Izzy - Fav Blue ToyHowdy! It’s Izzy.

Just wanted to check in and see how everyone was doing.

If you’re wondering, I am doing fine but had a bit of a scare this last month. I sounded like a goose when I barked. That was just not right! I thought I might have caught the (you know what). Luckily that wasn’t it.

What I had was really bad though… turns out I had a collapsed trachea. Holy Chew Toy! Have you ever heard of that? I guess it’s kind of common for pups like me.

It was caused by pulling a bit too hard on my collar when I go out for my walks. What can I say? I get a bit too excited to see and sniff.

Needless to say, I had to go on some medicine for a while. But guess what? I got a new collar! It’s called a harness. So now when I pull with all my might, the puppy power is distributed to my shoulders! I guess I didn’t know my own strength.

While I was sick, I couldn’t play ball, or run, or get too excited and it was extremely boring. Trying to keep a dog down, or keep a dog from playing with their most favorite toy, it’s pure torture. I know, I lived it.

Here I am with my new digs and my favorite toy. I’m taking it easy now, but still have to make sure the presses at MEDiAHEAD are rolling along. I just checked, and everything is flying along so I’m going to take a much deserved nap. Being the plant manager is hard work!

Until next time.
– Iz izzy paw

Michele StillwellBy Michele Stillwell, Director of Marketing and Accounting at MEDiAHEAD

Have you ever experienced “unforgettable customer service” where you walk away or hang up the phone and think to yourself, “WOW! Now that was awesome customer service!”

I have… and it really makes you feel good. Especially now when we’re all on edge working from home, home schooling our children, wearing face masks, missing a nice meal in a restaurant or just getting out to socialize.

I would like to share my recent customer service experience with you that happened at a well-known local hospital.

Several months ago, I needed answers. I was taking care of my mom and needed to know what was going on with her. I needed to make choices about her care. I needed some comfort and knowledge as I had never been through something like this before.

The team at the hospital pulled together and got me in touch with a group of their staff. They set up a meeting time with my family and I. They answered all our questions and were extremely thorough. It seemed like they had all the time in the world for us. I felt like these people truly cared about us, and wanted to do the best they could for us, even though it was an extremely difficult time for our family.

I walked out of the hospital and felt like there was a good plan in place. The hospital and staff had it together, and I actually shared my experience with others since it made me feel so much better afterwards. Their customer service was so amazing, it inspired me to write about it. If you would like a referral to the hospital we worked with, let me know!

Unforgettable Customer Service

I think we all like to feel this way… we want to believe that people truly care.

It could be something as simple as a phone call with a customer, a friend, a family member or a co-worker. Treating others as you would want them to treat you is so important.

Customer service is important in our businesses.

We are thankful for all the repeat business we get from our clients. And we work hard to give excellent customer service to strengthen those relationships. If you’ve done business with us, I hope that you’ve had more than one great experience. It’s our responsibility to make you feel that you’re important to us! Regardless of how much you spend with us, we want you to feel like our biggest client every time we work together.

Unforgettable Customer Service(Do us a favor… if we’ve succeeded at that when helping you in the past, please go to our Google Business page and give us an honest review! We would love for you to throw some stars our way.)

If we haven’t had a chance to work together, let’s talk. From sales collateral portals to on demand printing, we’ve got great solutions to help your business succeed.

HELLLOOOOOO! It’s Izzy.

I am so happy to be writing this blog. I’ve missed you so much! This quarantine thing has me down in the dumps. I haven’t been able to be around the office as much. But every once in a while, I get to go into the office with Kat and run like the wind. Let’s catch up!

I have to tell you about my new friend Bull. He is a Great Dane; he belongs to Danny, the Digital Press Technician. Here are our Zoom Pictures…

Izzy and Bull

I’ve never really met Bull in person, but we recently had a Zoom meeting and I got to interview him. We talked about several things. I was most interested in the fact that he ate 3 couches, is scared to death of the Roomba and I wanted to know why he loved Danny so much.

Here’s how our conversation went on our Zoom call!

ME: So, Bull I heard you’ve torn up 3 couches? Can you tell me why?

BULL: I absolutely love to tear things up, and I’m extremely bored during the day. I really don’t know why I do it. I just do.

ME: But OMGosh a COUCH? You are just so incredible. I can’t even imagine. I tear up toys and bones, and I’ve chewed on the corner of a table… maybe only once when no one was looking. I heard you’re a bit frightened of the new Roomba that Danny bought. How come?

Izzy's New Zoom Friend Named BullBULL: Well when I was a wee little pup, I got scratched on the nose by something that looks a bit similar. It was really a cat. I’m scared of cats too.

ME: Oh dear, that’s not good. So, it frightens you quite a bit?

BULL: Yes, it scares the livin’ daylights out of me. And he runs the darn thing every day. I just sit on the couch and wait for it to stop. Then I stop shaking and everything is okay.

ME: Why do you love Danny so much?

BULL: Well, its always been us guys you know, just hanging out. He feeds me well and does anything for me. It’s a guy thing, a kind of bond you have with your owner that only good owners and their pets have.

ME: Yeah, I understand, I have my owners wrapped around my finger. I love that.

I can’t wait to meet you someday Bull! I really look up to you, literally, emotionally and just in general.

Great Zoom meeting!

Until next time… Iz and Bull

izzy paw

COVID-19 Update from Izzy

COVID-19 Update from Izzy

Hi friends, it’s me Izzy.

I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting pretty hungry down here at MEDiAHEAD. With most of the employees working at home, there is not an abundance of food for me to steal and Fun Friday Lunch has been cancelled till further notice. Sad doggy face.

Yesterday, I stole a lime from Kat’s wastebasket and it didn’t turn out well.

My dad, Bill, took this picture of me in my new office – I had my choice of any of our offices, but I picked this one with no windows so I can sleep all day. I also wish I didn’t snore so much during the Zoom meetings when I’m sitting on Bill’s lap – it makes it look like he’s not paying attention.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe out there – I’m looking forward to seeing you in June, or maybe on a Zoom!

Love, Izzy

Happy St. Patty's from IzzyHello. It’s Iz!

I love holidays, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception! Yeah, green eggs and ham, green beer and just all-around green fun! (I really don’t drink beer.)

So why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? People believed that by wearing green it made you invisible to leprechauns. If you didn’t have green on you would get pinched to remind you there might be a leprechaun lurking around. Please don’t get pinched this year, wear your green.

Just a couple facts I would like to point out that you might not know about St. Patty’s day:

St. Patrick was not even Irish….. He was actually born in Great Britain.

The Irish flag is very symbolic – the green represents the Irish Catholics; the orange represents the Protestants and the white represents peace between the two.  The green is called “shamrock green”

One of the national symbols of Ireland is the Shamrock. St. Patrick himself used the green, three leaf clover to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity, one for the father, the son and the Holy Spirit.

The four-leaf clover is just a simple symbol of good luck.

Did you know that March 17 precedes the first official day of spring, the first day of spring is March 20th this year. YEAH!

Ireland is the Emerald Isle and is known for its lush green landscapes.  I would love to go there with my mom and dad someday. I wonder if a dog has ever flown that far?

Luck of the Irish to you!

Well, that’s about all for now, my head is so full of good facts! I’m really looking forward to green food and watching all the people show up in their green. If they don’t have on green, I think I might give them a little bite on their ankles. That would be like a little pinch… right?

Til next time. Iz.

Izzy on Office Chair

Hello there! It’s me, Iz. I haven’t written in quite some time. And I’m writing this blog from my office (this is a huge chair!)

Anyway, I wanted to share a little history about Valentine’s Day with you and send you all a BIG KISS from me just in case you needed one. (Who doesn’t need a wet dog kiss?)

Valentine's Penguins

Valentine’s Day

I am sure you know that Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, romance and kissy face greeting cards. Just look at the penguins. I love that pic.

The day is actually named from a famous Saint. St. Valentine was a priest from Rome in the third century AD. The story goes that another emperor (named Claudius II) had banned marriage because he thought men were bad soldiers. Valentine thought that this wasn’t fair, so he broke all the rules and married people in secret. It was not a good ending for Valentine because he went to jail and was sentenced to death. That’s ruff.

However, while in jail he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. When he was taken to be killed on (guess what day) the 14th of February, he sent her a love letter signed “from your Valentine.” Hence Valentine’s Day!

So, I love Valentine’s Day because of all the great food. In case you didn’t know, I’m a foodie. Not only do I love food, I beg for it all the time. Sometimes, when I don’t get food, I go on scavenger hunts looking around just to see what I can come up with. It’s actually very entertaining. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I find.

Just the other day someone threw away some popcorn and a couple of pieces missed the trash can. Guess what? I found them! It was a struggle getting between the trash can and the water cooler, but I did it!

Another trick I learned is to make a sad face while people are eating their lunch. They will sometimes give me something to cheer me up! Little snacks here and there can really fill me up.

Well, back to Valentines…

I sure hope you have someone to spend the season of love with. If not, don’t forget your pets. And if you don’t have a pet, maybe you need to adopt one. Always remember your pets! We love Valentine’s Day just as much as you do and love to give Great Big Kisses!

Til next time… Iz

Kat McDanielBy Kat McDaniel, Principal at MEDiAHEAD

It’s something that is very important to me and all of our employees.

From the very beginning we recycled all paper, metal and plastic.

Items are collected all over the facility, recycled, reused or disposed of in a responsible way.

On demand printing, enabled by our digital presses, allows our clients to print only what they need. This reduces their waste and valuable storage space. Did you know that 30% of all printed material becomes dated or factually obsolete before it is ever consumed? That’s why on demand is better!

All components of the dry inks that we use have been tested to ensure no harmful compounds are generated or released during manufacturing, usage or disposal. The dry inks also can be readily removed from printed documents for recycling.

Our presses also feature patented coatings and glossing techniques in combination with the dry inks – these solutions use environmentally benign methods to add protection and enhance prints. No plates or water are used when printing digitally. Less paper is used since there is no need for a traditional make-ready, therefore less raw materials are used.

Recycled materials and paper are used when possible and we work very hard to ensure that our production is waste-free.

Our plant was one of the first facilities to be certified for FSC and FSI in Kansas City.

Orion Award - Clean and GreenIn 2007 we completely redid all the lighting in our 40,000 square foot facility and received the Orion Environmental Award. We reduced our power consumption by a third and we were able to recoup our costs for the project in less than one year.

MEDiAHEAD also received the inaugural Bridging the Gap Environmental Award in 2008 for our efforts in preserving our environment.

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

― William Shakespeare

By Izzy, the lovable mascot and driving force for success at MEDiAHEAD

Izzy head shotHey, it’s IZZY! Did you miss me? It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog. I’ve been so busy with work and all, I am so sorry!

I have to share an experience with you. Something happened recently that almost killed me. Well not really, but I was so incredibly sick. Self induced food poisoning. It was horrible.

Friday Lunch

Every Friday, the office orders lunch and eats together. I think this is just a wonderful thing. I usually participate by sitting on the floor and begging in my usual way, looking for scraps and such. No one was budging this day, because it was pizza (I guess) and they love pizza.

After everyone was done eating, they accidentally left the remaining pizza on the conference room table. Just for ME! So… I jumped up on the chair and got onto the table and helped myself to a pizza buffet! It was so delicious, I just had a wonderful time and no one was even looking. After eating as much as I possibly could, I jumped down and ran around the office to check on everyone’s productivity like I normally do.

Then it hit me… yikes, the pizza wasn’t settling well. Before you know it, the pizza… you know, well… I don’t want to go into the details. Apparently, pizza expands in your stomach. My humans should have told me that.

Izzy Eats Too Much Pizza

Take a look at the picture… I look like a bowling pin with legs and ears. I was not feeling well at all. I lost all my energy and I thought I was going to have to go to the doggy hospital; the rest of the afternoon wasn’t much fun.

Then I got busted.

Kat found my paw prints on the table in the conference room… and the jig was up! Everyone knew I had gotten into the pizza. Hey, they left it just for me, right!?!?! Now I understand that it really wasn’t left for me. What an insidious trap. Dogs should not eat PIZZA!

I feel much better now though. Well enough to tell you the story at least. Thank you for your condolences and well wishes.

Til next time!

– Iz

By Kat McDaniel, Principal at MEDiAHEAD

Building a loyal team can impact everything from your company culture to your bottom line.

  1. RECOGNIZE THEM AS INDIVIDUALS

Building a Loyal TeamSeveral years ago I was wandering around Home Depot and Target. I was picking up crazy things for my 65 employees before our holiday party: a yardstick for Danny, because he always goes the extra yard for us, a fire extinguisher for Bill, a magic wand for Carly, a magic 8 ball for scheduling and pom-poms for the plant manager.

I tried to pick out something that symbolized what that employee meant to all of us and what we recognized as their strength. One of the employees at Home Depot finally came up to me and looked in my cart – he said “Lady, I just have to ask you, what in the heck are you building?”

“A team” I answered, laughing.

Years later, after the company had experienced some hard times, Danny wrapped up the yardstick and gave it to me for Christmas – he said that all the employees knew that I had gone the extra yard for them that year. There wasn’t a dry eye at the party and I still keep the yardstick on top of my computer to remember that day.

  1. SHOW THEM THAT OTHERS NEED THEM TOO

To get everyone involved one year, we all picked names of our fellow employees out of a hat. You had to say ten nice things about your person and build or make something for them. Everyone went all out making mobiles, globes, illustrations, framing artwork and pictures. But, most significant were all the wonderful things that they had to say about each other.

  1. BE INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR PRAISE

Building a Loyal TeamI’ve found that a big part of feeling valued occurs when employees are aware that they add something to the company that no one else can. Last year, I chose a book that I thought symbolized what each employee meant to the company. The Magician for Michele, The Fearless Leader for Bill, The Book of Joy for Michael, The Old Man and the Sea for Mike, etc.

  1. HAVE FUN AS A TEAM

Every Friday, we bring in lunch for all the employees and they get to pick a different place to order from. The only rule when we come together is that no business is discussed – we talk about kids, dogs, funny stories and weekend plans. On occasion, we go to Roanoke Park and climb on all the equipment and enjoy the sun while eating our sandwiches.

  1. EMPOWER THEM

When I got sick in 2016, I had a meeting with my attorney, accountant and insurance broker. They challenged me to write down every question that employees lined up outside my door to ask every day. After writing them all down, I assigned someone or empowered the employee to make that decision while I was gone – they already knew the right answer. And, big surprise, since I have been back, no one lines up outside my office. They all know the right thing to do and make good decisions.

As an employer or a manager, one of your most important responsibilities is making your employees feel truly valued, letting them know that without them, your company, your department and you – would be worse off.

By Kat McDaniel, Principal at MEDiAHEAD

Oreo was born on January 1, 2010 and currently weighs 1,400 lbs.

OreoOreo Special K is a spotted saddle horse that previously was a buggy horse in the Amish country. Most likely, Oreo had a difficult life before coming to Kansas City. The Amish people own horses mainly for practical purposes. And it’s safe to say – Amish view animals differently than your average horse owner.

“They don’t have a sentimental view of animals or nature,” said Steven Nolt, a senior scholar for Anabaptist and Pietist studies and a professor at Elizabethtown College. “They have pets that they love and care about but animals are also part of the world at work. Ideas about animals are not sentimentalized. They are fairly realistic. To work a horse is not being cruel.”

When he arrived, Oreo was fearful of everything, jumping at any noise, constantly looking over his shoulder and wanting to bolt if he was scared. Oreo worked with a “horse whisperer” over the last three months at Forbes Ranch, and he has made great strides.

Oreo is currently living with my friend Denise Farris and her horse Copper. They’ve become great friends already and love to run and play in the pasture together.

Both Oreo and I had a lot to deal with in 2018… and we’re looking forward to healing together in 2019.