Leading the Way: Jenny Harris’ Journey in Print

Jenny Harris, Executive Vice President, Phase 3 Marketing and Communications

In honor of Women’s History Month, we spoke with Phase 3’s Jenny Harris about her success in the printing industry.

Finding a career that sparks something inside of you isn’t the easiest thing to do. In fact, some people never find a perfect fit that encompasses both their passion and their skills.

For Jenny Harris, executive vice president of Atlanta, Georgia-based Phase 3 Marketing and Communications, that certainly isn’t the case.

“I'm lucky because I really do like what I do,” Harris says. “I really enjoy the people that I work with — it’s such a smart, talented group of individuals — and I like the industry, and it gives me that creative outlet. I can't really imagine anything else that I would want to do.”

Harris didn’t start off in the printing industry, however. After deciding with her business partner to sell their company that helped people find homes, a headhunter directed her to a national digital printing company to join its sales team. This is where she got her first taste of print.

Her stint there didn’t last long, though, because the company made some changes that, combined with the burst of dot-com bubble, made things turn for the worse.

“It didn't work out well for them; they ended up shutting down the majority of their offices,” Harris says. “The GM of our office was like, ‘We've been really successful, why don't we just do it on our own?’ So, he and his best friend started Phase 3. I came over, they asked me to join, and I was one of three salespeople when we first opened the doors — and there ended up being two.”

According to Harris, Phase 3 has been on the cutting edge since it began, with its focus on digital printing. Another component of the company’s success, she explains, is its design work.

“What we found was just about every person that we talked to was like, ‘I don't know what's wrong with my file. I thought it was black; why is it printing purple?’” she says. “We saw a glaring need for the design side of it. So, we really started off as design and print. And simple as it is, our tagline at the time was ‘Design and Print.’ We had a couple designers that helped correct files or make them print correctly. Then we had the digital printing side, and at the time, nobody else was really doing that. It was agencies [separate from the] printers, and to have the design resource in house that knew how to design for digital printing really gave us an edge up on everybody else.”

In the 24 years since its founding, Phase 3 has continued to evolve through organic growth and the acquisition of other companies, turning it into a full-service marketing company. This ambitious growth, Harris says, has kept her engaged with her work — and industry — for more than two decades.

“Our ownership has really never had the desire just to be the mom-and-pop on the corner,” she says. “They've been driven since day one, and that's really exciting. On the few days that I have every year that I might not be as motivated as the others, it has really kept me going. I think that you already have to have that inherent drive to stay excited about what you do.”

Reflecting on her success in a traditionally male-dominated industry, Harris says she hasn’t felt disadvantaged as a woman.

“I don't really buy into the ‘I'm at a disadvantage;’ I've chosen not to pay any attention to that,” she explains. “I am definitely a type-A, driven personality and I am a believer in knowing your worth. In other words, I know the value that I bring to our organization, and I've proven that everyone can count on me to do that — to bring value to the organization and be a type-A driver personality.”

She encourages other women in print to do the same — to not let perceived disadvantages, or anything else, get in the way of their desires.

“For any individual, you have to set goals,” Harris says, “and if you have big goals, you have to get your head squared that it's probably going to be really tough to get there — and you're either up for the challenge or not. If you're up for the challenge and you want to reach those goals, don't let anything stop you. Usually, you are what gets in your way. Don't let anybody else get in your way.”

Harris also highlights the importance of giving yourself grace as you simultaneously strive for your goals and manage your personal life.

“Be kind to yourself,” she says. “What I mean by that is many of us have responsibilities outside of our job. Myself, I am a mother of four that are now adults. They were not adults, obviously, in the past 24 years that I was doing this. You have to not be too hard on yourself because it can be a lot to juggle raising a family and wanting to have a career, especially a career that's in a fast-paced, demanding world.”