After more than 20 years working in print and pressrooms, Dan Donegan has taken over as Modagrafics' operations director. The Rolling Meadows, IL-based fleet, retail and decor graphics company creates brand-marketing campaigns in the U.S. and Canada.
Donegan has 23 years of print industry experience. He was the technical operations/prepress manager at Moore-Wallace Printing, a division of RR Donnelley, for 10 years where he managed production, including customer service and planning, prepress and color management functions. For the last 13 years, he directed operations at Printing Specialties in Arlington Heights, IL. Donegan provided oversight of the digital production facility (including 17 Illinois satellite locations) that prints the daily programs for Chicago area horse racing tracks, simulcasting and off-track betting facilities, and casinos.
“I knew from the moment I met Dan that he would be the right person for this job,” said Paul Pirkle, Modagrafics president and CEO. “His entire career has been spent in the printing industry at various levels of customer service, prepress, production and manufacturing, and he embodies the core values of our company. Dan’s experience will give Modagrafics a dimension that will drive the business forward and facilitate our growth and continued innovation.”
“With ink-on-paper on the decline, I looked for an opportunity which I could utilize my print and management experience in a more dynamic growth area within the print space,” Donegan said. “Once I met with the Modagrafics leadership team and witnessed what was happening here, I was excited about the opportunity.”
Donegan said having built relationships with Fortune 100 companies and examining processes to determine throughput and quality improvement needs, has prepared him for this position.
“I’ve learned about process management and improvement, and how important it is to build relationships with clients and your staff,” Donegan said. “My experience in upgrading technology and how to use it to succeed operationally will be beneficial at Modagrafics. Developing relationships, gaining the trust of the staff and being an advocate for their success, is among my main immediate goals.”
Modagrafics spent most of 2017 investing in upgrading its equipment, technology and employee training. It is Donegan’s goal to continue the push forward as Modagrafics expands work with current clients and wins new business.
“I am extremely excited to be part of this team,” he said. “I want to gain a thorough knowledge of our press and post-press technical processes as quickly as I can. Moving to a digital approach, with a hands-off process from printing to shipping, is very impressive to see. By removing processes from the equation, it is a huge benefit for customers with faster delivery and minimal quality control issues.”
