Getting back to her roots and down to business
For Rachel Jackson, Columbine Label Vice President of Operations, Colorado would always be home. And Columbine Label would always be her destination. In fact, she quite literally grew up with the company. Her father, Greg Jackson, is CEO of Columbine Label. “He has been leading the company since I was very young, so Columbine has always been a part of my life.”
Before following her destiny, however, Rachel says she ventured away from home to gain new and different experiences, including most recently working as a project engineer for a large-scale commercial contractor in North Carolina.
But Colorado – and Columbine – kept calling. “Earlier this year, the timing was right to come home and be a part of the family business again,” she explains.
As VP of Operations, Rachel is involved in many aspects of the business. “Like a lot of employees at small businesses, I wear several hats. In my role, I handle everything from personnel management and equipment management to systems optimizations. Basically, I do whatever is needed to enable each employee here to perform their job to the best of their ability.
Father-daughter bond
The obvious question for Rachel is: What is it like working with your dad? Without hesitation, Rachel says, “It’s great! We have always been close. and personality-wise I am very much my father’s daughter which I think the other employees find quite comical.” In addition to working closely with and learning from her dad, Rachel loves the complexity of the printing industry. “Printing is just as much an art as it is a science. There are a lot of variables in production that you wouldn’t know from the outside looking in.”
A bright future for Columbine Labels’ Rachel Jackson
Rachel is excited for what the future holds for Columbine Label and how they service their clients. “Unlike many forms of print media, label printing is not going away any time soon. We have been very fortunate to become brand partners with many of our clients and help them to sell more of their products.”
She also sees continuing progress in their waste reduction efforts. “We cater to many high-quality, low-quantity products, so we are always keeping an eye on how to reduce waste. One way we accomplish this is through our digital presses. They allow us to streamline production and reduce set-up waste and overrun waste. We are always looking for new ways to reduce the amount of waste generated by label production.”
Free time and football
When she’s not juggling print shop hats, Rachel enjoys yoga, dancing, hiking, skiing, learning to play tennis with her mom – and watching Kansas State football with friends and family. Go, Wildcats!
