Kristin Mateski

Let’s go back to when you started at Walsworth. When did you start and what is your current role?

I started in 2009, so I’m coming up on 15 years here. I’m the Vice President of Marketing and Communications and our group is responsible for all corporate, commercial and yearbook marketing, as well as any internal communications. We do a lot in this group and what’s awesome is we have a very skilled, talented, dependable group. That’s how we’re able to get everything done.

Can you tell us a little bit about your career before Walsworth?

I was working at marketing and advertising agencies, primarily in Dallas and then Kansas City, and rose through the ranks to director. I moved up here to KC for a job at Bernstein-Rein, a local ad agency. I stayed there for a while and then was contacted about a job here.

Even though I didn’t have an official printing background, my dad worked at a paper manufacturer and printer when I was growing up. So I kind of feel like I grew up in the business. As a marketing person, I don’t think my dad was ever totally sure what I did as my job. But once I started doing marketing for Walsworth and I could show it to him, he got it. Looking back, that was special because I worked here for a little bit before he passed away.

What were some of the accounts you handled during your agency time? Any interesting ones?

I worked on marketing for American Airlines and the one world airline alliance. I managed the Sara Lee advertising account, mostly when they were launching their breads and meats and cheeses. My very first account was Long John Silver’s and looking at thousands of photos of fried foods swore me off eating there ever again. (laughs)

Is there anything about those agency days that you miss?

No, not really. Sometimes I miss the insanely fast pace, jumping from project to project. (laughs) But what I don’t miss are the crazy hours and the lack of work/life balance. And I don’t miss that when you work agency life, you are filled in on what the project is, you complete the project and then it’s done. You never find out how it went or what the data shows. You just move on to the next one. It’s a constant, project-based relationship. When I came here, I was really thankful to see and be part of everything from ideation to implementation through to results.

There are some ways you run this department like an ad agency, don’t you agree?

Yeah, we’re very much run like an ad agency in that we all have somewhat set roles and responsibilities. We have writers, we have marketing specialists/project managers, we have designers, we have web and digital specialists, and then we have our management group. In that way, it’s very similar to an ad agency.

You’ve been here for 15 years now. What is it about Walsworth that you appreciate, that’s allowed you to make it a career here?

It’s the people. I know we say that a lot, but that’s what it really comes down to for me. I remember when I was interviewing, Don asked me what would make me stay here. And that’s basically what I told him. I want to know that I’m making a difference. I want to respect the company I’m working for, and I want to work with people I would like to also have as friends.

It’s also the product that we’re creating. Print matters. You hear so much about the digital stuff, but you know, you don’t need a piece of technology to use print. You don’t need anything other than the time to sit down and read it. And the fact we’re producing something that’s going to last and often even be a historical archive is pretty cool.

My son Teddy was in kindergarten last year, and he got his very first yearbook. And I remember us leaving the school and he had it in his lap. He was concentrating so hard and looking through it, even though he couldn’t quite read everything. The next days, weeks, maybe even a month later, he kept asking for his “remember book.” We’re talking about a five-year-old boy with a very short attention span, who kept going back to the yearbook and getting so excited to see himself and his friends in it. Even to this day, it makes me choke up a little bit because it meant so much to him.

Your position, as a woman, on the senior leadership team – when you were named to that spot as a VP, can you go back that moment and recall what your feelings were?

I mean, it’s crazy to think I’ve been in this role four and a half years now. But I was very excited and very proud to accept the role. I also took it very seriously because I wanted to show everyone on the team and in the company that there are opportunities in the company, whether you’re male or female. Everyone’s voice is heard, and I really appreciated the leadership team welcoming me so openly. It’s important because each of us have different perspectives. I think as a woman, too, I have a slightly different perspective on certain topics. It’s honestly very exciting and very humbling to be part of that talented group.

How do you feel like the company’s changed and evolved over the 15 years you’ve been here?

Well, we’ve grown. We’ve added three more locations and added capabilities. It’s been exciting to see that growth at a time when many other print companies aren’t growing. I think a lot of our success comes down to always having an openness to learning and exploring opportunities. We make prudent, long-term decisions. I love that even with major growth, we’ve always kept our family feel. That’s important.

What about from a marketing perspective? How has Walsworth grown and where would you like to see us continue to evolve and go in the future?

From our team’s perspective, one of the things I am most proud of is how we’ve added on new skills and capabilities as the markets demanded it, and we’ve seen a need for it. Our group looks pretty different than it looked 15 years ago. What I love about our team is whether it’s through information sharing, or learning a new skillset, or taking on something new and just kind of branching out, we’re all willing and able to dive into things and get things done. As the company has gotten bigger and the requests on us have increased, I think it’s important to note that we’ve kept up with the demand and enhanced our brand.

Where are you from originally?

I grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Yes, that makes me an Okie from Muskogee. (laughs) That old Merle Haggard song is really the main reason most people have ever heard of the town. Most of my family still lives there. And my husband and I make a point to go there fairly often, as well as my family coming here. And with my husband’s family in Illinois, we see them often as well because we’re all a tight knit group.

For college, I moved to Texas to go to SMU and lived there 10 years before coming up to KC. It kind of feels like I’ve got three homes. I would say Kansas City is now my second home. And then Dallas my third.

What did you study in college?

Anthropology, chemistry and writing. I dare you to find someone else with such a diverse focus.

At the time, what was the goal there?

Originally I was going to be a doctor and chemistry was my major. But physics killed me. I couldn’t get past that. So, then I decided that maybe I would go into international law after talking with my guidance counselor, and that’s where the anthropology came in. I’ve always had a love of writing, so writing was just natural because I was taking so many courses in it.

So when you were in college, sounds like there was really never an ambition to have a career in marketing.

No, not really. I kind of fell into it. What happened was my pre-law guidance counselor, she had a friend who owned a small marketing firm in Dallas. And I decided I was going to take a year off and study for the LSAT, then take it. So she recommended me to work for her friend at the marketing firm and it went from there. I loved it and excelled in it. That’s when I was recruited by what was one of the biggest agencies in Texas at the time, Temerlin McClain (TM).

Do you ever go back and ponder, “Wow, maybe I should have been a doctor?”

No, because I love what I do. When I was growing up, I would have said I was creative. Although, I’m definitely not any kind of designer. But as I started looking at the types of writing I really enjoyed, there was a creative bent to it. And I think that was kind of untapped until I started working at the marketing agency. I just took a different route to get here.

Can you tell us about your family and about life outside of work?

My husband Chris and I have a son, Teddy, who’s six years old and in first grade. He loves sports, which is funny and awesome because I am so not athletic. Right now, most of our hobbies revolve around Teddy’s sports. Soccer, basketball and baseball primarily, although flag football is on the horizon soon, thanks to the Chiefs.

He’s also joined Cub Scouts in the past year, which is really cool. I recently became the treasurer of his Pack so I’m in charge of paying people and collecting money. It was a need and I’ve always had an eye on budgets, so I feel like it played to one of my skills. We’re also actively involved in our church and help out with events there.

I love to read and usually read two to three books a month. I love to travel and finding and trying new restaurants. And I’ve been learning Italian on Duolingo for over two years. It’s a language I always wanted to learn for no reason other than I think it’s beautiful.

Is that leading up to a vacation to Italy?

Yeah, hopefully at some point. I went right after college, some friends and I just basically backpacked through Italy for 10 days. We saved up all of our money from waitressing. That was a few years ago. (laughs) At some point, Chris and I would like to go but it feels like I’ll be spending the next 13 or so years planning trips around Teddy’s sports.

Sounds like travel is a big part of your family’s life. Have you guys ever taken any trips that were particularly memorable or a favorite?

There have been several, but I would say the one that stands out the most was for our 40th birthdays. My best friend and her boyfriend rented a house in Santorini, Greece. We spent eight or nine days there and it was pretty amazing. Definitely the trip of a lifetime.

What’s a fun fact about you that people might not know?

I’m scuba certified. And I love to dive, although I haven’t done much recently. But at the place where my son was taking swim lessons, they also do scuba certifications. And so he would see the people in wet suits and I’d tell him all about what it was like and now he wants to do it too. When he’s 10, we can get him started on a junior certification. He’s excited about that, and I’m excited to have someone to dive with.

If you had a personalized coffee mug, what would it say?

I actually asked a few friends about this. And what came back resoundingly was, “I’ve got a GIF for that.”

Do you have a favorite book?

Not specifically one book. But growing up we had a set of Nancy Drew books, and they are what gave me my love of reading and I treasure that. I don’t know where but at some point we lost those books. Every once in a while, I still wonder where those books are. Then recently, co-workers bought me some they found at a flea market, which was really cool.

You have a favorite movie?

That’s a tough one. I watch movies purely for entertainment and to kind of disconnect. Two that still make me laugh thinking about them are A Fish Called Wanda and Crazy People. I haven’t watched them in years but occasionally still quote them.

Do you guys like to cook?

I like it when I can make time for it. I need to have set instructions though. I’m not one of those people who can just go in there and whip something up and make it taste amazing.

You have a favorite dish or a favorite meal?

Pasta Puttanesca, which is one of my favorites. I love it. I also make a really good lasagna. Although now I need figure out how to make it gluten free. And we like a beef stroganoff. Those are kind of our top three.

Do you have any favorite memories of your time at Walsworth?

I’ve become really good friends with so many co-workers here. I love the camaraderie and the teamwork. One of the things I love most is seeing how far our department has come over those 15 years and how relevant the work we do is every day. We wanted to make big changes, and I think we’ve been very successful.

It’s cool to go out in the community to various people and I can say the name Walsworth, and they’ll know us, whether from the commercial side or the yearbook side. About two years ago at a JEA convention (for high school journalism), I had a yearbook adviser come up to me and say because of our print quality, because of our people, our reps and our CSRs, as well as all the resources our group provides, we’re the place yearbook advisers want to be. That was awesome.