2008 Printing Industry Hall Of Fame: 2008 HOF -- From Grip to Graphics Arts

Compounding matters, all supervisors at the time were part of the union, and John Roberts was left without anyone who could run a press. When the strike finally ended, the union voted to decertify. John Roberts has been union-free ever since.

John Roberts survived another punch after 9/11, as roughly 15 percent of its customers were in the travel industry. A decline in sales resulted for the next few years, and Keene found himself in the unenviable position of having to reduce staff. “We did what we needed to do internally to cut costs,” he says. “You learn to survive. You also learn that sometimes you’re not as smart as you think you are.”