There’s a lot that goes into the shelf tags, ad signs and more throughout our stores — including the dedicated team that brings them to life.

For Printing Services Team Leader Kris Edwards, there’s no such thing as a boring day working in the printing services department in Lakeland, Florida.

“One day I might be applying floor graphics at the Green House [Publix’s innovation hub],” Kris said. “Another day, I might be working with my team on the printing press to get the color just right on a project.”

Kris’ journey with Publix began as a seasonal worker during the summer, where he worked doing bindery in printing services. After graduating from Florida Southern College, he returned to Publix in December 2008 to begin working as a prepress tech. He then was promoted to a prepress team leader before landing his current role as team leader for the digital printing department.

“All of my Publix career has been in printing services,” Kris said. “And I want to keep working here. I see the value in what we do. The more we get to be involved in projects, the more I see how much value we can bring to a lot of situations.”

In his role, Kris has been instrumental in leading printing services’ role in projects at the Green House, where innovative ideas for the future of Publix are brought to life. There, Kris has worked on the customer service self-checkout project, our curbside pickup signage prototype and a new store prototype.

“Kris’ continued efforts to organize and lead these high-profile projects have been outstanding,” said Vice President of Manufacturing Doug Harris. “His involvement in these projects often goes above and beyond what is expected and is in addition to his normal job responsibilities.”

Kris attributes both his success and the success of these projects to the teams he works with each day. His dedication to providing premier service by supporting continuous improvement efforts and increasing associate productivity as a team leader are why he’s recognized as a My Publix, My Part difference maker.

“Nothing I do is done alone,” he said. “Across multiple departments, I’m working with a group of extremely talented people. It’s rewarding to be part of the design and creation process of a project, and then be able to walk into a store and know you had a part in making that happen.”