Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Please contact our team with any questions or inquiries

Tim Burgess David Graunke A.J. Jania Alan Jania Michael Jania Susan Jania Karen Johns-Wrobel Gina Michalak Debbie Peterson Julie Shauman Sandra Vahl Tony Waters

Fall 2012 Edition

Diamond News is a publication of Diamond Envelope Corporation published in our main office in Aurora, Illinois and is available to our Employees, Vendors and Customers. We welcome any comments or article suggestions. Please send them to our editors. Debbie Peterson debbiep@diamondenvelope.com Joy Bailey joyb@diamondenvelope.com DIAMOND ENVELOPE CORPORATION 2270 White Oak Circle Aurora, IL 60502 Phone: 630-499-2800 Fax: 630-499-2801 www.diamondenvelope.com Thank you to this editions contributors: Joy Bailey, David Graunke, Alan Jania, Michael Jania, Susan Jania, Debbie Peterson and Linda Wilk

NEWSLETTER

Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Letter from the President

As I was driving through my neighborhood the other evening I could not help but notice several neighbors walking down their driveways to their mailbox about to bring in the daily mail. I quickly thought now this is something we all have in common. At some point in life we all laugh, we all cry, we all love and we all get the mail.
The sense of expectation that comes when we receive envelopes in our mailbox has been given a name by the USPS, The Mail Moment. It is not uncommon to walk to your mailbox thinking I wonder what is in here today? The recompense of that anticipation could be a birthday card; a note from a long time friend or it could even be a hefty electric bill. Whatever it is, it does find the stimulus to make us feeling some emotion. Can you say the same about an email you have received lately? I guess you could since the email is an efficient way to get a response. However the immediacy of email also brings stress expecting an answer right away. 20% of Americans feel they are under pressure to respond to all emails. Those that walk around with smartphones confess to have experienced email overload! There is a luxury of leisure that goes with the printed medium that allows the recipient to casually glance at bills, advertisements, set aside a favorite catalog for reference later and open that hand-written wedding invitation to a long awaited event. There is just something good about slowing down and taking a moment to savor the moment. The human connection people have to their mail is true and real. Mankind has been sending and receiving messages since the beginning of time. The USPS delivers the mail to 151 million homes, businesses and PO Boxes every day (well 6 out of 7 at least). Unlike digital networks that reach some 78% of Americans the mail reaches every adult across this great continent a real testament to our need to communicate thus the continued value of mail in our society. It seems to me that despite our love affair with the newest electronic gadget, we still have a flame burning in our hearts for a letter in our hand

NEWLY DESIGNED WEBSITE

Diamond Envelope is pleased to announce that our newly designed Website is up and running. To see what Diamond Envelope has to offer please visit

www.diamondenvelope.com

Common Sayings and their Strange Origins

http://listverse.com
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride This phase, surprisingly, was used to sell Listerine mouthwash! To promote their product, the manufacturers of Listerine employed the personal experience of girls at the time, who desperately wanted to settle down but seemed always to be left on the shelf. First used in the 1920s, it portrays a situation and a possible explanation for the lack of success these girls had. Here is the transcript of the ad: Poor Edna was getting on for thirty and most of her girlfriends were either already married, or about to tie the knot. How she wished that, instead of being their bridesmaid, she could be the bride! However, any romance of hers invariably ended quickly. There was a reason. Unbeknownst to her, she suffered from bad breath and no one would tell her, not even her closet friends. The advertisement sold millions of bottles of mouthwash and also gave the English language a new saying!

Alan Jania

Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Expectations Not Rules Its that simple

Now for a little break in paper and envelope newsFans of the HBO show Hard Knocks know by now that Chad Johnson nee Ochocinco was released from the Dolphins after the first couple episodes this season. However, in this seasons opener Johnson used foul language during a press conference and you saw a rookie head coach, Joe Philbin, reprimand Johnson for making the organization look bad. Philbin added, We all have an obligation, we all have a responsibility. He needs to either fall in line or not, its pretty simple. We dont have any Chad Johnsons here on the Diamond Envelope team. If we did, Im sure our head coach wouldnt be keeping him around for very long either. I feel our staff currently is some of the best in the industry, delivering high customer service levels and competitive results making our team run as a cohesive unit. Most importantly delivering product on time and in line with customer expectations. After this episode Herman Edwards, former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and current ESPN football analyst, was featured on ESPNs Mike & Mike in the Morning with some reactions and comments to Coach Philbins approach to handling the situation. His most interesting comments were about the expectations he set for his NFL players versus using rules. In the first meetings with his team each season he would start out with a list of his expectations. His first expectation was Be on time. After number one he would say, can anyone guess what my next expectation is Be on time and by the third expectation the group understood and in unison would say, Be on time. Edwards theory was that if you were always on time, it showed you cared and you are there for the team. The team knows you care in return. If you werent on time, then you had to stand next to Edwards and if you were standing next to Edwards on the sideline, it meant you werent playing. Players would say to him, youre killing me coach and his response was Be on time. He continued with the following, Its what we all learned in kindergarten. We got cookies and milk, naps and recess. To a kindergartner you can take away the cookies and milk and even the naps; but when you take away recess [play time], making the child sit inside while watching friends play outside, thats the worst feeling in the world. Its that simple Edwards concluded. The Diamond Envelope Corporation team never wants to sit next to Coach on the bench; we like to be an active player in a competitive industry. In many aspects, the Be on time expectation is a part of the culture at Diamond Envelope Corporation. Whether its responding to customers in a timely fashion, shipping product on time or just arriving to work prepared for the day, the Diamond team delivers on this expectation. Its that simple! Susan Jania Manufacturing Logistics Manager

Pre-Press Technology Advancements

In a continuing effort to maintain our position as the premiere enhanced flexographic envelope printing company in the United States, we have once again, made a large capital investment in our pre-press area. This new capital investment upgrades the three facets of printing we employ, lithography, jet-offset, and enhanced flexography. After a tireless exploration of the most advanced plate-making technology available, we aligned ourselves with Screen, for our direct to plate applications, and Flint for our solvent-based flexographic plate making.

Both applications, which are already in-service, have a reputation in the commercial printing world as being the best-of-class for the applications they will be serving Diamond Envelope Corporation. We are proud of yet another cutting edge advancement that keeps Diamond Envelope Corporation on top of the envelope printing industry. If you would like to tour our facility and check out our newest pre-press technologies, please let me know so a tour can be arranged.

Michael Jania michael@diamondenvelope.com

Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Paper Fact vs. Myth

I recently attended a Risk Control Workshop in Chicago for the captive insurance program Diamond Envelope Corporation participates in. The primary focus of the risk control workshops is to gain knowledge on new safety initiatives. The following week attendees were asked to complete a survey on the workshop providing feedback to the workshop organizers. Here was one of the survey questions:

HOW RELATIONSHIP MARKETING RELATES TO DIRECT MAIL

Diamond Envelope team members spend a great deal of time consulting with our clients about the most effective method of communication to their customers. Within this discussion, it is often very useful to have an understanding of Relationship Marketing, and how it can impact response. Consider, for example, the following information: Did you know that 75% of college students keep their first credit card for 15 years, and 60% keep the card for life? The ability to enhance this loyalty, in the form of relationship marketing, is often a key element in growing the lifetime value of a customer. This is where direct mail can often be a cost-effective, measured solution to enhancing and developing a deeper relationship with your customers. Packages can arrive highly personalized, with graphics that depict the lifestyle characteristics, when the customer is most apt to respond. An example of this would be the stimulating a sense of belonging via a club membership. Advances in technology (such as UPS-scanning equipment at the point of purchase) have provided direct marketers with a powerful relational database, filled with rich information on their customers. This translates in to lifetime value and reduced attrition from your product offering. Customers are bombarded with multiple messages every day. Many of these are intrusive, unwelcome and have nothing to do with products and services that are relevant to the recipient. Direct mail, on the other hand, is often a welcome message, based on what the customer has deemed to be important and of value. Please contact your Diamond representative for how we can help you with these targeted messages on the first-facing piece within the mailing, your envelope.

I immediately emailed one of the managers on the captive program to inform them that this kind of statement is very bold and not factual. It presents a challenging myth to overcome for all of us in the paper-based industry. I checked Additional Comment and simply suggested, Why not buy FSC or SFI certified paper to show a more responsible, carbon neutral footprint? In the past year Diamond Envelope Corporation in working with Domtar and utilizing their PAPERbecause campaign, has been trying to increase awareness on paper facts vs. myths. In speaking to a Paper Aficionado they confirmed in the case of this survey the environmental facts are not represented. Perhaps a better choice of wording on their part could have been: Help us reduce our costs, wed like to eliminate hard copies of presentations going forward. Help us use less paper, wed like to eliminate hard copies of presentations going forward. Help us reduce our paper consumption by indicating your preference for electronic copies three days prior to a meeting below. Lets set the record straight! The pulp and paper industry uses renewable energy resources, which are considered carbon neutral. In fact, nearly 64% of paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2010 according to the American Forest and Paper Association. This was more than any other material: only 35% of metal, 27% of glass and 8% of plastic is recycled according to the EPA.1 The true impact and effects on the environment for the newer computers, mobile devices and tablets today is still being measured. There is evidence that reading an article online, using a computer for a half hour, actually uses more CO emissions than printing the article to read.

Domtar. Domtar Presents Paper Because 28 Collected Essays. Essay 2 Its One of the Most Recycled Products on the Planet. 2012.

Susan Jania Manufacturing Logistics Manager

David Graunke davidg@diamondenvelope.com