Hello! Shelly here...
Here we are, March 2021. It is difficult not to touch on the affects that Covid-19 has had on our industry at it's one year anniversary, so I will, but it will be brief. One year ago, almost to the day, the sales team returned from our sales meeting in Phoenix, pumped and ready to hit the streets! Then, without a blink, our world changed. To say the past 12 months have been a challenge is certainly an understatement. Words like lock down and restrictions, not normally a part of first world language, became common everyday vocabulary. We have all felt the affects of this new normal and with it our current way of doing business has changed. Who would have thought that sanitizer labels and social distant markers would have have played a key role in keeping the print world afloat. Even through this uncertainty, we have adapted and persevered. Congratulations on getting through this year together!
My career at Factor Forms began in 1984. I have been working as a sales rep, in the Calgary branch, for 36 years. When I started, it was the beginning of the computer era, when the print industry took its first major turn in centuries. It was exciting, because the potential was unknown and limitless. Car phones were introduced (the built in your car models) and it allowed us a whole new kind of freedom. Printing was transitioning from letterset and linotype (look it up if you do not know what that is) to computers. We just started discovering how to reach people via email and transferring art files electronically became possible. During that time, every Dealer's customer started to think they were a graphic artist ;) Yes, I was around for all that!
Today, we don’t need to see anyone to secure an order, let alone drive to pick up a piece of copy or a floppy disc. The print world has changed forever. It has become FAST and FURIOUS and I sometimes struggle to keep up with the pace (ha, ha). Currently, presses and people are available around the clock and Digital print expansion has made colour possible and affordable.
An interesting fact about me is that I have been employed at Factor longer then most of our lovely staff has been on the planet! Working here has supported me through many phases of my life including; raising 2 awesome children (Riley & Jordan), 10 different vehicles, 3 legit hair colours, and currently 2 fur babies (Nixon & Blue).
I enjoy time with my family and …. doing the things that matter. To me, there is nothing better than camping, dog parks, travel and new adventures. If nothing else, this past year has made me appreciate a slower pace- oops, that wasn't Covid, that was my age! They say that hindsight is 20/20 and as I look back over the decades I can only reflect on the moments in time that matter the most to me. I long for that personal contact, you know... the way business was done. I miss meeting with and hugging friends and family. I can’t wait to get back to our future normal without a mask or an elbow bump.
As this industry evolves, so does Factor Forms & Labels. We are always adapting to current situations. Factor has given me 36 great years that I am appreciative for. Covid has given me one for the record books and I don’t want to repeat it, thanks.
- Shelly
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