IN NOVEMBER OF 1971, I STARTED OUT AS A MIEHLE VERTICAL APPRENTICE RUNNING BUSINESS CARDS 24 UP THRU THE OLD VIRKOTYPE GAS OVENS. BEFORE LEAVING FOR A POSITION AT THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER, I HAD GAINED EXPERIENCE IN HOT METAL COMPOSITION, MONITORING LINOTYPES AND RUNNING AB DICKS, MULTIS, AND HALM JET PRESSES. ONE YEAR AT THE NEWSPAPER SHOP, FROM 1975 TO 1976, I LEARNED TO OPERATE A HEIDELBERG WINDMILL LETTERPRESS, A 2-26 AURELIA, THEN WAS MOVED OVER TO THE WEB DEPARTMENT AS CO-PRESSMAN ON A FOUR UNIT HARRIS COTTRELL NEWSPAPER PRESS. ANSWERING A NEWSPAPER AD IN 1976, I TOOK A POSITION WITH A PRINTING COMPANY IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. GAINING EXPERIENCE ON THE LARGER FORMAT PRESSES, TWO YEARS LATER I WAS PROMOTED TO HEAD PRESSMAN, THEN A YEAR LATER TO SHOP SUPERVISOR. BY THE TIME I LEFT IN 1985 TO TAKE A SALES POSITION WITH A LOCAL GRAPHIC ARTS EQUIPMENT COMPANY, THE SHOP HAD GROWN FROM 9 TO 30 PLUS EMPLOYEES. LEARNING THE "ROPES" OF THIS SIDE OF THE PRINTING INDUSTRY, I STARTED SMITH GRAPHIC MACHINERY 6 YEARS LATER IN JANUARY OF 1991. NOW, STARTING OUR 13^TH YEAR, AND WITH SALES AND INSTALLATIONS FROM MINNESOTA TO TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA TO VIRGINIA, RAY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE GRAPHIC ARTS INDUSTRY.