2018 Women in Print and Promo: Juli (Enyeart) Clark

Juli (Enyeart) Clark
Customer Care Coordinator
National Printing Converters, 
Brazil, Ind.
Years of Experience: 26

How she got her start: My start in the industry actually began with a part-time job in college at a label company that was located close to campus and allowed me to arrange my work hours around my class schedule. Once I completed a Bachelor of Science degree, I left the label industry to pursue a career in social services for several years.

Following the birth of my youngest son in 1997, I became a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years. When it became financially necessary for me to return to work, I decided I did not want to go back to my job in social services. In all honesty, returning to the print industry was not intentional. National Printing Converters (NPC) was running an ad in the paper for a customer service person when I happened to be looking for a job. Hoping my previous label industry experience would help me to land the job, I applied and ended up being hired the day I was interviewed. In a short time, my coworkers became like family and I couldn’t really imagine myself working anywhere else. At NPC, my role has expanded from customer service to account management that includes estimating, developing new solutions and coordinating with production and shipping on my jobs.

Her proudest career achievements: I feel proud when I get positive feedback from my customers. ... My years of experience and knowledge of the label industry are what my customers have come to appreciate the most from me. It takes a commitment every day to be accepted as a professional and build the relationships of respect I have.

On working in a traditionally male-dominated industry: As a woman, it is not easy to prove yourself in this industry. In my younger years, I think it was even more difficult to get the “good ol’ boys” to learn to trust in my abilities and to see me as a smart, knowledgeable woman who was completely capable of reading a ruler. I made a commitment early on to becoming an expert in this industry and maintaining a high level of professionalism throughout my tenure. I have earned the respect of my peers and customers by consistently exceeding expectations, and convincing them I was the right person for the job. Now, after all of my years at NPC, my experience speaks for itself.

Her job advice to women: Integrity is everything. Always be genuine and honest; if you don’t have the answers, don’t be afraid to say so. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Make sure you’re an expert because they will test you.

Her industry mentors: My manager, Terrie Anderson, and one of my coworkers, Carol Jackson, were the two women who had “been around for a while,” and, whether they realized it or not, they were my mentors in this business. I think I was very fortunate to have had them to lean on for support and guidance during my career at NPC. (Unfortunately, Terrie just retired at the end of March and Carol passed away several years ago.)

Her biggest lesson learned: Learning to be flexible. Being able to adapt and adjust as situations and needs change is a necessity in this industry. I have learned that by being flexible one can prevent a great deal of unnecessary stress both at work and in life.

How she maintains a work/life balance: For a great portion of my career, I was a divorced, single mom. Juggling work and kids was not always easy, even though I was lucky to have friends and family around whom I could rely on to help when needed. As the mother of two young boys, who very much needed and deserved my time and attention, I found it necessary to keep a sharp dividing line between my “work time” and my “home time.” I found it could be something as simple as turning off my cell phone and not looking at emails received after 5 p.m. until the next morning when I was back in the office. Even now that my boys are grown up and on their own, I still try to maintain that same dividing line because I believe it enables me to spend more quality time with my husband and family, which leads me to a happier, more fulfilling and less stressful life.

Read the complete Women in Print and Promo feature here.