All the hard work at JP Graphics is paying off! April 2025 marked our highest monthly sales since pre-COVID, driven by a dynamic mix of projects: the massive FanimeCon trade show, medical / pharma packaging, surging mailing numbers, and our best-ever month in promotional sales.

With such an incredible performance, it’s no surprise we had a three-way tie for Employee of the Month, ultimately narrowed down to an exceptional choice: Eddie Kako.

Ironically, after three consecutive bindery winners, Eddie—a press production team member—earned this recognition for his outstanding contributions to bindery, as highlighted in the managers’ comments below.

Eddie Kako joined JP Graphics in September 2013, initially hired to operate our AB-Dick with T-head. Twelve years ago, JP Graphics focused heavily on business cards, stationery, and tech industry flyers. Eddie, a lifelong printing professional, quietly excelled in printing and cutting his work. As our business evolved, I began to see his potential and asked him to take on more. He started by organizing papers, then mastered our small laminators, which we repaired thanks to Skandacor. From there, he transitioned to running our large production laminator and Nobelus Sleeker. As our digital capabilities expanded, bindery became a bottleneck, so we tasked Eddie with cutting and finishing digital work, freeing Norbi to focus on packaging and gluing.

When our mailing services grew, Eddie stepped in to assist, leveraging his experience with tabletop folders to operate inserters. After we lost our Itek operator, Richard (EOM December 2024), Eddie seamlessly took on that workload too. In short, Eddie does whatever is asked of him—always on time, always reliable, and always with a quiet determination to get the job done. His unassuming nature and versatility make him an invaluable asset, as evident in the glowing feedback from our managers:

• “Eddie is Mr. Reliable—never sick, rarely takes vacation, and once you assign him a job, it’s done.” ~ Joe
• “He is always ready to help, from preparing plates to cutting his own papers.” ~ Dave
• “Eddie is the best! He laminates and ensures jobs are finished and ready for shipping.” ~ Miguel
• “He brings the best attitude to work every single day.” ~ Norbi
• “Eddie jumps in wherever needed—mailing, press, bindery, you name it.” ~ Debbie
• “You have to ask Eddie, but once you do, he never says no. He takes on more and more, staying busy all day, every day. When I ask him to do extra, he flashes this little grin that says I should’ve asked sooner—and to ask for more! We’re incredibly lucky to have Eddie on our team.” ~ Joan

At JP Graphics, we believe everything is better with print—Eddie’s precision in every cut, fold, and finish proves it!