Michaela VanHeel Prepress Manager, Carlson Print Group
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-chella-vanheel
What do you do?
I am currently the manager of all things pre-media at Carlson Print Group.
This is my 40th year in print this year. I grew up at my uncle’s print shop down in Kansas City MO(hand and machine bindery was my playground). Swore I would never do this for a living….. After getting my 4-year graphic art degree during my junior and senior year in high school since I was not allowed to graduate early as I had enough credits, I decided to take the summer and think about what college to apply to and make some cash on the side-by-plate filing. That turned into a pretty good-paying plating/camera/conventional stripper job on the night shift. The first Mac hit and I never looked back. I have loved prepress ever since.
What investments have you made in your professional career development?
MCAD classes on Color Theory
Pre Internet_Aldus Freehand, Quark, Pagemaker, Adobe classes
Post Internet_anything I can find online to self-learn all software in Prepress
Attend Webinars monthly. Follow blogs.
Take any Certifications allowed (G7 Expert, CMP, RBA, Multiple Esko)
Yellow Belt (Lean SixSigma)
Don’t just stop with Prepress, learn all I can about the jobs before and after me so that I. can do my job better. (job. engineer, account management)
What investments have you made in your personal development?
Many leadership training courses.
Ask for 360 reviews wherever I may be to access and improve on my skills from my co-workers.
Read lots of books on growing a thicker skin and removing emotion from the business me.
Always test myself in the market and know my value.
How can the industry proactively invest in women, and why should this be a priority?
Educate women on how to know what their value is. Most women I meet to this day do not know. And most companies I find will take advantage of this. My first boss at Bolger Publications taught me this valuable lesson and I have used this my entire career. I have passed this along to as many women as I can throughout my career.
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