Paul Strack

When Paul Strack was starting his career, he had no plans to work in the family business. Though his parents started Custom XM printing company in 1966, when Strack graduated from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, he took a job as a staff accountant at Ernst & Young in Little Rock.
But when the time came for Strack to make a change in his career, he decided to join his parents as the company’s first outside sales rep. Strack said he believed his experience working as an accountant gave him “great exposure to seeing how businesses operate.”
Today, Strack is the president of Custom XM and has his hand in every aspect of the business. “I’m heavily involved in the sales and business development,” Strack said, “and budgeting and forecasting.” Strack also works to oversee the plans for the company’s future, reviews equipment purchases, is responsible for some day-to-day human resources work and, in inclement weather, even spends time “answering the phones.”
Strack has led his company through a difficult economy and done so without any layoffs, work reductions or furloughs. Technology, Strack said, and in particular his philosophy on technological improvements, helped the company continue to thrive in what has been a tough climate for any business.
“We’ve invested in equipment as we’ve needed to,” Strack said. “We’ve tried to be on the leading edge of technology without being on the bleeding edge. We’ve invested wisely. … We’re not saddled with a great deal of debt.”
Moving forward, Strack is committed to keeping the company relevant in what he describes as “an extremely mobile society.” An iPhone app is under consideration for a 2011 launch, and Strack has become heavily involved in social media, which he said had been an educational experience. “I think that has helped focus part of the direction where I’m looking forward to going in the future.”

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