Chris Davila
Mailing Manager, 20 year Industry Veteran, and Sports Aficionado

In 1993, Chris Davila first stepped down the path that led ultimately to his establishing and managing our mailing department. His story is one of effort and experience; in a review of his career, the results speak for themselves.

Chris’ first experience with the craft was at the Post Office, where he learned the workings of the postal system as he operated sorting machines and prepared mail for each carrier route.

The years spent in the Post Office were fruitful: he made lasting personal and professional connections, cultivated his craft, and witnessed first-hand the impact of direct mail.

After five years, Chris moved onward to the mailing center of Texas Tech University. His expertise broadened: he handled inkjetting equipment, ran the mail inserter, and began processing mail lists. The hard work that had propelled him forward and the relationships he’d fostered while at the Post Office provided him means to navigate Tech’s mailing center through the sometimes muddy water of the US Postal System.

In 2007 we added a mailing department as part of our continuous drive to improve. We wanted a dedicated and experienced hand to captain our new ship, someone who knew what would make an effective mailing center and who could direct it with confidence.

Chris stood out as a problem solver. In retrospect, he makes us look like good decision-makers. He came on board prepared to build a mailing center from the ground up: he selected the equipment we would use to sort and manage mail, chose the best software for list processing and ensured that the new department would have everything it needed to operate efficiently.

After launching the mailing department, Chris excelled as the head of a team of experienced mailing experts. As the Mailing Manager, he reviews and approves all the many products that we mail to and for customers, always keeping vigilant guard against mistakes and errors.

Chris has a firm hand on all of Slate’s mailing projects. Stepping into his office, adorned with all manner of sports gear and décor, you can ask any question about any job. You might inspect signed championship boxing gloves while he pulls up the list you need, or admire the model of Kobe Bryant’s shooting technique while he finds you the perfect example of the type of envelope required for a job. Like a perfectly placed right hook or a precision-honed jumpshot, dedication and hard work have refined Chris’ trade. A trip to see Chris means finding out what you need to know, and trusting him with a job means having confidence that it will get done, regardless of obstacles.

Over the years, he’s been thrown a few curve balls. One piece was for a local bank that wanted to send diecut mail piece shaped like a saw. At the time, the Post Office required a printed piece to have 4 corners—they wouldn’t accept the piece. But Chris spoke with them and found a solution: rather than bundle and tray and deliver to the main branch, they would accept the pieces if we bundled by zip code in an envelope and dropped at each local branch.

He ran into a similar situation trying to mail a postcard that had been printed on Birch Wood Veneer for a large construction company. Again the Post Office said they wouldn’t mail the piece, this time because it wasn’t printed on paper. And again Chris worked with them and found a solution.

His long experience in the industry allows him to maneuver our products through the system, and his expertise makes sure that your design gets where it needs to go. We, and our customers, are the beneficiaries of the road Chris has travelled so far, and we can’t wait to see where it leads us next.