’re excited for Nahan to be recognized for driving performance improvement for clients through our integrated suite of services,” said Alan Sherman, VP-Marketing Strategy. “We’re proud to be a true one-stop-shop for all of their direct marketing needs.
Nahan’s team of experts across strategy, data, creative, production, postal logistics and fulfillment enable our clients to successfully acquire, develop, and retain profitable customer relationships, while continuously improving Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI).
Our team consists of some amazing individuals, all dedicated to the Nahan mission focused on consistently exceeding expectations. Lisa Palm, one of our Production Managers, has been dedicated to that mission throughout her Nahan career and we couldn’t be more thankful for her commitment. We’re excited to share more about Lisa and her time at Nahan.
Lisa Palm, Production Manager
Lisa’s Career in Direct Mail
After graduating college with a degree in advertising and design, Lisa’s print journey expanded into multiple roles, including Prepress Production Specialist, Electronic Prepress Technician, and Production Artist. Her time in the print industry took her to various companies, including Nahan. After a few years away from Nahan, Lisa decided that she missed the sense of values, individuality, and worth that Nahan emphasized. In 2011, she returned to Nahan as a Customer Service Representative. Over the following five years, Lisa held the roles of Technical Service Rep, Project Coordinator, and was promoted to Account Manager. At the time, Lisa was confident her role in Account Management was her forever home. She enjoyed taking a project from point-of-sale to completion, along with the knowledge of the industry she was gaining. However, it wasn’t until she took a risk and applied to be a leader in Production that she realized her true calling. In 2017, Lisa became a Finishing Shift Leader, ultimately leading to her becoming Nahan’s first woman Production Manager in 2021. Her willingness to lead and participate in many workflow teams throughout her time at Nahan prepared her well to take on challenges and serve her team. Overall, it’s not Lisa’s accomplishments that make her proudest, but the growth of her team, emphasizing that it is the job of leaders to grow more leaders.
“Michelle Motschke, one of my mentors, taught me the value of tolerance, patience, and trust in business.”
Lisa Palm, Production Manager
Fun fact – Lisa and her husband, Tim, met at Nahan in 2009
Beyond Nahan
Lisa’s other greatest passion is her family, whom she describes as very close-knit and who taught her how to be courageous and have a kind heart. She enjoys getting to use her leadership qualities to support and cheer on her loved ones, whether it’s golfing with her husband or helping her son (who she says is growing up way too fast) with school and the challenges of being a teenager. She takes every chance possible to return to her roots in Madison, Wisconsin to spend cherished time with family. Lisa also enjoys spending time outdoors exploring with her family and two dogs, Freyja and Grizzly Bear, running half marathons, and cheering on the Packers.
Lisa’s son and their two dogs
“The best advice I’ve ever received is to be strong and listen to yourself, your value, and your worth. Don’t let others dictate your path. Rise above and make your dreams a reality.”
-Lisa Palm, Production Manager
Careers at Nahan
If you are interested in learning more about a career at Nahan, visit our careers page or contact us to learn more.
Bio: Camille Lehmann is on the Marketing team and started with Nahan in January of 2020. Camille is responsible for assisting in Nahan’s marketing strategies and goals. She graduated with her Master’s of Science in Marketing with a specialization in Project Management in 2020. In her spare time, Camille enjoys writing, going to coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.
Nahan is an award winning company with amazing opportunities for its current and future employees. If you are considering joining the team at Nahan, I’d like to tell you about three benefits of working here. From the first time I walked into the building to interview, I could feel the family-like atmosphere. As I walked around the facility, every single person I came in contact with said hello to me. That truly mattered to me when making the decision to work for Nahan.
Here are three benefits that I see in working for Nahan:
1. Leadership That Values Their Employees
Nahan has over 350 employees and we are ranked as one of the top 20 largest employers in St. Cloud, MN. We are thriving and are constantly looking for new team members. One of Nahan’s most valued traits is our ability to maintain a small company feel, while being a robust and growing company. It is a priority of Nahan’s leaders to be accessible to employees and the needs of our customers, and be willing to step in at any point to make decisions and to support the team. It’s part of the reason we’ve been able to be so successful over the years.
Our leadership makes sure to acknowledge the employees and their milestones. Whenever we have anniversaries and employee events, the leadership is here celebrating with the team. That is quite a good feeling to see that Nahan employees are recognized and valued for what they do.
2. Values
Since I’ve been here, I’ve heard a lot about Nahan Values. These values were established by our owners and our leadership team. Here at Nahan we live by these values. When we recognize our team members, we always associate the recognition with upholding at least one of these values:
N = Never Stop Being the Best
A = Always Treat Others with Dignity and Respect
H = Honesty and Integrity
A = Amaze Our Internal and External Customers
N = Now is the Time
3. Culture
The last, but most important benefit I see in working at Nahan, is our culture. Culture is important to the owners at Nahan and it’s important to the employees as well. These employees have seen each other through milestones, growing families, successes, and challenging times as well. When we asked our employees to share their favorite part about working for Nahan. The resounding majority of our team said “the people” and since I’ve been here, I’d definitely agree.
Employees come for the work but stay for the culture. I had recently pulled a statistic and 28% of Nahan’s employees have worked here for more than twenty years! It’s incredible to see statistics like that and seeing the culture first hand, I believe it.
Our employees are our greatest asset. We are so thankful for their dedication to the Nahan team and their commitment to going above and beyond for our customers. I’d like to introduce you to Pete Schwarzkopf, one of our Account Executives and someone who you can always count on to have a sense of humor. We are excited to be sharing more about Pete and his time at Nahan so far.
Pete Schwarzkopf, Account Executive
Pete’s Career in Direct Mail
Pete started at Nahan in December of 2020. Since graduating from the Western Wisconsin Technical College and University of Wisconsin – Stout, Pete has been a part of the print industry. He began his career running presses at a small print shop in Viroqua, WI, and went on to spend the next 20 years in positions ranging from Account Manager, to purchasing agent and Account Executive. Pete explains that the sense of accomplishment he feels booking a job for a new client after persevering in patience is his greatest work accomplishment. He is passionate about exceeding customers’ expectations and says positive feedback from clients keeps that passion going. Knowing that the team knocked it out of the park on a project makes the job exciting and continually makes him committed to doing the same with every customer. Pete also enjoys the aspect of his Account Executive role that he likes to call being the “Swiss Army Knife” of the team – supporting and helping wherever he can to make each department successful.
“Knowing that we both knocked a job out of the park and that it’s a win for our company financially, that’s something that keeps me passionate about growing and retaining our customers!”
Pete Schwarzkopf, Account Executive
Life Beyond Nahan
Outside of the office, Pete first and foremost enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. He credits his wife as the person who inspires him the most – not only in her dedication to her career but her ability to keep the family organized and on task! He also enjoys being able to get outside and camp, fish, and play golf (although he admits golf can be a bit of a struggle sometimes). Visiting local breweries in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities and family vacations are also favorite activities. So far, a few of his favorite travel destinations have been the Rivera Maya region of Mexico and Ireland, and he hopes to visit Alaska and Hawaii sometime soon.
“The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given, as corny as it is, is that tackling something hard can always be broken down into smaller tasks so it’s not so daunting.”
-Pete Schwarzkopf, Account Executive
Careers at Nahan
If you are interested in learning more about a career at Nahan, visit our careers page or contact us to learn more.
Bio: Camille Lehmann is on the Marketing team and started with Nahan in January of 2020. Camille is responsible for assisting in Nahan’s marketing strategies and goals. She graduated with her Master’s of Science in Marketing with a specialization in Project Management in 2020. In her spare time, Camille enjoys writing, going to coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – August 17, 2021 – Nahan has announced that Jim Andersen joined its Board of Directors. In this role, Andersen will help Nahan chart its’ course for rapid growth. Andersen brings over 40 years of experience in the direct marketing industry, including leadership positions at Banta Corporation, and his most recent role as Chief Executive Officer at IWCO Direct, where he led the company to unprecedented growth for over 20 years.
“Jim is a legendary leader and visionary. His track record of success is unmatched in this industry, and he has an incredible passion for the business. We’re thrilled and grateful to welcome him to our board of directors,” said Nahan CEO, Mike Ertel.
Andersen’s accolades include being honored with the 2010 Harry V. Quadracci VISION award from the Printing Industries of America, as well as being inducted to the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame in 2008. He has served on the boards of the Printing Industry of Minnesota, the Envelope Manufacturers Association, Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP), and on the Direct Marketing Association’s finance committee.
For almost 60 years, Nahan has been known for providing the highest level of quality and innovation in the printing industry to some of the world’s largest and most recognizable brands. Earlier this year, it was announced that the company would expand its service offering to include marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics.
“I’m excited to join Nahan at this crossroads in its’ history. We have a world-class production platform, a holistic, end-to-end marketing services solution, amazingly talented and experienced employees, and an entrepreneurial culture that fosters our ability to be nimble and innovative at a level most companies can’t match,” said Andersen. “And we have big plans for the future. I can’t wait to get started.”
About Nahan
Nahan is a world-class, privately owned, direct marketing services and print solutions company. Nahan produces integrated marketing solutions for their clients, enabling them to successfully acquire, develop, and retain profitable customer relationships. Nahan leverages the power of omnichannel marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics coupled with exceptional production and postal strategies to closely connect brands with customers. For more information about Nahan and to learn more about joining the Nahan team, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – June 16, 2021 – After decades of leadership as Nahan’s CEO, Mike Nahan, the son of company founders Jim and Helen Nahan, has announced his retirement effective June 7, 2021. Nahan will serve as an active board member following his retirement as CEO.
Mike Ertel has been named as Nahan’s new CEO, effective June 7, 2021. Mike Ertel is a highly respected industry veteran who brings a wealth of industry experience and an entrepreneurial mindset that will continue to propel Nahan into the future. Mike is excited to join the Nahan team and to continue the legacy, momentum, and explosive growth that Nahan is experiencing.
“Nahan is well on its way to becoming the leading provider of direct marketing services and print in the country, and I am thrilled to join this award-winning organization,” said Mike Ertel, CEO of Nahan. “With double digit growth planned in 2021, major equipment investments underway, and a recent influx of new talent, Nahan is positioned for explosive growth, now more than ever before. And the best part is we are just getting started.”
For almost 60 years, Nahan has been known for superior print production and distribution. With a client roster of legendary brands, Nahan prints iconic work that represents some of the highest level of quality and innovation in the industry. Nahan’s client base includes many of the most well-known brands across the U.S. and globally.
In January of this year, Nahan announced an expansion of services to include a Marketing Services division. Nahan now leverages the power of omnichannel marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics—coupled with world-class print production and postal strategies—to closely connect brands with customers. Check out the video introducing Nahan’s marketing services here: https://youtu.be/2094UttFo1E
“After 37 years serving as CEO, I could not be prouder of how our company has evolved, and I am immensely excited for this next chapter in our company’s growth. I can’t wait to see Mike Ertel drive Nahan’s success to even higher levels,” said Mike Nahan.
About Nahan
Nahan is a world-class, privately owned, direct marketing services and print solutions company. Nahan produces integrated marketing solutions for their clients, enabling them to successfully acquire, develop, and retain profitable customer relationships. Nahan leverages the power of omnichannel marketing strategy, creative, data, and analytics coupled with exceptional production and postal strategies to closely connect brands with customers. For more information about Nahan and to learn more about joining the Nahan team, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
Being “The New Guy” (T.N.G.) at a company can be a tall task for any person. I personally have been the new guy at several different companies in multiple types of industries. T.N.G is always a new and unique experience, but share that same common feeling of nervousness on that first day. You ask yourself, “How can I overcome being T.N.G.?” It wasn’t long before I quickly realized that I didn’t have to worry about that here at Nahan.
Nick Hammitt, Marketing Intern
Day 0
In the past, I’ve had some not-so-good experiences applying for jobs online, and with Covid happening, I found myself doing it more now than ever. That’s why it’s always a relief to me when the job application process is user-friendly. The Nahan careers website was exactly that. It was easy for me to seamlessly scroll through the Careers page, find the posted job, and complete the steps needed to apply. The website was smooth, easy to navigate, and was filled with useful information. Since I live so far from the company, being able to do all of this remotely was important to me. The teamwork between the marketing and recruiting team was unmatched making it easy for me to traverse through the hiring process remotely.
Day 1
On my first day at the office, as usual, I was nervous about what to expect. Most of the people I had never met before and let’s face it, I was T.N.G. It was a happy surprise for me when I was given such a warm welcome by everyone I met. They seemed just as excited for me to be there as I was, making for a great first experience I won’t soon forget. As much as this team was welcoming, they were also about getting right down to business. Just like the easy application and hiring process, the orientation process I experienced when I arrived here was just the same, smooth, concise, and filled with important training information that would further help me down the road. It will definitely take some time for me to learn the ropes, but the hands-on collaborative training I received just on the first day leads me to believe it won’t be long before I too am an effective member of the team.
Day 7
In my first week, I learned a lot about not only my individual job, but I had a chance to meet team members in other departments to learn how everyone works together towards the same goal as a whole team. Nahan is a large company, and there are a lot of moving parts that go into making a quality product. One of the most important things I learned so far is that Nahan’s success is due to the complete collaborative effort between all the members of the Nahan team. Communication is key for any successful business to thrive. Things like the monthly eNewsletter, (subscribe at the footer of any page of the website) and weekly collaborative meetings, allow for the teams to be informed and aware of each other’s ideas and important events that are in the works. They also ensure everyone is set up for success.
Today
I was excited to start my job, now a couple of weeks later, I’m excited to start my career. I’ve been set up for success thanks to the problem-solving and detailed oriented teams at Nahan. The training I received was given to me by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable members of the team. Thanks to this team, I was able to quickly find my spot among them in a position that I feel is best suited to grow my creative talents inside an advancing industry. Nahan has given me the tools to be the best asset I can be. There’s only up from here. As Mike Logar, SVP of Business Development best put it, “Nahan is rocket ship launching ahead and we’re just strapping in preparing for the ride.”
Bio: Before Nahan I was T.N.G. at several different places. Right out of high school, I decided I wasn’t ready or wanting to go to college, so I joined the Army. I learned things there I wouldn’t learn anywhere else. It gave me the tools and confidence to do anything I set my mind to. It was shortly after coming home from the military that I decided I wanted to be a welder. I loved the thought of being able to take an idea from my head put it to paper and then create it. It wasn’t long before I realized welding isn’t something I wanted as a career though. I then decided to enroll in business school and last December, I graduated with a Marketing Degree from the University of San Francisco. Now here at Nahan, instead of me creating with my hands I’m creating with my mind. In my free time I like to spend it on the course, playing very mediocre golf. I grew up hunting and fishing so when I get a chance to do that, you’ll either find me on a lake or in the woods. SKOL!
We are so thankful for our team of amazing and dedicated team members. Our mission is only possible with the talent of our employees, including Gary Wenner, our Master Electrician. I had the privilege to get to know Gary better, learn about his time at Nahan, and how he enjoys his time outside of work.
Gary and his family
Over Two Decades On the Nahan Team
Gary started his career by enrolling in the Electrical Construction program at St. Cloud Technical Community College. While working for Cold Spring Granite, he received his Journeyman’s License, which requires four years of experience. While working for Stearns County Facilities Maintenance, Gary worked to earn his Master’s License, which requires at least five years of experience. Shortly after, Gary saw an advertisement for the position of Master Electrician at Nahan, He applied, joined our team and he is a proud Nahan employee of 23 years. Over these two decades, Gary says that installing new equipment is one of the most rewarding challenges. The ability to have the time, tools, and resources to complete a job that meets the electrical code, is professional-looking, and lasts for years is one of the reasons he enjoys working at Nahan. Most of all, he enjoys the people he works with every day. As the Master Electrician, he gets to work with people throughout the company, and that involvement is something he greatly appreciates and enjoys about his role.
“The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to start each new day with an attitude of gratitude.”
Gary Wenner, Master Electrician
Life Beyond Nahan
In his daily life, Gary’s dad serves as a person that inspires him. His father’s legacy of being a hardworking, patient, and a kind person, as well as a good husband and father, encourages him every day. When Gary is not working hard on the Nahan team, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and daughter and doing activities such as boating, camping, snowmobiling, motorcycling, and traveling. Of the places he’s traveled, his favorite has been cruising the Caribbean and he looks forward to traveling more to farther destinations for longer periods in the future.
Careers at Nahan
If you are interested in learning more about a career at Nahan, visit our careers page or contact us to learn more.
Bio: Camille Lehmann is on the Marketing team and started with Nahan in January of 2020. Camille is responsible for assisting in Nahan’s marketing strategies and goals. She graduated with her Master’s of Science in Marketing with a specialization in Project Management in 2020. In her spare time, Camille enjoys writing, going to coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.
I’m also signed up for USPS Informed Delivery emails, so I get an email each morning that contains details of what we’ll be receiving that day in our mailbox.
The catalogs we receive typically end up on the end table in our living room to browse through. In fact, at this present moment, we have about 10 catalogs that we plan to look through again this weekend so we can place some Holiday gift orders. I also have a number of direct mail offers I’ve kept as well and I have those in an organizer in the corner of our kitchen cupboard.
As I was walking down my driveway the other day to get my mail, I started wondering about my mail habits and how closely they match other people’s habits. So, I decided to do some research.
According to a recent update from USPS, over 20% of U.S. households are now signed up for USPS Informed Delivery and the subscription rate is growing with over 350,000 new subscribers weekly. 79% of Informed Delivery users are engaging with the daily emails and 82% of these users are engaging in the mornings. According to the USPS update we received, the emails are generating a 68% Email Open Rate (which is over 3 times higher than the industry average email open rate of 18%) and a 2-6% Click Through Rate. As a marketer, those stats get me excited!
Other Fun Facts
Here are some other fun facts/statistics I found interesting:
At Nahan, we are proud to offer award-winning catalog and direct marketing services as a part of our product offering. If you are in interested in learning more, contact us today!
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
Once upon a time, in a land far to the North, where the cold wind howls and sun stays low and silvery, I took a journey through a state park in the Arrowhead Region. Each step I took, I heard the crunch of the many layers of snow that melted and refroze and were snowed on again.
I am standing in the snow and as the sun starts to fade; I get an ethereal feeling of peace and winter magic. The winter pixies might be out playing in the hoarfrost.
When it is really cold, the sun will get a rainbow from a halo of ice crystals called a sun dog; at night the moon can also cast a moondog. Almost spiritual.
I remember one year my mom came to visit us from Palm Springs. It was minus 40 degrees and they went for a walk. I said to my sister, “Let’s time them,” yeah… 30 seconds and they were back… pretty good for a southerner!
I’m glad to be home by the fire with a warm cup of cocoa; my thoughts shift to work. When it gets cold like this, a good Account Manager can bring sunshine to a cloudy, blustery day.
When it is so cold all you can do is laugh or cry, I will go talk to Alicia. I stick my head over the cubicle wall and tell her she is not funny, no fun allowed… Right… Or Mikey V, or is that Mr. V… always cheerful. I can hear him laughing with a customer from my office. He will send out a daily meme that leaves you no choice but to laugh.
Winter sports are really important to us up here in the tundra. It is always good to catch up with Cynthia and her football player / wrestler son. Watching our children or grandchildren play is the best! We also enjoy hunkering down with fun snacks to cheer on our favorite teams with family and friends.
So many of us are home-schooling our children and that brings other challenges (you know when I was in school, I walked to school uphill barefoot in snow storms both ways…) But we really love kids and will gladly talk about them and their wins, struggles, and losses.
Some of us, like my son, have their Christmas tree up already. Me? I have had my Christmas lights on all year, hoping it might bring a little extra joy this year.
We print in a warm, humidity-controlled building and in the winter we start our cars at lunch time. If the car won’t start, we all have jumper cables and pitch in to help each other out. We are proud of our work and the substantial library of products we produce and glad to brave the elements to come in every day…in sunshine or snow! We are a close people up here, where warm hugs are a must (pre-pandemic).
If you have never seen or heard us boast about our CSAT (customer satisfaction score), you might be interested to know that for 12 months running our score is 88, and overall since we started keeping track it is 83. Get to know our team and you’ll find out why… it will warm your heart.
About the Author: Jim Hesch is a Department Manager at Nahan, was born in North Dakota but spent his early years in California. He is now entrenched in the Minnesota culture of shoveling snow, opinions on the meaning of life, and blogging. Come join us!
This summer, I placed an order on a website for a family member’s birthday present. Shortly after placing the order, I received a postcard with an offer of 20% off another order. I was looking for another gift for a different family member, so I placed another order, using my 20% off coupon. A few weeks later, I received another postcard with an offer and guess what? I placed another order. I also followed the company’s social media channels.
This is an example of a tried and true trigger mailing loyalty marketing campaign working its magic. And, yes, it works! I went from a first-time shopper to becoming a repeat customer, keeping this brand top of mind along the way. The product quality was great and I received excellent service throughout the process. I was also reminded of my mailed coupon offers through email marketing and through these trigger mailings, I have become a loyal customer to this brand.
How do Trigger Mailings Work?
Have you heard the term Variable Data Printing (VDP)? If not, variable data printing allows your printed piece to be completely customized to an individual based on data and triggers. It is basically the opportunity for 1:1 marketing using print. Check out our blog that is all about VDP and its advantages.
Think about the trigger mailing example I mentioned above. I was sent trigger mailings based on being a first-time customer. They lured me in after my first purchase with an offer. Then, they lured me in with another offer. I became a repeat customer right off the bat. I also plan to do some of my holiday shopping through this brand due to a great experience with all three purchases.
Getting Started with a Trigger Mailing Program Concept
There are many ways that trigger mailings can be used. Think through your customer’s journey with your brand and how you could use triggered mailings to drive business. Here are some examples of questions to ask yourself:
How can I take a first-time customer and turn them into a loyal customer?
How can I take a customer back to the buying journey with their abandoned cart items?
How can I reach out to lapsed customers and bring them back as a customer?
After you’ve thought through these scenarios, then think about all of the marketing channels that you are using to reach that customer and what makes sense from a timing perspective to keep your brand in front of them through all of these channels. Think about where mail makes sense in this equation.
Working with a Printer on a Trigger Mailing Program
Once you have the strategy ready, the next part is executing it. We have a whole team of data experts at Nahan who can help with API integrations, CRM integrations, and custom programming. Once things are set up systematically, the rest is easy. The trigger mailings you have developed automatically take place based on the concept/behaviors you have identified on your plan. Our team at Nahan holds multiple industry certifications to ensure the protection of your data from beginning to end. We help our customers utilize triggered mailings to drive business, and we can help you too.
Ready to Get Started?
Find out more about our marketing services and how we can help you today!
At Nahan, we pride ourselves as being a tech-forward printer who drives results. We invite the opportunity to talk with you about the power of trigger mailings and how you can get started. Why work with Nahan for your trigger mailing program? Check out our 30-second video on what sets us apart. Contact us today!
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
We are thrilled to announce that the Nahan website is the recipient of a W3 Gold Award in the category of General Website – Professional Services. The W3 Awards recognize digital excellence in the categories of websites, apps, social content, videos, podcasts, and marketing. Our team is incredibly excited to be awarded this honor that recognizes the hard work of our website launch team and the talents of the team at Lawrence & Schiller. This accomplishment would truly not have been possible without the collaboration of Lawrence & Schiller – a huge thank you to their dedicated team! The award win comes just one year after our website launch in October of 2019. To celebrate both our W3 Awards win and our new website’s one-year anniversary, I spoke with the members of the website launch team to gather insight on the goals and accomplishments of the website launch.
Our website launch team included the following Nahan team members
Melissa Fransen (Marketing Manager)
Aaron Weekes (Director of Business Support Services)
Curt Tillotson (Chief Operating Officer)
Jim Hesch (Client Service Team Leader)
Adam Rohde (Department Leader – IT)
John Klumb (Vice President of Sales and Marketing)
Brenda Blonigen (Senior Account Manager)
Joseph Jachimiec (Security Administrator)
Our Nahan website launch team (from left to right): Melissa Fransen, Aaron Weekes, Curt Tillotson, Jim Hesch, Adam Rohde, John Klumb, Brenda Blonigen, and Joseph Jachimiec
What were some of your goals with the new website?
Melissa: We wanted our website to represent Nahan and our brand, be SEO (Search Engine Optimization)-focused, and be optimized for lead generation. We also wanted it to focus on our people, thought-leadership, and our culture.
John: One of my goals was to have a robust group of blogs available that would be added to on a regular basis. My hope was that this would drive repeat visitors and make us known as a leader in providing valuable content. Thanks to the efforts of many, this is a reality.
What did you enjoy most about the process of relaunching the website?
Aaron: I really enjoyed identifying and creating the profiles of people using the website. The process really helped us understand the content that different consumers would want to know and the best way to tell our story to them. It was a great exercise that Lawrence & Schiller helped us through.
Lawrence & Schiller: It was a unique and rewarding experience to work with our long-time print partner and help them to create a website that is as innovative as they are. For a business who is always dedicated to producing the best work, it was great to turn the tables and put the focus on Nahan.
Brenda: I thoroughly enjoyed learning how much it takes to create a website and the intricate parts of it. It was a great learning experience for me. The Nahan and Lawrence & Schiller team members were so knowledgeable and I learned so much from all of them. They were fun, creative, great thinkers, and such a joy to work with. Wow! Such amazing people.
Does anything in particular stand out to you as something cool or noteworthy you learned during the process?
Jim: I thought it was pretty cool how easy it was to add content. We were able to add some awesome pictures to our website. I’m happy that it’s able to show some friendly team faces.
Melissa: It was a fun process as to how our team built the site tailored to all of the different personas of people who come to the site – from job seekers to community members to customers to print professionals that have been in the industry their entire career to print newbies. There is something for everyone and we continue to build blogs tailored to all of the different people that come to our website.
Adam: I loved the cross-department collaboration that went into the build. The chance to highlight individuals and show who we are was probably my favorite part of the process.
Lawrence & Schiller: Nahan assembled the perfect team to tackle this project. When I say perfect, I really mean that. It was a diverse group of folks from multiple departments and parts of the business, but the special part was how focused their team was when it came to decision-making. As L&S led discussions on vision, audience, content, design and functionality – the Nahan team (time and time again) would collaborate and reach a final, definitive direction on where they wanted to go. This was also a nod to Melissa who had a passion for innovation but a commitment to team.
From your perspective, what was the most difficult challenge you faced during the launch?
Aaron: We took the approach to start from scratch instead of just improving the current site. This was challenging because it took time and caused us to rethink everything, but it was worth the investment.
Joseph: The Nahan team was so fun to work with, and Melissa was a great team lead, so I honestly don’t remember any particularly difficult challenges. Lawrence & Schiller was top-notch, very friendly, talented, and professional. I’m just glad I was able to play a part in the launch from a security perspective, as well as helping with the design, photography, and content. It’s a great website!
Brenda: My greatest challenge was just to understand the whys behind the creative portion of what we were trying to accomplish. How exactly information pulls into a website was a mystery to me, but so very interesting learning this.
Curt: The most difficult part of the process was deciding which words we wanted to make sure that we mentioned on the site so that we show up on Google searches. It was a daunting task, but Melissa and our team at Lawrence & Schiller showed us how to work through it.
What made you the most proud during the process of launching the website?
John: I am proud of the fact the new website does such a great job of conveying who we are and what Nahan is and that we’re not just a printer.
Jim: I’m proud of our collaboration and brainstorming sessions. And then we would all get together with each addition and review . . . oh my, I love smart people.
Lawrence & Schiller: Adding the photo/video shoot to this project really made the website go from “great” to “award winning”. Nahan’s decision to invest in capturing the company culture, people and processes through photography and videography allowed L&S to design a website that was modern, forward-thinking and simply different from your typical print shop. The website truly delivers on its promise of being world-class.
Curt: Our Nahan team that brainstormed our website was amazing. They brought energy, creativity, and competency to the project well beyond what I ever could have imagined. They worked as a team and got it done.
Feel free to explore our website and let us know what you think!
Bio: Camille Lehmann is on the Marketing team and started with Nahan in January of 2020. Camille is responsible for assisting in Nahan’s marketing strategies and goals. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Marketing with a specialization in Project Management. In her spare time, Camille enjoys writing, going to coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – Sept. 15, 2020 – Printing Impressions Magazine, producer of the annual Gold Ink Awards, announced the winners of the 2020 Annual Gold Ink Awards Competition. The Gold Ink Awards are considered one of the industry’s most prestigious print competitions.
Nahan Printing, Inc. is a proud recipient of two Gold awards! The first is a Gold for the Neiman Marcus 2019 Christmas Catalogand the second is a Gold for the Lawrence & Schiller South Dakota Activity Book. The winning pieces are in the “Consumer Catalogs, Web” and “Consumer Catalogs, Sheetfed” categories. In addition to the two Gold award wins, Nahan also received five Pewter awards in the Catalogs division.
This year’s Gold Ink Award winners were chosen from more than 400 entries submitted within 43 different categories. Winning pieces were chosen based on print quality, technical difficulty, and overall visual effect. All winners can be found at https://www.piworld.com/extension/gold-ink-awards/2020/.
“It is great to be recognized by Printing Impressions for the quality of work we put into every product, each and every day. We are once again, very proud of our team’s commitment and dedication to quality; an asset that continues to set us apart in the industry.” said John Klumb, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
About Nahan
Nahan Printing is a Minnesota-based, independent, privately-owned, world class printer committed to providing end-to-end solutions that add value to our clients. Since its inception in 1962, Nahan has specialized in catalog and direct mail printing for industries such as retail, ecommerce, financial services, non-profit, hospitality, and more. With a client roster of legendary brands, Nahan prints iconic work that represents the highest level of quality and innovation in the industry. For more information about Nahan, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
Nahan utilizes Xcel Energy as our energy provider for our 300,000 square foot headquarters, located in St. Cloud, MN. Xcel Energy is leading the way in renewable resources. Xcel Energy is 25% renewable now, is headed to be 60% renewable by 2030, and 100% carbon-free by 2050.
There are a number of renewable resources that Xcel utilizes for its power supply including wind and solar. See below for a breakdown of energy sources. Right now, in the Upper Midwest (where Nahan headquarters is located), 54% of Xcel’s power supply is carbon free, which is higher than the national average.
Nahan puts an emphasis on utilizing energy-efficient devices in our facility. Some examples of this include using VFD’s (Variable Frequent Drives), Premium Efficiency Motors, and we are in the process of changing some of our lighting from fluorescent to LED. In addition to energy savings, LED lighting emits less heat and reduces the load on HVAC systems. When Nahan makes decisions to install and update equipment, energy efficiency is always something that is top of mind.
Find Out More
Nahan is committed to being a responsible, environmentally conscious printer and we want to help create a healthier future for our employees, our customers, our communities, and the world. The use of renewable energy resources is just one example of how Nahan is committed to the future. Check out our Environmental Commitment blog to find out other ways that Nahan is working to protect the environment .
Contact us if you have any questions or would like additional information.
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – April 13, 2020 – Nahan Printing, Inc. has received a Best of Category award win in the annual Star Awards, a five-state print competition hosted by Printing Industry Midwest (PIM), the region’s trade association for the printing, communication and graphic arts industry.
Competing against entries from printing and graphic art firms
throughout the Midwest, Nahan was proud to receive the award for Best
of Category – Web Press Printing (Uncoated Paper), which is the highest
honor a printer can receive in this category. The winning entry was a mailer
produced for a renowned multi-channel artisan jeweler. Nahan also received two Awards
of Recognition in the Brochures and Broadsheet (Large) categories for two Self-Mailer
formats for an iconic New York-based luxury brand retailer. In addition to
these awards, Nahan also received 12 Certificates of Merit in other various
categories.
The Star Awards recognizes those responsible for the creation and production of print communications in the Midwest. The competition promotes excellence in print communications and rewards companies and individuals who produce the best in print media.
“We are very proud of our winning team,” said John Klumb, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
“This was a close competition with a very impressive standard of entries. The judging process was very challenging. Nahan should be proud of the company’s achievement and the excellent work done by employees,” said Steve Bonoff, PIM President.
About Printing Industries Midwest (PIM) and Star Awards
For more information about the Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) and the Star Awards, visit PIM’s website at www.pimw.org or call PIM’s office at 612.400.6200.
About Nahan
Nahan Printing is a Minnesota-based, independent, privately-owned, world-class printer committed to providing end-to-end solutions that add value to our clients. Since its inception in 1962, Nahan has specialized in catalog and direct mail printing for industries such as retail, financial services, healthcare, non-profit and hospitality. With a client roster of legendary brands, Nahan prints iconic work that represents the highest level of quality and innovation in the industry. For more information about Nahan, please visit www.Nahan.com.
Since the opening of Nahan University in July of 2019, a lot has been happening with our training programs and our leadership team is proud of how things are progressing. From an employee perspective since launch, several of our 300+ employees have been involved in a training course thus far and the plan for 2020 is that every one of our employees will have a training opportunity. Doug Karls, an employee of Nahan for over 25 years, is leading the Nahan University initiatives.
“We are just getting started and I’m excited about all of the training opportunities that are in store for our employees. Our employees are our number one asset and if there is one thing that I believe in investing in, it’s our people.” Doug Karls, Trainer
Nahan University Goals
Here are the goals that our Leadership team has set for
Nahan University:
Basic equipment functionality
Educate our team on our quality standards
Generate a career path for team members
Empower our employees
Team building
Training Recap
The focus of the training has started with Operator training on Folders and Inserters, as well as Leadership training. Here is a quick overview of the training thus far:
Operator Training:
Basic equipment functionality
Problem solving skills
Mechanical aptitude
Math aptitude
Quality standards
Leadership Training:
Communication Skills
Servant Leadership
Creating Effective and Empowered Teams
Coaching and Delegating for Success
“One of the biggest differentiators of Nahan in the industry continues to be our quality. The quality of our print, the quality of our service levels, and the quality of our people.” John Klumb, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Nahan University – What’s Next
Our team is in the beginning stages of launching Brainer’s LMS (Learning Management Solutions) program. This platform will provide learning opportunities for our employees through module-based training on a variety of topics. Topics include everything from Safety, Team Building and Problem Solving to Web Presentations, Marketing, and Microsoft Office. These training sessions can be customized to the individual and tailored to topics that are applicable to our employees. The full implementation of Brainer’s LMS program is planned for Q2 of 2020.
“At the end of each day, I ask myself what I learned that day. Each and every day I try to learn something new. My goal is for our employees to learn something new every day as well.” Doug Karls, Trainer
Bio: Melissa Fransen
is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is
responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from
conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa
enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with
family and friends.
ST. CLOUD, MN – February 6, 2020 – Nahan Printing, Inc. of St. Cloud, MN has been awarded the Best Workplace designation in the 2020 Best Workplace in the Americas (BWA) awards competition. The BWA awards are awarded to companies that create the best environments for their employees in the printing industry. The BWA awards, presented by Printing Industries of America (PIA), is awarded annually to only those companies meeting rigorous standards in human resources practices.
A panel of printing industry HR professionals evaluated applicants in three categories: Communications & Culture, Employee Resources & Benefits, and Safety & Work Environment.
“Nahan Printing is one of the premier companies in the printing industry for employee experiences,” said Adriane Harrison, Vice President of Human Relations at PIA. “This award is a testament to Nahan’s leadership in developing an ‘employer of choice’ culture.”
“Winning a BWA award is an honor. We are on a journey to give our employees an exceptional workplace. There have been a number of initiatives that we have put into place this past year that are making a difference: we have implemented values-based leadership, we have opened Nahan University, and we have empowered our employees to ‘Never Stop Being the Best’ by sharing new ideas and exceeding customer expectations,” said Mike Nahan, CEO.
Michael F. Makin, president and
CEO of PIA, agrees. “The Best Workplace in the Americas award winners stand
among the most distinguished printing industry leaders by human resources
standards. Congratulations to Nahan Printing for its outstanding achievement in
human resources excellence.”
ABOUT WINNER
Nahan Printing is a
Minnesota-based, independent, family-owned, world class printer committed to
providing end-to-end solutions that add value to our clients. Since its
inception in 1962, Nahan has specialized in catalogs and direct mail for
industries such as retail, financial services, non-profit and hospitality. With
a client roster of legendary brands, Nahan prints iconic work that represents
the highest level of quality and innovation in the industry. For more
information about Nahan, please visit http://www.nahan.com.
ABOUT THE BEST WORKPLACE IN
THE AMERICAS AWARDS
The Best Workplace in the
Americas (BWA) awards, presented by Printing Industries of America (PIA),
recognizes a company’s commitment to quality and excellence, passion for
success, and dedication to providing a safety-focused work environment. For
more information about the program, visit: www.printing.org/bwa.
One of the questions that we frequently get asked is if we provide
print and mailing solutions to an International customer base that is
interested in mailing to the US Market. The answer is a resounding Yes!
In fact, this continues to be one of Nahan’s specialties and
something that we feel truly continues to set us apart in the industry. We have
quickly become a printer of choice for retailers and agencies alike in the
European market.
“If you are a start-up or even an established brand looking to market to a US audience and are looking for a trusted print partner, look no further, our team at Nahan is here to become a seamless extension of your marketing team. We continue to work with so many great people abroad that have become not only clients but good friends, that really trust our Quality & Service.”
Kelly Marthaler, US & International Catalog/Direct Mail Sales Consultant
Commonly Asked Questions
1. We have formats developed for our UK audience and foreign postal requirements. How do we convert our formats to meet the US postal requirements?
Nahan is highly experienced in working with customers to develop efficient size formats for the US postal stream. Weights and size formats that work in Europe don’t always work here in the US. We specialize in adjusting these sizes or format templates to US formats to help minimize cost and reduce postage rates. Our focus is really on guiding clients closely through the entire process.
2. What about paper? How does this work?
Our
team at Nahan is very familiar with foreign paper spec differences and can help
transition to US paper stocks that are of equal or greater paper quality and
still be competitively priced.
3. With the time difference, can I expect a quick turnaround on quotes?
At Nahan, you can expect a quote within 24 hours
or less. We take a lot of pride in quick-turn quotes and communication. You can
come to expect the same timely response from our purchasing and customer
service teams even when your office is in a foreign country.
4. What about mailing schedules? How does this work?
Our postal/logistics team at Nahan works with our customers to develop timely schedules based on in-home dates. We walk through this entire process with each of our foreign clients to ensure there is a clear understanding of what in-homes dates work best with each individual marketing plan and how we can minimize cost as well.
Absolutely. Our team at Nahan will guide you through the promotions process to ensure you are getting the most cost-effective rates based on your marketing objectives.
6. What about mailing to other markets, such as Canada?
At Nahan, we utilize the assistance of a third party partner to mail to other foreign markets, such as Canada, and do this quite frequently. We are close proximity to Canada so this is a very close entry point for us.
7. I’m new to this – how do I even start?
Many of our customers that start out with us don’t have experience in expanding their mailing to the US market. No problem at all! We’ll be very happy to guide you through this process so maximum ROI can be achieved. We want to take the stress of printing and mailing here in the US out of each foreign marketer’s job.
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
Author: Pat Nahan, Vice President of National Accounts
As the printing landscape has evolved over the past two decades, we have all seen huge changes in the way we do our jobs. Long gone are the days of film and even hard proofs in some cases. We have all seen the benefits of other new and exciting technologies that make getting ink, toner or dyes onto your chosen substrate. All of this is great, but if your printer of choice doesn’t have the IT infrastructure to support your growing needs then are you really seeing the full benefit of what these advancements can do for you?
Digital Workflow
There are many benefits to a digital workflow but the 4 that
I feel benefit the customer most are:
Flexibility
Brand Continuity
Speed to Market
Being able to create a truly tailored message to your consumer
Upon entering into the digital printing arena, it became glaringly apparent to us that to take advantage of this new technology we needed to embrace and fully utilize all that these machines could do. To execute this we had to take a two pronged approach, the first being security. The second focus was being able to adapt to our customer’s unique needs and to mold our processes around those. Along with this we had to step out of our comfort zone to truly develop technologies that can meet those needs.
“Looping back to the title now, I feel that we are rapidly becoming a Technology company that is really great at printing.”
– Pat Nahan
Every day we are taking our years of experience with the ‘big iron” of printing and using it to make the new digital presses better. The amount of technological development and custom programming that we are doing on a daily basis to meet the needs of our customers is constantly expanding. Processes that were cutting-edge just 5 years ago are rapidly being replaced with new words like, API’s, web interfaces, and custom integrations. Is your printer ready to help take you to the next level?
Questions to Ask Your Printer
Ask yourself these five questions when you consider partnering with a printer:
What is their programming strength?
Can they do more than just a presort of my data and take advantage of all their digital equipment can do?
What sort of custom integrations have they done before?
Do they have the knowledge to build any sort of return processing or continuity process that I might need?
Are they a printer that thinks they know how to program or a true four color variable expert?
Contact us today to learn more about Nahan and how we can help with your next project.
Patrick Nahan has over 20 years of print experience and is the Vice President of National Accounts with Nahan. On a daily basis, Patrick shows the “Nahan Difference” to key accounts and has been instrumental in launching Nahan into the forefront of the ever-changing print landscape. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, working on cars, boating and trying to keep up with a hectic youth hockey schedule!
2019 was another great year for Nahan and I thought it would be a great time to take an opportunity to interview Curt Tillotson, who serves as Nahan’s Chief Operating Officer. Curt started with Nahan in 2011 after many years at a regional grocer and at Best Buy in business development and financial roles . Outside of work, Curt is kept quite busy with his wife and their seven children. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What are three accomplishments that you are particularly proud of that Nahan achieved in 2019?
Curt: Well, 2019 was an amazing year with many all-time records established. I can only pick three? This is not easy but I will give it a shot:
First, we managed to land over 100 new accounts. We are very appreciative of all of the companies that trust us to print for them.
Second, our new website was launched in 2019 and it looks amazing! Take a look when you have a chance.
Third, we continue to invest in our business and have purchased industry-leading equipment which allows us to amaze our customers even more
In three words, tell me what you think made Nahan stand out in 2019.
Curt: PEOPLE! PEOPLE! PEOPLE! We are so proud of our people. We continue to create opportunities for them and they step up again and again.
What do you like most about working for Nahan?
Curt: I really enjoy working side by side with this amazing team here at Nahan. We accomplish far more than I could ever ask or imagine.
Nahan won several awards again for the quality of our work through Gold Ink, Sappi, and PIM – something we are very proud of. Tell me from your perspective, what this means to you.
Curt: Plain and simple, we are the best printer in North America. All of these awards are a testimony to what our customers tell us every day. We truly never stop being the best.
Nahan opened Nahan University, our employee training center in 2019, which has already benefited many of our employees. Tell me about how things are coming along with the training center.
Curt: As we go into 2020, there will be a lot of training opportunities for all of our employees. We believe that is the best way to equip our people to win in the marketplace.
Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions you’d like to share?
Curt: Suffice it to say, I will be part of a weight loss team!
You speak quite often about our Nahan Values. Tell me about one of those values and what it means to you.
Curt: Never Stop Being the Best!
This value epitomizes Nahan Printing and our founders and owners. We are never satisfied with the status quo. We always want to make things better. It has been said that the slowest a piece of equipment runs is the first day it comes in the building. That is our attitude day in and day out. And, it is absolutely critical. Competition is fierce in the print industry. Our customers have many choices when it comes to printing. We have to be the best in the business in order to win.
“It has been said that the slowest a piece of equipment runs is the first day it comes in the building.”
Nahan supported a number of local charitable organizations again in 2019. Tell me about one that stood out to you this year.
Curt: We supported the United Way more than ever in 2019. I love the work that United Way does day in and day out. Not only do they help many, many people who are truly in need but they also make sure that our charitable donations are spent wisely.
What are you most excited about as Nahan goes into 2020?
Curt: Winning! We have made tremendous strides as a company and I look forward to making even greater progress in 2020. We have great employees who operate as a team. We have industry leading equipment. We have a customer base that LOVES our work.
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
It’s been another great year for Nahan and we have been thrilled at the performance, likes, and shares of our new blog articles that were added to our revamped website launched in October. Thank you for all of your comments and the great feedback! We appreciate you!
In case you’ve missed it, here were our top five performing blog articles of 2019 so you can check them out:
We have a ton of great articles in store for 2020, so be sure to check back to our site for the latest and greatest articles. Plus, we also share these articles on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages. If you have content that you’d like to see from our team in the future, feel free to contact us anytime and let us know. We are just getting started and 2020 is going to be a fantastic year!
Bio: Melissa Fransen is our Marketing Manager. She started with Nahan in May of 2017. Melissa is responsible for Nahan’s marketing initiatives, which includes everything from conference planning to social media initiatives. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and enjoying time in the outdoors with family and friends.
At Nahan, we take pride in our commitment to being a responsible, environmentally conscious printer. We want to help create a healthier future for our employees, our customers, our communities and the world. From purchasing raw materials to efficient manufacturing processes, Nahan is considerate of our environment in every decision across the company. In 2018 alone, we recycled over 15.5 Million Pounds of Paper!
Innovative Product Designs and Processes to Reduce Paper Usage
How we were able to recycle 15.5 Million pounds of paper, was through strategizing with our customers, sales, production, and estimating teams to review environmentally conscious options for raw materials and streamline processes for projects to reduce waste. All of our heatset web presses have automated register, color, cut off and ribbon control systems integrated into them. With these systems, we are able minimize waste and improve overall quality and consistency during make-ready and throughout the run. In addition to the integrated press systems that reduces waste while running, we utilize CIP 3 data from the plate making files to preset ink fountains prior to press start up. Our Operators are then able to “fine tune” register and color to meet each customer’s exact requirements.
Ink and Coating
The inks we use are manufactured by environmentally conscious INX. Our sheet fed inks are vegetable oil based (primarily soy) and approved for food packaging. Even our heatset inks contain soy based materials. All vegetable oils are naturally renewable resources, which not only gives you a high quality job through the best ink technology available, but it also helps the environment. Our scrap ink is recycled ensuring no ink is ever put into a landfill. Even our coatings are environmentally friendly. Our UV and water based coatings are VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Free and we use “Thermal Oxidizing” technology to destroy volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants that are produced during the printing process.
Paper
One of the biggest decisions you have to make when designing a project is specifying the paper to use. Besides price; basis weight, grade, shade, finish, certifications, recycled content and sustainability need to be taken into consideration. Good News, we can help. We print on a wide range of papers including those with Post Consumer content up to 100%, allowing you a wide range of options.
Industry Certification
Our environmental initiatives are not only appreciated by our customers, but by others outside the printing industry. We pride ourselves on having received certificates from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) A.C. as well as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®). To maintain our certifications from each organization, we are audited annually.
Continuous Improvement
For the last 25 years, our facility has been continuously improving by keeping all of the operating systems up to current building and environmental codes. Nahan has staff members who focus on our carbon footprint to ensure we are in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. We are continuously learning different methods to reduce CO2 emissions and increase energy conservation, be more energy efficient throughout our facility and operations, as well as recycle, reuse, and reclaim waste.
And That’s Just the Beginning…
To learn more about our environmental initiatives and how we are continuously improving towards an even more environmentally conscious facility, get in touch with us by submitting a “Let’s Chat” inquiry.
Bio: Jayden Johnson is our Marketing Intern. He started working at Nahan in November 2018. Jayden is a student at St. Cloud State University and will graduate Magna Cum Laude with his B.S in Marketing, minors in Community Psychology and Management, and a Certificate in Professional Selling Specialization. In his spare time, Jayden enjoys hanging out with family and friends, traveling, and bowling.
Author: Jayden Johnson, Marketing Intern (pictured on right)
Doing an internship was something I never thought I would do in college.
Being a full-time student with a heavy course load and working as a part-time server, I just did not see how I could fit an internship into my hectic schedule. However, I decided to apply anyways to the Marketing Internship position at Nahan. After an interview and a period of nervously waiting while consuming multiple bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and binge watching Netflix, I got the call saying that I got the job!
Little did I know that this experience was going to change me not only professionally, but personally as well.
When I first started my job as the Marketing Intern here, I didn’t know anything about printing other than that it exists. I thought my job would consist of me filing paperwork, running to get people lunch, making coffee, more paperwork, and other miscellaneous jobs. Surprisingly, I was wrong. In fact, my job is never the same.er
One day I could be handling customer surveys, internal communications, researching potential industries that we could help, write letters to prospects for the sales team, and creating sample packs for them. The next day calling trade shows and negotiate pricing on exhibition, conduct meetings about future trade shows to discuss the timeline leading up to the show, going through attendance lists to find prospects, create press releases for attendees of the conference to learn more about Nahan, and hearing from the sales team what they need to have a successful trade show.
Studying marketing in college is one thing. It’s totally different thing you actually get to see those concepts, theories, and examples being applied to real life situations.
Not only have I learned various skills that will help me enter the workforce with some experience under my belt, but I’ve also learned that internships help people like myself who are trying to figure out what they want to do professionally after college. The best part of an internship though, is that you meet amazing people who believe in you and push you to step out of your comfort zone.
Are you interested or looking for an exciting internship/career? Visit our website to learn more about our culture and apply to job openings today and you will see why Nahan Printing is the Employer of Choice!
Bio: Jayden Johnson is our Marketing Intern. He started working at Nahan in November 2018. Jayden is a student at St. Cloud State University and will graduate Magna Cum Laude with his B.S in Marketing, minors in Community Psychology and Management, and a certificate in Professional Sales Specialization. In his spare time, Jayden enjoys hanging out with family and friends, traveling, and bowling.
Author: Matt Deibler, National Sales Representative
Print buyers and marketing execution leaders have more variables to consider than ever before. Choosing the right partner is critical and it’s not always an easy decision. You want to ensure that you identify a printer who has the right mix of capabilities and resources to support the unique needs of your business. You also want to think strategically about where your chosen vendor is positioned geographically. How will this impact the effectiveness of your campaigns? What kinds of advantages or disadvantages does your printer’s location present?
Here are five key benefits that I see in working with a centrally located printer:
1) Proximity to Mills
It’s no secret that over the last couple of years, the paper market has become quite volatile. Prices have risen and we have experienced several cycles of tightening supply. Choosing a vendor located near the paper mills is beneficial as it offers greater flexibility. With relationships at the mill level, we are better equipped to service the needs of clients with tight deadlines. Our location allows us to more effectively locate stock and negotiate on its pricing and delivery.
2) Postal Savings
Postage is the single most expensive component of any direct mail campaign, yet it still receives very little attention from many marketing execution leaders. The perception seems to be that postage/distribution is a fixed cost applied equally among all vendors and it is often overlooked during the partner evaluation process. But not all vendors are built the same when it comes to postage and freight and a central location does create distinct advantages. USPS entry discounts (through NDC and SCF sortation) are available to everyone. That being said, it’s not very efficient to drop ship mail from an east coast distribution point to the west coast. The cost of freight often outweighs the savings on postage. If you are working with national mail files, you will want to ensure that you are aligned with a centrally located printer to handle your mail plan. It’s a huge opportunity to put money back in your budget.
3) Speed to Market
In this technology driven age that we live in, speed is everything. If you want higher conversion rates you will need to capitalize on your windows of opportunity as quickly as you can. Speed to market matters. Choosing the right partner to execute on your print and distribute your product in a timely fashion is essential to success in today’s market. Centrally located printers like Nahan have the ability to connect to all points of the country in equal time. So whether your prospect is in FL, CA, WA or NY we can reach them, and we can do so within a time frame that optimizes response.
4) In-Home Predictability
Speed is just one element of in-home timing. There are a lot of direct mail vendors who are equipped to push a project through their plant and out into the mail stream quickly, but very few are skilled at targeting and hitting specific, predefined in-home windows. This can make or break a campaign. If you are advertising a dated promotion, sale or offer you are restricted to a defined response period and it’s critical that you make the most of it. As I mentioned earlier, a central location provides better options with freight and postal and it allows for a more strategic approach with mail planning. If you wish to validate the timing of delivery, most vendors have access to tracking services that can be applied to your campaigns. We use them frequently to gauge our own performance.
5) Fulfillment
Fulfillment is a major growth area in our business here at Nahan; it’s a no brainer based upon our location. Whether your need is trigger mail execution, kitting or distribution of inventoried promotional products, it makes sense to align with a centrally located partner. It’s about freight and distribution and that applies to product coming in as well as product going out. Plus, warehouse space is generally more affordable in the Midwest, so it’s a win from all angles.
Bio: Matt Deibler is a National Sales Representative based out of Chapel Hill, NC. He joined Nahan in April of 2018. Matt manages relationships with direct mail clients in all parts of the country. In his spare time, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife, his two year old son, Malachi and his new baby daughter Reagan. He is an avid fan of college football and he loves to travel and blog about his life experiences.
Printing Impressions magazine, producer of the annual Gold Ink Awards, announced that Nahan has received a Gold Award in the Consumer Catalogs, Web category for production of the Neiman Marcus 2018 Christmas Catalog. The Gold Ink awards are considered the industry’s most prestigious print competition. Nahan was also recognized with two Bronze awards and seven Pewter awards in the following categories:
Consumer Catalogs, Web
Business Catalogs, Web
Digital Printing, Brochures & Booklets
Dimensional Printing
Gold Ink Selection Process
This year’s Gold Ink Award winners were chosen from nearly 600 entries submitted within 47 different categories, including: Books, Catalogs, Commercial Printing, Digital Printing, Magazines, Packaging, and many more.
“It is great to be recognized by Printing Impressions for the quality of work we put into every product, each and every day. We are once again, very proud of our team’s commitment and dedication to quality; an asset that continues to set us apart in the industry.” said John Klumb, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
About Nahan
Nahan Printing is a Minnesota-based, independent, privately-owned, world class printer committed to providing end-to-end solutions that add value to our clients. Since its inception in 1962, Nahan has specialized in catalog and direct mail printing for industries such as retail, financial services, non-profit and hospitality. With a client roster of legendary brands, Nahan prints iconic work that represents the highest level of quality and innovation in the industry. For more information about Nahan, please visit http://www.Nahan.com.
SAINT CLOUD, MN – November 16, 2018 – Sappi North America has announced that Nahan has won a gold and a silver award in the catalog division in its annual Printer of the Year competition honoring the best printing work in the industry.
Dillard’s The Style of Christmas 2017 Gift Guide Gold (Catalogs)
This year’s Sappi winners were selected from over 1,500 entries within 10 different categories. The categories ranged from digital printing and catalogs to brochures and direct mail. Winning pieces were chosen based on overall impact of the piece, degree of difficulty in printing techniques, and technical excellence.
“This is the ninth year in a row that Nahan has been honored with a Sappi award. We believe this is a testament to the quality of our print and the quality of our people. We are very proud of this achievement,” said Mike Nahan, CEO. To view Nahan’s Printer of the Year page, go to https://www.sappi.com/nahan-printing-inc.
