Valerie Pinnock is a Regional Support Professional with Minuteman Press International, bringing over a decade of dedicated service to the franchise and 15 years of leadership experience. A graduate of King’s College (Class of 2008) with a degree in Graphic Design, Valerie has built a dynamic career rooted in creativity, innovation, and mentorship.
Her introduction to the print industry began in 2009 as the head designer for three local publications, where she honed her craft in graphic design and gained an in-depth understanding of print media. Since then, Valerie has implemented her skill set across various roles, such as project management, digital print production, sign production and installation, apparel printing, equipment and software support, sales and marketing, and relationship-building.
Valerie takes the most pride in empowering others—whether guiding business owners, mentoring young professionals, or inspiring students to reach their full potential. She attributes her professional success to her unwavering ambition to never stop striving for excellence and to the influence of strong role models who shaped her journey.
experience
Minuteman Press Intl.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Field Support Specialist
September 2021 - present
- Regional technical and sales support for all of North and South Carolina Minuteman Press locations.
- Supported locations through maintenance and repair of proprietary software, printing and bindery equipment both remotely and in person.
- Aided stores in targeted sales and marketing efforts through direct marketing, direct mail, EDDM, clubs and organizations, referrals, etc.
- Responsible for setting up and preparing new franchise locations. This effort included equipment setup, software install and preparation, retail price vs cost implementation, vendor setup, and establishing a local customer base for new franchise owners.
- Weekly travel required.
- Assisted New York office in remote training and support for other regions.
- Hosted 35 vendor interviews at the 2022 Minuteman Press World Expo. The 2.5 hour video recording of interviews was distributed as a resource for franchise owners.
Programs : Creative Cloud, Fiery Command Workstation (EFI), Numbering Star, Excel, Corel Draw, Flex Management System, Roland Versaworks, Onyx, Outlook
Equipment : Mac and PC, Pitney Bowes, DUPLO, Brother DTG, Roland, XEROX, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, HP, Triumph, Challenge, and Epson
Collection of home-videos prepared to aid in review for team members after training : Videos
- Trained and led a creative team / Boosted morale by hosting daily meetings and celebrating teamwork
- Tamed an unpredictable production schedule across multiple departments to meet customer deadlines
- Identify and collaborate with numerous vendors to build custom projects based on clients’ requests
- Responsible for creative solutions during material shortage due to pandemic
- Represent company by managing social media and attending trade shows and chamber events
- Adopt and embrace new machinery and offerings by integrating new services including direct to garment printing, wide-format, dye sublimation, and EDDM mailing
Programs : Creative Cloud, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fiery Command Workstation (EFI), Numbering Star, Publisher, Word, Excel, Flex Management System, Roland Versaworks, Outlook
Equipment : Mac and PC, Pitney Bowes, DUPLO, Brother DTG, Roland, XEROX V180
Team Member : Allan Griffiths, 980.622.3542 / Owner : Christine McGroder, 704-782-2020
International Minute Press
(Minuteman Press)
Concord, North Carolina
Operations Manager
August 2016 -
September 2021
Graphic Designer
February 2015 –
August 2016
(6.5 Years)
Records Reduction
Matthews, North Carolina
Head of the Photo
Department/Designer
January 2012 –
February 2015
(3 Years)
- Handled social media marketing and designed advertisements to benefit the company
- Restored vintage photographs and customized videos for events
- Troubleshooting basic computer and equipment malfunctions
- Embraced overtime to ensure that tight deadlines were met
- Collaborated with other departments to reach company goals
Programs : Adobe Photoshop, Windows Live Movie Maker, iMovie, Windows Live Photo Editor, Epson, Kodak Perfect Touch, Excel, Quickbooks, Living Social Merchant, Groupon Merchant
Supervisor : Lori Rogers, 704.993.7632 / Owner : Shane Hunt, 704.724.3313
- Developed the page layout and design for multiple weekly publications
- Designed both pixel and vector based advertisements / prepared pencil drawings and sketches
- Trained a team of creative individuals and organized weekly presentations to boost productivity
- Met with clients to ensure customer satisfaction with the services provided
- Brought the business owner's vision to life by launching a new publication
Programs : Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Photoshop, Word, Powerpoint
Supervisor : Manuela Greany, 704.207.3930
Emag America
Monroe, North Carolina
Head of the Graphics
Department
July 2009 –
September 2011
(2 Years)