Employee Spotlight: Dawn Volante Brown

Author: Camille Lehmann, Marketing

Nahan is fortunate to have a team of dedicated and passionate employees, one of whom is Dawn Volante Brown. A devoted employee for over twenty-one years, Dawn is currently the leader of the Planning and Estimating Department. I had the privilege to get to know Dawn and find out not only what led her to Nahan, but why she is here.

From the Education Field to the Printing Industry

In the 1990s, Dawn was beginning her study at Saint Cloud State University as an elementary education major. During the summer of 1998, she took a job at Nahan as a part-time front desk receptionist, providing sales secretary support in-between semesters. Six months later, Dawn moved into the Customer Service Department as a Production Coordinator. It was in this position where her exposure to the printing industry truly began. Over the years, she has experienced several roles in Customer Service including Customer Service Representative, Account Manager, Account Executive, Customer Service Shift Leader, and Department Leader. Currently, Dawn leads the Estimating and Planning Department. The opportunity to work in a variety of roles has given her the unique experience of viewing Nahan and the printing industry as a whole from many perspectives.

“The best work advice I received was given to me by mentor Bev Hugo. It wasn’t spoken but observed.Treat others in the manner in which you would like to be treated. We are all here with a similar goal. We will each achieve the best success in working together.” 

Dawn Volante Brown
Dawn with her husband and three children.

The Importance of the Estimating and Planning Department

At Nahan, our customers come first. To keep our customers first, our departments must work seamlessly together to produce each customer’s vision on paper. One of the departments we rely on to make this happen is the Estimating and Planning Department. When clients have talked with their Sales Representatives and Account Executives about their ideas, it goes to this department to start figuring out numbers and how the product can go to the press to be produced. As its leader, Dawn is trusted with the responsibility of running a smooth-operating department from start to finish.

Dawn (left) celebrating the 30th anniversary of Diane working at Nahan.

“My favorite part of working at Nahan has been all of the incredible relationships. Nahan is my extended family. I greatly value the years working with my dad, Donald Krebsbach. He was a Jet Press operator; retired December 2012. It was fun being able to touch base with him when I’d see him (and bring him my leftover lunch).”

Dawn Volante Brown

Beyond Nahan

Outside of being a team member at Nahan, Dawn keeps busy with her hobbies, passions, and family. She enjoys running and plans on participating in a few races this summer. At her church, Dawn is the co-coordinator of the women’s ministry and participates in the worship team. She and her husband have three children who keep them busy by cheering them on at sporting events and their other activities.

Thank you, Dawn, for being a dedicated Nahan employee. We incredibly admire your passion for your employees and our customers. You are part of what makes Nahan great!

Interested in joining the Nahan Team? Learn more about our career opportunities.   

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.

2019 In Review: An Interview with Nahan COO, Curt Tillotson

Author: Melissa Fransen, Marketing Manager

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.”

– Curt Tillotson, Chief Operating Officer, Nahan Printing

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.