Leadership Changes at OpenfirstOpenfirst Welcomes Steve Jaeger as President, Eric Blohm as Vice President of Sales
Company Founder Bob Kraft Remains on Board of Directors
Openfirst, a Quad/Graphics Company, has named Steve Jaeger as its new President and Eric Blohm as its new Vice President of Sales, replacing Bob Kraft and Dick Zagorski, respectively, who have announced that they are stepping away from their day-to-day responsibilities. While Mr. Zagorski will exit the business now, Mr. Kraft will stay on as an active and valued member of the board of directors.
"It makes sense for Dick and me to transition out of our day-to-day responsibilities now that Openfirst is established as a Quad/Graphics company," said Mr. Kraft, who founded the strategic direct mail communications company in 1996 and has overseen its growth into a major player in the direct mail industry, serving many large, well-recognized companies. "I look forward to helping the company grow as an active member of the board of directors," he added.
Quad/Graphics acquired Openfirst in July 2006.
"Bob and his team have done an exceptional job in building Openfirst into what it is today and have laid a solid foundation for future growth and success," said Joel Quadracci, President & CEO of Quad/Graphics. "We look forward to Bob's continued involvement on the board of Openfirst and will capitalize on his experience and knowledge."
Messrs. Jaeger and Blohm will begin serving in their new roles immediately while also continuing to perform their other, related executive duties at Quad/Graphics, the company for which they have both worked for many years. Specifically, Mr. Jaeger will continue to function as Quad/Graphics’ Vice President of Information Systems & Infrastructure and Mr. Blohm will continue to act as Quad/Graphics’ Vice President of Sales for Direct Marketing.
"Both Steve and Eric are exceptional, proven leaders who share a strategic vision for how we can help marketers maximize the profit-generating potential of direct mail communications by applying data in creative and meaningful ways to target individuals," Mr. Quadracci said. "Both of them will capitalize on their knowledge and experience in managing and applying data to help Openfirst clients meet their marketing objectives. And, because of their close affiliation with Quad/Graphics, they will be able to help clients leverage an even broader range of print-production services to build response and revenues."
IN HIS ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF OPENFIRST, STEVE JAEGER will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company and will make use of his expertise in data management, software development and support, and general business information systems to advance Openfirst’s 1-to-1 communications services. Hired into Quad/Graphics' Information Systems department in 1994, Mr. Jaeger quickly advanced to positions of increasing responsibility, becoming Vice President of Information Systems in 1998 and Vice President of Information Systems & Infrastructure in 2006.
IN HIS ROLE AS VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, ERIC BLOHM will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the Openfirst sales team together with Quad/Graphics’ QuadDirect Marketing and QuadData Solutions sales teams to provide marketers everywhere with comprehensive direct mail communications solutions. Hired into Quad/Graphics’ manufacturing operations in 1986, Mr. Blohm demonstrated exceptional technical knowledge and leadership capabilities and was promoted into management in 1993. He became Corporate Director of QuadDirect Marketing, a cross-platform consulting group, in 2001 and Vice President of Sales for Direct Marketing in 2007.
About Openfirst
Based in Milwaukee, Openfirst is a strategic direct mail communications provider with expertise in processing complex data files for expedited mailpiece production. Openfirst serves franchise-based, direct-mail-revenue-dependent companies in the automotive, financial, retail and insurance industries, among others. The company's services encompass targeted direct mail, localized marketing programs, and statement and bill processing. Through a distinctive suite of services that range from strategic planning to automated data processing, postal delivery efficiency and response tracking, Openfirst offers its clients the benefits of faster production cycle times, reduced costs and improved response.
Openfirst has approximately 400 employees who work from production facilities in Milwaukee and Fredericksburg, Va. The company’s capabilities complement Quad/Graphics’ direct mail services, which leverage Quad/Graphics’ entire manufacturing platform to produce communications pieces with highly targeted content on a mass scale.
Biographies of Openfirst 's New Leaders
Steve Jaeger
President of Openfirst
Vice President of Information Systems & Infrastructure, Quad/Graphics
Mr. Jaeger fills the dual roles of President of Openfirst and Vice President of Information & Infrastructure for Quad/Graphics.
In his role as President of Openfirst, Mr. Jaeger is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company using his vast experience and expertise in data management, software development and support, and general business information systems.
As Quad/Graphics' Vice President of Information Systems & Infrastructure, he:
- Guides the strategic direction of Quad/Graphics’ Information Systems division, which maintains all the company’s business computing systems and develops "Smartools" software applications that help employees and clients improve job efficiency, speed and cost-effectiveness;
- Directs the company’s QuadData Solutions division, which supports clients' marketing objectives and strategies by improving the quality of their data;
- Manages QuadSystems, a subsidiary that delivers advanced production management solutions to publishers and catalogers who are looking for ways to improve operating and cost efficiencies; and Oversees Quad/Graphics’ Facilities division, which includes construction, maintenance and security of physical plants and facilities nationwide.
Mr. Jaeger first became acquainted with Quad/Graphics while working in Pewaukee Finishing during college breaks. He joined the company full-time in Information Systems in 1994 and was named into management two years later. Soon thereafter he was promoted to Director of Software Development and then Senior Manager of a four-person Information Systems management team. He became Vice President of Information Systems in 1998.
Prior to Quad/Graphics, Mr. Jaeger worked as a Systems Integration Manager at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Mr. Jaeger has a bachelor's degree in operations management.
Eric Blohm
Vice President of Sales, Openfirst
Vice President of Sales for Direct Marketing, Quad/Graphics
Mr. Blohm serves as Vice President of Sales for both Direct Marketing at Quad/Graphics and Openfirst, our direct mail communications subsidiary. In these roles, he is responsible for coordinating the sales activities among QuadDirect Marketing, QuadData Solutions and Openfirst with the ultimate goal of helping us better cross-sell our capabilities and leverage each of our companies’ manufacturing platforms to offer clients "one-stop shopping" for all their direct marketing needs.
Before becoming vice president, Mr. Blohm had been serving as Corporate Director of QuadDirect Marketing, our cross-platform consulting group, since 2001. QuadDirect Marketing confers with publishers, catalogers, retailers and other types of direct response marketers on their sales and marketing goals, and then offers customized solutions for meeting those goals. Solutions – which have oftentimes included the development of new technology and value-added services – range from the creative use of inserts and/or personalization to alternative products such as paper or polywrapping, laser imaging and more.
A veteran of our company, Mr. Blohm started on December 22, 1986, working as a Sussex Finishing technician. He advanced to a machine operator, where he ran several different types of equipment before becoming a lead person and then a manager in 1993.
Mr. Blohm has been actively involved with our direct mail operations since 1994 when helped start up our West Allis plant and subsequently became the Department Manager for West Allis Finishing. Within a few years’ time, Mr. Blohm began transitioning from his day-to-day duties as Department Manager to take on the challenge of further advancing our direct mail capabilities through technology development. More recently, Mr. Blohm has been leading our integration effort with Openfirst since we acquired the direct mail communications firm in July 2006.
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