Alkesh Shah, owner of Iselin, New Jersey-based Allegra Marketing Print & Mail, started in the print industry while still in school.
He joined a small Sir Speedy franchise during his four years of college and learned the business from the bottom up.
"My first day included hand collage, black-and-white booklet pages and gluing some memo pads. Not only did I like the humming noise of the printing press and all the hustle of helping the customer, but I also enjoyed meeting new people from all walks of life," he explained.
He was hooked from then on. Here, Shah further discusses his thoughts on the industry.
Print Professional (PP): Tell us about your background.
Alkesh Shah (AS): I grew up in [the] state of Gujarat in India and attended a vocational printing trade school during 11th and 12th grade. I immigrated to the United States before I finished. I was fortunate enough to start a high school career in Elizabeth, N.J. where I was able to take graphic arts classes during both my junior and senior year to keep my interests alive. After graduating from school, I was initially looking at a career as a computer programmer, but I joined the year book club at Kean University during my first year of undergraduate studies and soon realized that this was it; it was my passion. Kean University happened to be one of few universities which had a B.S. in Graphic Communications along with a minor in Printing Management.
PP: What is the best business advice you've received?
AS: My college professor became my mentor and suggested that I should try the sales side of the business after getting the basics of all production and back-end operations. That guided my path while working in the print shop and it ranged from bindery to copier operator, customer service to accounts receivable and payables, desktop publishing to the prepress area. The most important thing my boss told me after graduating was to start my own print shop instead of doing my MBA and trying to climb the corporate ladder. During the early '90s, it was unheard of hiring a salesperson for a small quick franchise-like operation.
PP: What do you think is the most exciting, cutting-edge thing your company is doing right now? Why?
AS: Well, there are many things happening in and around my company with digital printing. I am educating my employees and customers on how this digital revolution is taking place and how this new technology is affecting all of us. We are constantly upgrading with the latest software, hardware and production machines to be competitive and provide the fast turnaround needed for today's instant demand. We are able to do things in a few hours, which used to take a few days and allowed [us] to buy only small quantities without leveraging larger funds in the inventory that might get obsolete in just a few weeks time. We provide the flexibility to print as needed and when needed.
PP: What do you think will be the printing industry's biggest challenge in the next few years?
AS: There will be two. One, a decline in overall printing and two, publishing across the board. According to a recent study from WhatTheyThink?, commercial print per capita barely ranges high from $495 in 1990 to a low of $273 in 2010. The biggest hit will be newspapers, magazines and large commercial printers that are just hanging on their last line of credit and these are the outfits which are in the denying state of this digital revolution. The few and best in the business practice who know their numbers from month to month will prosper because they are also making the slow, but steady, transitions and [are] accepting new challenges. For smaller and medium-sized printing companies to fill the gap, [they] must diversify in nontraditional services like websites, mailing services, signs, banners and promotional products. Some of them might create and market "apps" for smart phones and iPad-like devices. I will not be surprised if more than 50 percent of my sales come from these nontraditional services in the next five years.
- People:
- Alkesh Shah
- Places:
- Iselin
- New Jersey
- U.S.