One of the principal features and upheld characteristics of our company is the people. The employees are the basis to our success as a company, and we continually thank them for their hard work and determination. Following this statement of gratitude, we believe it is essential to have an internal look at not only the professional spectrum of our workers lives, but the personal perspective as well. We are Precision Graphics Incorporated, and these are our people.
The first individual interviewed and our feature of the month is Mary Beth Weissman, President of PGI. In asking her about her role at PGI and how that has shifted over the years, Mary-Beth’s answer was inspiring and impressive. “My role has changed 100% since I first started at PGI. I started out of school as a receptionist. When I left to start my family, I was Materials Coordinator. I came back as President.” Her leadership is a fundamental aspect to the success of the company, but rising success is not her only credible attribute. Mary-Beth also doubles as the CFO. Chief Fun Officer. With a great management team, Mary Beth is able to plan parties and keep moral up through positivity and motivation. For example, she plans events like the blood drive, proving she is able to accomplish the day-to-day activities, but the “fun stuff” is what she does best. .
In terms of the professional perspective, Mary Beth believes the company is headed towards expansion within the medical, defense and aerospace field. She even gave insight on where PGI is headed, what opportunities are apparent, and what challenges they are facing. “The plan is for PGI to keep growing, keeping up with the latest machinery and technology. In the past three years alone, the company has invested over 1 million in new equipment. We just became AS9100 and that is enabling us to bid on more military and defense work, which is an enormous opportunity for us. Our biggest challenges are finding qualified employees. Right now our staff is great but when we need to hire we struggle with where to look for people in our field.”
Yet her personal connection to the institution is what keeps her inspired and motivated throughout her days at work. In describing the culture of the company, family and the closeness of the establishment were of utmost significance. Everyone is treated as a family member, and emphasis is placed on making sure family is always a first priority. This is because Mary-Beth loves the people she works with. “I came back here at a very sad time in my life and my work family helped me every day. I am thankful everyday for the PGI Gang. In accordance with this, I thought I should tell you how I came to work at PGI for the second time. When I was 25 I left PGI to have my children with my husband Dave Weissman. I met him when I started working here at 18. We started dating and fell in love right away. Dave graduated Rutgers and came back to PGI to become Vice President. In 2008 and we bought the business from Dave’s parents. They retired and moved to Florida. I was not active in the company. I stayed at home with the kids and worked part-time. Dave and I had a routine that on Friday nights he would come home and talk about the entire week of work. This was a good way for him to unwind. Little did I know that all the things he talked about I would need to remember in 2013. In 2013 Dave passed away suddenly. I was given two choices. Sell PGI or keep it going. I decided there was only one choice and that was to keep it going. People like Scott, Elaine, Diana, Brian, Scottie, Rob, Steve etc. had worked here for years. I needed to keep it going for them. I needed to keep it going to show my kids I could, I needed to keep it going for the sake of Dave’s legacy and I needed to keep it going for myself. So with the help of a great management staff we kept it going. I hired a general manager and we did nothing but soar. Every year our profits have gone up. We will only keep getting better. This I am sure of. I am sure of this because now Alec is working here. He loves PGI as much as his dad and grandfather did. He only wants to see us get better and he is smart and determined.”
Mary Beth is just one of the many incredible people of PGI. Her ethics and determination are attributes which are demonstrative of her work and aspirations to continue to help the company grow. Her personal connections to PGI reveal the working environment which mirrors the closeness of the family-owned business. These qualities create the corporation, and we are proud to have her as the leader of our team.
By Keziah Zimmerman
