15 Minutes

Doug Pennington, owner of Lakeville, Minnesota-based Goldmine Mobile, had a humbling beginning in the print industry.

He started in the shipping department at OEI Business Forms, based in the Minneapolis area. He drove a forklift for a year until he was promoted to web press operator.

"The dream job at the time," Pennington recalled. "After being promoted to supervisor, I attended night school for business management which helped my career advancement to plant manager and finally to division manager in 1998. My career at OEI lasted nearly 20 years and I am proud to have been part of the Minnesota division that was always ranked a leader in reaching and exceeding the company's financial goals."

Here, Pennington talks a bit about himself and the industry.

Print Professional (PP): Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, what school did you attend, etc.?

Doug Pennington (DP): I grew up near International Falls, Minn., which is just south of the Canadian border. After high school, I attended college in Bemidji, Minn. and completed a two-year degree in automotive repair. Immediately after graduation came a wedding and a move to the Minneapolis area.

PP: What is your greatest business accomplishment and disappointment?

DP: The greatest accomplishment for our company was in 2004 when we introduced a complete direct mail program for our clients. It covered multiple business segments, but over 50 percent of the revenue came from the real estate market. We implemented creative design, printing and targeted mailing into a direct mail program, which resulted in monthly repeat business and helped us to continue to grow our company. The greatest disappointment I have seen came in 2008 [when] many companies started cutting back on printing due to the recession and several of our clients closed their doors.