Nicole Rivera of K Laser Technology Shares Advice & Experiences as a Younger Worker

While in college, Nicole Rivera wasn’t sure what career she wanted to pursue—all she knew was that it had to be within the realm of management.

After graduating college, she worked at a collegiate apparel company for six years as an account manager, program manager and eventually, a planning coordinator. It was as a planning coordinator that she realized she wanted to continue with a career in supply chain management.

After six years, she found herself working at K Laser Technology. “Being here has provided me the opportunity to dive into logistics and supply chain management as a whole,” says Rivera, who has been director of administration and operations at K Laser Technology for two-and-one-half years, and now has an MBA in global supply chain management. “Switching entirely into supply chain management was a much-welcomed challenge, as most of my career was customer-service focused.”

Here, the FTA Emerging Leaders Committee member talks to FLEXO Magazine about her path to flexography and what younger workers are looking for in the industry.

FLEXO Magazine: What does a typical work day look like?

Nicole Rivera: Wearing so many hats, no two days are ever the same. I have many active projects that I’m spearheading for 2020. I’ve been heavily involved in marketing, image rebranding, coordinating trade shows, updating/creating marketing collateral, etc. We’ve also been focused on updating our inventory and logistics management processes and software. Additionally, I’ve been assisting with our sales team and more recently, staying up to date on the COVID-19 moving target for our business, employees and customers.

FLEXO: How did you decide to pursue a career in the flexographic industry?

Rivera: My father has been in the industry for many years. Growing up, I had subtle references to the flexographic industry, but never knew what it was. For the last 10 years, he hoped I would work with him at K Laser, but realized I wanted to pursue a career in a different industry. Walking into this industry was a series of right-place, right-time scenarios. I had been experiencing many life changes and he was in need of someone with experience in operations and logistics. It took a lot of convincing on his part, but eventually I decided to come on board.

FLEXO: What do you like about this industry?

Rivera: It’s a tight-knit community and the many people I’ve met during my short tenure have been extremely positive and welcoming. They are eager to teach and pass down their knowledge.

FLEXO: What’s something that has surprised you—good or bad—about working in it?

Rivera: How much goes into creating a label! Walking the entire floor of Labelexpo Americas in 2018 and learning what each company contributed to the industry, it was truly mind-boggling.

FLEXO: When someone who is not a flexographer asks you about the industry, how do you describe it?

Rivera: I have yet to come up with a short description, but since K Laser mostly deals with the label and packaging converting, I typically tell someone, “It’s the shiny part of a shampoo/wine/liquor label.” You can start to see their wheels turning about labels and where exactly they come from.

FLEXO: What do you think is the biggest misconception about young people in this industry?

Rivera: I’d say the one misconception I’ve experienced is that there isn’t any loyalty with young people in regard to companies they are doing business with. Young people walk a fine line by keeping the existing loyalty that was created by the veterans of this industry and paving a way for the future of the company, as well as themselves.

FLEXO: Much is made of the age gap in the workforce, and the friction between younger and more veteran workers. Is there any truth to that?

Rivera: Personally, I haven’t experienced any friction between younger and veteran workers. The veteran workers realize that they eventually have to pass the torch to the next generation and many young workers are eager to step up to the plate.

FLEXO: What can human resources managers and company executives do better to attract young talent to their organizations?

Rivera: Since the introduction of the internet, Millennials have been told that print is dead. I remember being at a round table discussion at Label Day 2018 and a younger newbie into the industry said, “I thought labels fell out of the sky.” Of course, she didn’t literally think that, but many people don’t give too much thought about the labels they read every day, including myself. The amount of exposure younger generations and talent are receiving is incredibly limited; it does this industry a huge disservice.

Young talent is looking for a company that will not only nurture their talent, but also allow them the flexibility to explore other facets of the company and industry. The “whys” and “hows” are important—How does a particular task affect something down the line? Company culture is also a big driver for the next generation—having a feeling of belonging to something bigger than themselves, whether it be a sense of community or a family-like culture. They want to feel valued and know they are making a difference within their company.

FLEXO: Any advice or words of wisdom for any young flexographers reading, or students studying flexography and package printing?

Rivera: The industry is a continuous learning curve. Technology, processes and trends are always changing. Even the printing itself has many variables, and you will seldom experience the same exact situation.

Continue to build your network. Embrace those in the industry who are anxious to share their knowledge. There is far too much information in this industry to simply focus on one aspect of it; everything and everyone is intertwined in some way.