Long on Ambition, continued.
Five years after Long joined Wachovia, his father, who owned Logan Long Roofing Company in Cincinnati, died. At age 29, Long moved to Ohio to run the firm. Almost immediately, his leadership skills were put to the test. The company's human resources director resigned, and Long says he was accused of improper hiring practices. The accusation caught the attention of a Dayton, Ohio, motorcycle gang, which convinced the firm's workers to strike. In the 1970s, the Dayton area was rife with such gangs that intimidated small businesses. "The gang rode bikes up and down the street, threatening physical harm to workers who crossed the picket line," Long says. "The town was upset with me, but I didn't give in. I felt that if I did, supervisors would have lost control and the business would have gone under quickly."
Long passed the gang daily to get from one side of the street, where the plant was located, to corporate offices on the other side. One employee of the roofing company who wanted the 5-month strike to end told Long, "You're either have more guts than I've given you credit for, or you're crazier than hell." The employee, Gennis McGuire, sometimes shared his fried-rabbit lunches with Long. McGuire suggested that Long give employees five more cents an hour, and Long agreed. McGuire, who had a rough-and-tumble reputation and had brushes with the law, convinced more than a hundred relatives and friends from Tennessee to come to Ohio with pitch forks and hatchets. "Backed by that small army, he walked up to the motorcycle gang's national enforcer and walked around him in circles," Long says. "He opened a switchblade and began to cut off every dingle-dangle on the guy's leather jacket." The strike ended the next day. "It was a hard situation, but leadership is about staying the course," Long says. "Having courage of your convictions is an immensely important asset."
Long's physique became an asset, too. A modeling agency picked him out of a crowd that had gathered to watch others audition for a TV commercial. The agency saw talent and offered Long several commission-based jobs during his late 20s and early 30s that helped him support his first wife and their three sons. Most of the modeling work was for catalogs and TV commercials, including one for a milk company and another for a retailer that asked him to wink at himself in the mirror while putting on a tie. The latter, produced for a Father's Day sale, ran for two years.
Long's printing career began soon after he was introduced to Frank Hamilton. Hamilton had an engineering background, worked for a machine-tool business that catered to large steel mills, then entered the real estate business. "We began talking, and neither of us wanted to stay in the career we were in," Long recalls. "We decided if we pooled our resources, we could come up with a business strategy that gave us more control over our lives. That's exactly what happened."
Time Steps
Tap dancers commonly employ the "time step," a repetitive tap combination, to control tempo--dancers prefer different tempos according to their ability. Soles and heels amplify tap dancers' sounds, which include elements of African drumming and European clogging.
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"The success of our operation is
directly related to the welfare of our people," says Jeff Long (third from
left). Graphic Dimensions' Newport plant produces continuous, cut sheet
and snap-apart products. It offers complete composition services and
delivery in five working days on all orders.
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Hamilton couldn't care less about any of that as he stands in the doorway of Long's office in Graphic Dimension's Newport, Ky., plant. Hamilton is shorter than Long and speaks with a more authoritative voice, though he's known among Graphic Dimensions employees as calm and patient. Hamilton is wearing a peach shirt and eyeglasses, and he's holding a VHS tape. The tape is footage of Long's first tap-dancing performance with the Ziegfeld Follies. "On the black market, Jeff, what do you think I could fetch?" Hamilton says with a grin, waving the tape in the air. "I'm accepting any and every bid."
"Two bucks," Long says, laughing.
"You're going to have to go higher if you want to avoid public humiliation," Hamilton says.
"Too late for that," Long says, rising from his chair and walking with Hamilton toward Hamilton's office, where a TV is on. Hamilton slides the tape into a VCR and turns up the volume. The picture comes into focus. A tall man dancing near center stage is flanked on either side by three dancing women. They move around his body and slither around his arms while his feet move in time to the music.
"You and a bunch of women--I should have known," Hamilton says. "Now we all know why you chose this hobby."
Long laughs, adopts a defendant's persona, and says, "I'm sorry. I can neither confirm nor deny such an accusation." Then he says, "Well, I do love the ladies."
Long is one of only four men in the 150-person production. Most performers are women with 20 to 40 years of tap-dancing experience. "It was an honor for me to tap with them," he'll say later. "I was just fortunate to be a fence post in the middle of that whole thing."
This is the first time Long is watching his performance from this perspective, and he begins to self-judge. "I remember thinking I was 99 percent on during this show," he says. "In all of our practices, I didn't do as well as I did on stage that first night. But the next night, well, I just fell apart."
"Looks good to me, Jeff," Hamilton says. "Especially your white gloves."
Long laughs and says, "I might have an extra pair if you're interested."
When Long and Hamilton were interested in launching a business together, they talked for six months about what type of company they wanted to launch or acquire. They chose to buy a local commercial print shop and distributorship. Within a few months, one of the company's business partners asked Hamilton if he and Long had considered entering the short run trade. Hamilton remembers thinking, "Possibly, if I knew what the heck that was."
In the fall of 1984, Long and Hamilton morphed the company into Short Run Checks & Forms, a manufacturer of custom and software-compatible continuous products, laser cut sheets, electronic prepress services and other capabilities. The business leaders have different backgrounds and management styles, but they shared similar values. "His instincts are excellent," Hamilton says of Long. "He's more volatile than me, and that's good because he confronts issues that need to be addressed. I tend to be laid back. Also, his financial knowledge is essential, and my ability to work with people has been an asset. We complement each other well."
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Jeff Long and the family dog,
Buster, enjoy a top-down ride.
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When they started Short Run Checks & Forms, Long and Hamilton decided they wouldn't pursue a major course of action unless the vote was 2-0, and the company achieved success early. "By 1986, we were making money and having a good time with a wide-open market," Long says. "In the early '80s, we didn't have more than 15 competitors. By 1990, we had several hundred. The window of opportunity slowly started to close."
Two years ago, when Graphic Dimensions' president and owner, Jay Scammell, felt as if the company needed a Midwestern presence, Scammell proposed to buy Short Run Checks & Forms. Today, Long's and Hamilton's goal is to lead the Newport plant to profitability that's on par with the company's Atlanta operation. Recently, Graphic Dimensions finished integrating some of its systems and processes with the Newport plant. "We have great respect for the new owner's methodology, which has helped me reinforce to our employees the fact that we're an important piece of the puzzle and can enjoy ever-increasing revenues," Hamilton says. "We're now running an efficient operation, and we keep getting better."
As Graphic Dimensions digests the Newport plant and it becomes more of a mirror of the Atlanta location, "that will indicate that Frank and I have done our jobs in the blending process," Long says. "I love doing what I'm doing, and I have no problem staying for a while, but there will come a time when they're going to want a full-time marketing person" in Atlanta.
A Little Sense of Wonder
The Longs recently bought property near Hilton Head, S.C., and they plan to spend more time there eventually. But the early-evening conversation topic on the Camargo Club's terrace is about the addition they're building on their current home in Indian Hill. Terri has purchased some furniture for the room and recently had a few other pieces painted. "It's going to be a great space for the grandkids to call their own," she says.
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The Longs' house is made of
oversized, weathered brick, giving it a centuries-old feel. The interior
includes family mementos, English antiques and a grandfather clock that
Terri Long gave to her husband as a gift.
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They'll relax more, but Jeff has decided his next 10 years will be defined by what he gives instead of what he acquires. "I'd like to provide consulting services to companies to share some knowledge, or maybe teach a college business course to help students," he says. "This chapter in my life is really about giving back and helping others discover life's rewards."
Jeff pulls his chair up and leans forward. "You know what I'd really like to do?" he says. "I'd like to dabble in some magic. I think it would be fun to pull coins out of kids' ears--give them a little sense of wonder."
Behind him, four people arrive at the tee box at hole No. 10, a straight 424-yard par-four. They stare at the fairway and choose their clubs. Terri mentions how much she appreciates her husband's zest for living. Jeff stares at his wife and chooses his words. "This is a perfect day," he says. "What day isn't? This is the kind of evening--the kind of life--when you wake up and feel like you can do anything."
Darin Painter is managing editor of Print Solutions. Email
him your comments at dpainter@PSDA.org
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