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Big Mistakes, Bigger Lessons Even the best distributors make business blunders. Successful leaders dwell on the lesson, not the loss. The more things change...

From our first distributor communications to the latest Peak Award winning materials, Ennis supports and encourages the independent distributor. Even early on, the brochure on the right highlights three of our guiding principles:

Building a partnership with distributors.


Growing your business with new products.



Training experts to meet your needs at a local level. Thanks for helping Ennis achieve 100 Years.

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® 800.972.1069 www.ennis.com Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101 433 EAST MONROE

M A G A Z I N E

Editor in Chief Peter L. Colaianni, CAE What You Can Do Vice President, Publications xplaining the print industry to someone new can be a challenge: the jargon, Brad Holt Ethe supply chain, and even the products can be complicated. When we’re Managing Editor training a new editor, however, one thing is always simple for me to explain: the Rebecca Trela entrepreneurial spirit of independent distributors. Assistant Editor One of the most satisfying aspects of Kristin Quinn working in the print distribution indus- Contributing Editor try from this vantage point is the ability Mike Fisher, CDC to tell our readers’ stories. Print buyers Art Director/Production Manager and sellers are a group of creative, Roxanne Rash It’s time industrious people who are determined Advertising Sales to get it right. The phone rings on Dave Merli, Kevin Boyle, Dana Brooks, Ryan Abell weekends? Distributors pick up. No idea to get back to Publications Committee how to label your hospital forms? Dis- Bill English, CFC working on Mike Fisher, CDC tributors have the answer. Your client Bob McAleavey wants something not yet invented? No George Smith, CDC worries. “We can do that,” a distributor the business Advertising Sales will say. Print Solutions Magazine Advertising Department Throughout the past eight months, as principals. 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693 (800) 336-4641 ext. 114 as the economy rocked businesses coast- to-coast, no doubt you were out selling new accounts and checking in with old Print Solutions Online Print Solutions, the only industry magazine to ones. Most industry owners and man- win awards for writing and design excellence, is available online at www.printsolutionsmag.com. agers don’t hesitate to roll up their shirtsleeves and jump back into sales and busi- The site includes daily news, a comprehensive ness development when needed. But chances are you haven’t had a lot of time to archive of Print Solutions articles, a complete media kit, links to industry companies and other features not included in the mag- work on your business as a leader. azine. Print Solutions is published by PSDA, the only association exclusively dedicated to growing the print distribution industry. This month, a source was delighting me with tales about his tech gadgets both

Print Solutions™ is the official publication of the Print Services and at home and at work—he insists on having the latest and greatest. I joked that he Distribution Association (PSDA). PSDA is an international organization of likes to play with new “toys,” but fun isn’t the only motivation for this software print distributors, trade printers and suppliers working together to ensure that end users receive the products and services they need to succeed. Print CEO. “As a business owner I have to be very responsible,” he says, which means Solutions™ is a registered trademark owned by PSDA for its monthly maga- zine, which is published for the printing industry. Unsolicited manuscripts having a firm understanding of the emerging market. “Anything I do, I must do are welcome. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Print Solutions with the right intent.” Magazine, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693. Phone (703) 836-6232. You can reach us via email at [email protected]. Visit Maybe my CEO friend is right—it’s time to get back to working on the business our web site at www.printsolutionsmag.com. as principals. We’ve put together an issue appealing to the leaders of this industry, Volume 47, Number 8, August 2009. Print Solutions (USPS 205-400, ISSN 1535-9727) is published monthly by PSDA, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, ranging from executive coaching advice to PEAK contest success stories. Should VA 22301-1693, (703) 836-6232. Subscriptions: free for PSDA members you hire a mail manager? Source your applications on the cloud? Sell content- included in dues, $29 for non-members (plus $60 postage for Canada and foreign). Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing based promotional products? Read on for a little entrepreneurial inspiration. offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Print Solutions, 433 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301-1693. Rebecca Trela Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply approval on the part of the Publications Committee, Officers or Managing Editor Membership of PSDA. [email protected] Copyright 2009 by PSDA. Articles may not be reprinted without publisher's permission.

Printed in the USA.

Share Your Story Be a source for Print Solutions magazine. Email [email protected] or call (800) 336-4641.

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 3 CONTENTS

IN EVERY ISSUE COVER STORY 67 Industry News 18 Big Mistakes, Bigger Lessons 68 New Products & Services Even the best distributors make business blunders. 68 People By Darin Painter 70 Industry Calendar FEATURES 71 Advertiser Index 73 Classified 28 2009 PEAK Award Winners The stories behind 38 grand award winners. By April Hollis COLUMNS 49 Executive Coaches Blow the Whistle on Owners 3 433 East Monroe With No Accountability What You Can Do Coaches help distributorship owners keep on track, By Rebecca Trela stay in the game. 6 President’s Message By April Hollis Par for the Course 54 The Tax Form Cometh Isn’t Good Enough This annuity sale remains profitable despite economic and By Mike Fisher, CDC electronic pressure. 80 Off Hours By Eric Hornbeck By Rebecca Trela DEPARTMENTS

10 Promotional Products Content marketing may save promotions. By Rebecca Trela 60 Mailing & Fulfillment Your check is in the mail. By Rebecca Trela 64 Green Scene Is cloud computing on your horizon? By Rebecca Trela

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Par for the Course Isn’t Good Enough

I spent some time at the beautiful Saucon Valley Country Club In the parking lot behind the refreshment stand, there were at least in Bethlehem, Pa., last month watching the U.S. Women’s 50 Lexus vehicles. Used to shuttle play- Open golf tournament. A golf course is usually the only place I ers from their hotel, each car had a classy tournament logo with custom can forget about business for a few hours and concentrate on vinyl lettering. Every volunteer golf cart and utility vehicle had the same nothing but my game (and maybe a good cigar). But enjoying vinyl appliqué. The sponsor signage surrounding this USGA event turned out to be a fantastic work day for me. the tent village was amazing. There must have been a dozen different After parking a mile or so from the this action along with the USGA. processes used to create all the sig- course, I was amazed at all the custom When I exited the tent, I walked by nage. Wood carvings, full color digital signage directing us to the shuttle bus- an endless row of garbage cans, each signage on Sintra, etched glass and es. Along with the signage, there were decorated with a 24” by 36” full-color more. window tags and parking passes, and label of the U.S. Women’s Open logo. As I walked the grounds of this within minutes I was thinking about Throughout the day, I must have seen beautiful club, I couldn’t help but all the printing that someone spent a thousand of these garbage cans dot- think how the USGA leaves no stone lots of time developing and organizing ting the complex. unturned when it comes to branding for this event. As I made my way up the perfectly and marketing these events. I also As I strolled through the admission landscaped drive toward the first tee, couldn’t help but think how my com- gate, a volunteer handed me a printed there was a row of beautiful, life-sized, pany was not a supplier for any of this! course map, which included the daily full-color images digitally printed on If you know me, you know I hate to pairings. Hmmm…this needed to be corrugated plastic. Each one show- lose at anything. printed after each day’s results and cased every U.S. Women’s Open win- Fast forward to one week later. The delivered to SVCC early the next ner since 1953. Beyond these, I could Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown morning, right? The volunteer wore see the first tee off in the distance. It (my hometown) will soon install a an embroidered shirt and visor. She was a beautiful weekend for golf; the new bishop. In a planning meeting also wore a tournament lapel pin and custom logoed silk flags were gently with the diocese, we discussed what a plastic name badge on a lanyard blowing in the warm summer breeze. might be needed to help make this emblazoned with the U.S. Women’s Near the first tee, a quick stop at historic event a success. Reflecting on Open logo. the refreshment stand revealed thou- everything I had seen at the USGA Near the entrance was a 15,000 sq. sands of logoed napkins and plastic event, it seemed there were endless ft. merchandise tent with thousands of cups. Volunteers working behind the possibilities of how I could help our logoed items, each of which came in counter wore embroidered shirts from client. Within 24 hours, my mental list 12 different colors and styles. You the respective charities they represent- of ideas became an actual slate of name it, they had it. As I stood there, I ed. Each organization had a logoed orders that PrintConcepts will provide wondered how many promotional “donation can” by its respective sta- to the diocese. Some of these include: products distributors had a piece of tion. ➷

6 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 307 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1116 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BY MIKE FISHER, CDC

• a beautiful full-color, 11-piece My point is to remind you to never invitation mailed all over the world to stop working! Use each life experience invite other bishops and VIPs to the as a stepping stone for your next suc- ordination of our new bishop. When you cess. When you see something awe • full-color signs and banners, some inspiring, ask yourself not how you more than 30 feet wide, that will wel- see something can do it, but rather when you’ll try it come the new bishop. for a client. • a hospitality gift: a beautiful set of awe inspiring, Don’t wait for clients to ask for digitally printed marble coasters that your suggestions. You’re the expert will be given to all other bishops in ask yourself not who leads them to the solutions they attendance. Fulfillment is part of this need to succeed. Focus on your clients’ job—two coasters in a classy white box how you can do it, success, not just the products you sell, with cotton lining and gold ribbon. and the rest will take care of itself. • multiple versions of parking hang but rather Until next time, tags for car rearview mirrors to elimi- nate a potential parking nightmare when you’ll try it when 1,000 people arrive. • admission tickets in two different for a client. styles, 4-color offset, and digitally numbered. • a four-color, 40-page, saddle- Mike Fisher, CDC, is president of PSDA stitched program for the service using and president and CEO of PrintConcepts Classic Linen 84# Pearl cover—some- in Allentown, Pa. thing fit for a bishop.

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 401

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 9 PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS Content Marketing on Promotional Products One man’s trinkets and trash can be another’s treasure

BY REBECCA TRELA

yron White, president of Boston- the project blossomed into several tags as functional or promotional Bbased marketing firm ideaLaunch, iterations of educational cue cards items, but Crockett saw how they defends the communications adage that are beloved by members. could be used to pass information to that content is king. But in the mar- ASEA, which encompasses both members and would be kept by recipi- keting and ad specialty realm, content professional ski and snowboard ents. is more of an alchemist than a regent: instructors, saw a need in the industry The final piece consists of six dou- The right words can recast a throw- for quick-read, portable products. The ble-sided laminated cards fastened away promotional product into a valu- prototype was developed by former together with a grommet. The cards, able gem. In an economy that’s stifled promo products sales, those words may be the magic distributors have been looking for. The key to a successful pro- motion is delivering a little of what the customer wants (edu- cational information, reminders or factoids) and a little bit of what the promoter wants (visi- bility). “Your customers demand educational content without marketing spin,” White advises marketers on his website. “Cut back on the self-promotional speak and earn trust with your customers with quality infor- mation.” This information might be right under your nose, he says. “The first phase of collecting The front side of these six educational cards features “visual cues to effective skiing.” content is listening to your cus- The back side features “visual cues to ineffective skiing.” tomers’ wants and needs,” White says. “Talk to your customers by Education Director Linda Crockett, which are index sized, are designed for picking up the phone or engaging in who was inspired by hang tags she saw reference on the slopes. They promi- social media spheres. What are people on outdoor wear. The set of cards was nently feature the association’s joint saying about you? What is missing?” called “The Alpine Movement Assess- logos for the Professional Ski Instruc- Ten years ago, the American Snows- ment Pocket Guide,” and offered cues tors of America and the American ports Education Association sat down to effective and ineffective skiing Association of Snowboard Instructors. with its members to do just that, and motions. Most end users think of hang The final piece was designed and

10 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101 PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS printed in Denver by Helen Young of three steps: content creation, opti- member ski instructors worked with EnZed Design and produced by mization and testing. Although ide- coaches and the association’s educa- Spring Press Denver. Over the years, aLaunch focuses on online promo- tion, certification and communica- the cards remained popular and were tions, White says the process applies to tions teams. refreshed and reprinted in 2005. any medium—POD books, webinars, After creating great content, White workbooks, whitepapers and ad spe- says, it’s time to see how it performs in Getting Started with cialties. the marketplace. With online promo- Content Marketing Creating the relevant content is the tions, ideaLaunch assesses how quickly “Content marketing is defined as the crucial step. The main advantage of search engines will find the informa- art of listening to your customers’ creating the original reference cards, tion using a proprietary application. wants and needs and the science of Crockett says, was that the body of However, testing is still important in delivering it to them in a compelling information was managed by a credi- the offline world. “By doing this, you way,” White says. The process works in ble group from the outset. A team of let the reader decide what works and

20 CONTENT MARKETING TIPS Establish Trust First. Listen to Solutions Sell. Products your customers, and make sure are static, but solutions are your content is something they active answers to chal- can believe. lenges your prospective clients care about. Listen Up With Social Media. Instead of forcing clients to fill Tips Power Affiliate Pro- out forms and surveys, go to grams. Reward customers where they are already talking for following or recom- about you. mending your content. Listen Up with Analytics. Pay Escape Keyword Traps. attention to a campaign’s ROI. Frustrated readers don’t generate sales, so content Beyond Search Engines. It’s should be written to more than keywords—engage ideaLaunch’s content inform or encourage, not with your audience online and marketing information for keyword bots. in their networks. packet. Become an Author and Stop Selling & Start Selling. Authority. Wisdom earns Instead of focusing on features respect. and benefits, focus on your customers’ needs and wants. It’s What’s Inside that Counts. Build a strategy that Beware of the Bias. Offer information and tools that your includes a call to action or leads customers to another part audience really wants, not just ones your company wants to of your business. promote. Fishy Keyword Links. Craft clear messages so search Great Content from Great Writers. Great content is more engines, casual readers and third-parties can understand than useful information, it’s entertainment, too. your meaning. Pick Writers With Expertise. Your products experts and Know Your Content. Ensure that your sales reps and CSRs CSRs actually know something, so get employees involved. are on board with your strategy, because they will be the Tips Build Trust. You can flood your prospects with adver- ones talking to customers. tising they don’t want, or you can supply them with insight Content Conversion Path. Research the hot topics and big they can really use. problems, and plan a graduated timeline to move readers Avoid the Doorstops. Replace your thick, boring collateral deeper into the content. with useful and entertaining advice, and keep it brief. Content Marketing Sales Funnel. Keep your database full Speak the Local Language. Before completing your con- and current, and it will reward you. tent, make a list of the popular words and phrases in the Source: adapted from ideaLaunch.com client’s industry, and incorporate them.

12 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS what doesn’t work,” he says. His com- pany divides an initial rollout into “Content marketing is the groups with different text and graph- new fabric of communications.” ics. Byron White, president, ideaLaunch, Boston “In the old days of print and collat- eral design, we would meet with a client, talk about their problems,” and then put together three potential teamed with EnZed Design and Sprint zines and websites. And ASEA mem- pitches, White says. “The agency Press Denver to produce a set of six bers agree—the association has sold would then present three comps to the laminated cards. On the front side, more than 1,400 of these card sets management team, who would pick a they show member instructors cues’ to since early 2008. flavor—subjectively. Those days are effective teaching. The back side shows “Content marketing is the new fab- gone. Those decisions are now being ineffective techniques. ric of communications,” White says. decided by the audience, not the man- The cue cards were part of a pack- “It’s meant to not only inspire and agement team.” age that earned ASEA a bronze award engage, but to be used as a vehicle for In 2007, ASEA decided to revive the for overall editorial excellence this conversation. We need to put out great well-received cue card concept. “When spring in the Society of National Asso- content that is talked about and shared, it came time for our Teaching Task ciation Publications’ Excel Awards instead of just inundating the audience Force to envision an educational contest. Judges were impressed with with features and benefits.” resource,” says Communications the unusual content vehicle. The lami- Director Wendy Schrupp, “the nated cards stood out when compared Rebecca Trela is managing editor of approach taken with the first pocket to more traditional association mar- Print Solutions magazine. Email com- guide was a natural fit for the new keting and communication pieces, ments to [email protected]. concept.” Again, the association such as brochures, newsletters, maga-

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MANAGEMENT Big Mistakes, Bigger Lessons Even the best distributors make business blunders. Successful leaders dwell on the lesson, not the loss. By Darin Painter

ohn Osborne sat in his Wichita, Kan., office and realized it was time to diversify the offerings of his printed products distributorship, Midwest Single JSource. It was the late 1980s, and he sensed a coming decline in the forms market. The owner of a $1 million office products provider had asked Osborne to buy his firm. The deal seemed to make sense. Osborne had experience sell- ing computer supplies, and figured office-product buyers had similar needs. Plus, he would welcome five seasoned salespeople to his team. Osborne reached for the phone to agree to the deal. “I was a young business owner. I was bulletproof,” Osborne recalls. “Still, when I looked at the numbers, I thought to myself, “If we fail at this, it could take the company down.” When the deal closed, Osborne was excited about the things Midwest Single Source had gained—grow- ing sales, helpful customer service, a new product line. But he didn’t realize the impact of one thing the firm didn’t have—non-compete agreements with the new salespeople. Two months after joining the distributorship, all five salespeople quit and took their accounts with them. “My reaction was complete shock,” Osborne says. “They took all the business I had just purchased. I was going to be left with all the debt and no new sales.” ➷

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 19 MANAGEMENT

The Importance of Risk-Taking Albert Einstein once quipped that “anyone who has never Mike Bann’s made a mistake has never tried anything new.” That thought should resonate with distributors in the fast- Advice to paced print industry, who often feel the pressure of evolv- Young ing with the latest technology, new partnerships, different Professionals business models and bold ideas. “If you aren’t making mistakes, you probably aren’t making decisions,” says Jonathan Vehar, a senior partner at “Control what you can, including New & Improved LLC, an organizational development how you treat customers. But firm based in Chicago. “Valuable mistakes are well-inten- tioned errors, not ones borne of carelessness. More often realize you can’t control than not, short-term failure yields long-term learning and everything. A few years ago, we success.” Vehar says many business leaders aim to perfect the art sold a legal form used for college of avoiding and hiding mistakes, so they never seek the financing applications. The final “teachable moment” that failures provide. “They goof, and then spend more time kicking themselves or covering up product was proofed by our the error than trying to learn from it. Then they fear future customer, but it included a big failures, and basically stop trying.” Business and psychology books are filled with experts error. The interest rate was who say successful people make far more mistakes than incorrect—it was too low. We had unsuccessful ones. “They realize a major success will out- weigh a dozen failures,” says Jeff Salzman, president of to be the fall guy for our client, Career Track, a Boulder, Colo.-based business consultancy. and we lost the business.” “We have to take risks in order to accomplish something new. The trick, of course, is to recover from your mistakes and learn from them.” (See sidebar, below.) ➷

Managing a Blunder Jeff Salzman, president of Career Track, a Boulder, • Ask yourself, What’s the worst that could hap- Colo.-based business consultancy, and his partner, pen? Spare yourself the stress of overanalyzing your Jimmy Calano, offer suggestions for what to do after mistake. Instead, figure out how big a deal it is and you make a big business mistake: how much it will cost in terms of time, money and your reputation. Also ask yourself, a year from now, • Stay calm. If you accept your mistake and face it what will this mistake mean to me and the company? squarely, people will be more likely to support you. Don’t make lame excuses (good excuses won’t help • Show people you’re sorry. Don’t trivialize what much either), and don’t blame other people. Instead, happened. If you upset others, let people know that do what you can to put things back on track and try to you feel upset, too. control the damage. • Demonstrate that you’ve learned a lesson. Make • Respond, don’t react. Don’t panic—at least not in sure your boss and coworkers know you have gained public. If you go berserk every time something goes something from your mistake. Admit your failure, wrong, you’ll get the reputation as someone who can’t accept responsibility and try to bounce back as quickly take the heat. as you can. And don’t let one mistake torpedo your earlier successes.

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“Every mistake you make, no matter how big, can be a learning situation,” Osborne says. “We turned a negative into a positive, and I got a lesson in the importance of preparation.” John Osborne’s Advice That lesson has paid off. Midwest Single Source has toYoung Professionals made smooth acquisitions in the past decade, furthering its growth and diversification, including last year’s pur- chase of mail-handling equipment dealership DocuForce, “Think hard before you make your Wichita, Kan. Osborne says the move enabled his company to compete against industry giant Pitney Bowes Inc. business a partnership. I had been in Today, Osborne focuses on understanding nuances of business for about a year, and hired a business, including how to motivate salespeople and keep a healthy mix of “hunters” who seek new business and friend who had been with UARCO. “farmers” who maintain it. And he’s still taking risks: He I gave him 47 percent of the business— hired one college graduate last year who had never held a job, but was popular (he played football for Kansas State just gave it to him. I didn’t know University) and had local connections. “I figured he had to anything about equity, or what the hunt—he wasn’t given any business when he started—and he has performed tremendously for us,” Osborne says. future impact of that decision would be. I ended up buying him out. I’ve never The Value of Integrity and Diversification One of Mike Bann’s best clients, a legal publishing firm, seen one partnership that is was helping his distributorship stay in the black. Then, comfortable in the long term.” Bann told a white lie. “I hardly believe it myself,” says Bann, the typically hon- est owner of Bann Business Solutions (formerly Bann Forms Technology), St. Paul, Minn. “But the truth is, I wasn’t totally honest with a client, and I tried to get away with it.” Realization Leads to Growth The legal publishing firm expected a shipment of print- Osborne was upset with himself for ignoring the impor- ed items to arrive on a specific date. Bann asked his vendor tance of non-compete agreements, but figured the way he for an ETA. The manufacturing firm reported a problem handled the problem would determine whether Midwest with the order—Bann had forgotten to include details that Single Source suffered an irreparable setback, or grew from would have expedited production—and said shipment a valuable lesson. would be delayed. ➷ He reacted by providing office products sales training for his remaining salespeople, and limiting overhead expenses to offset the capital he owed to the bank that helped him finance the acquisition. George Crump’s Advice Osborne also determined the root cause of his error: He to Young Professionals didn’t fully prepare himself prior to making a major move. That thought sparked realizations about other mistakes he made during the acquisition process, including his agree- “Our industry lives too much on ment to pay the office products firm’s owner $6,000 a tradition. Always seek new, month for use of a computer system. The expense, he says, should have been taken into consideration during the innovative approaches.” sales-price negotiation. He also misunderstood the prod- uct line he had planned to introduce. “We were stuck with inventory we didn’t really understand,” he says. Months passed, and Midwest Single Source began sell- ing office products to new clients. The evolution was part of the distributorship’s mission to offer customers a cen- tralized way to order a range of business items—the “sin- gle source” that’s part of the company’s name.

22 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009

MANAGEMENT

buyer is sufficiently solid to lead to mercy and compassion.” In an ideal business relationship, he says, mutual impor- Mike Bann’s Advice tance is critical. “The lifetime value and profitability ema- to Young Professionals nating from second-tier and third-tier accounts are some- times overlooked in the rush to generate sales volume.” Today, Bann, who runs Bann Business Solutions with “The more you can stay ahead of his brother Bill (the family-owned firm began in 1939), aims to sell programs instead of just products. With the technology, the better off you’ll be.” help of a business partner in California, Mike Bann launched last year a unique consultancy component to the distributorship’s offerings: identifying and implementing cost-reduction and cost-recovery initiatives.

Bann knew the publishing firm wouldn’t be pleased, and told the client the order would arrive on schedule. George Crump’s Advice “Not only did the company find out that was incorrect, but also that I was the one at fault.” The publishing firm ended to Young Professionals ties immediately with Bann’s distributorship. “It’s easy to cut corners in business, and we all know “A 30-year-old can make a lot of you shouldn’t,” Bann says. “I received a lesson about being money by simply taking care of the completely honest at all times, no matter the situation.” Keeping that experience in mind, Bann seeks new hires customer. Success in this business who show integrity and character, traits that have helped sometimes has little to do with the distributorship gain the business—and trust—of new clients seeking custom printing, direct mail marketing knowledge of printing.” solutions, promotional products and other items. Losing a large client also reminded Bann of the impor- tance of diversifying the company’s customer base and product offerings. “One customer shouldn’t define your business, and you don’t want to put too many eggs in one Here’s an example of how the service works: If a com- basket,” he says. pany makes numerous shipments daily, Bann Business Solutions can provide an audit service that determines John Osborne’s Advice exact delivery times and calculates how much money the company should recover from the shipping providers. toYoung Professionals Bann says the service is ideal for shipping managers and CFOs whose firms lack the resources to perform such “Save some of the money you make, audits internally. Bann Business Solutions offers similar cost-recovery services in areas such as information tech- and put it away as cash that’s nology and phone service. available when it’s time to make a Realizing a Handshake Isn’t Enough strategic decision. Also, develop George Crump received exciting news during his first year banking relationships—share in business—a Fortune 500 company wanted his St. Louis distributorship, then FRI Resources, to make a presenta- information with them.” tion about handling a huge amount of printing and distri- bution. Earlier this year, FRI Resources was acquired by Kansas City, Mo.-based DataSource Inc. “The opportunity was beyond our capacity at the time, Dick Gorelick, president of the Graphic Arts Sales Foun- so we looked for a partner that could provide warehousing dation in West Chester, Pa., and an award-winning authori- services for the large company,” recalls Crump, president of ty on sales, marketing and business strategies for the print- DataSource’s St. Louis Group, and vice president of the ing industry, recommends distributors “never make the PSDA Board of Directors. ➷ mistake of believing that your relationship with a large

24 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009

MANAGEMENT

Mike Bann’s Advice to Young Professionals John Osborne’s Advice toYoung Professionals “You can’t rest on your laurels if you have a big amount of business “Realize you’re more savvy than with a client, because other smart the industry’s older generation. people will always be knocking on Most of us came from major the door, promoting new solutions.” direct-selling manufacturers like UARCO, Standard Register, Wallace and Moore. You’re in a completely panies would provide, how money was dispersed (both different world, and are able to sides paid commission to the other) and ways the partner- make transitions easily.” ship could end if necessary. “I was busy selling and run- ning the business, and never got around to it,” Crump says. In the mid-1990s, the owner of the fulfillment house said, “I’ve got all the business I want, so I’m done,” Crump He located a fulfillment house capable of the task, and recalls. “The painful part was that he owned the inventory struck a handshake deal with its owner: FRI Resources and kept it, then went directly to the customer and cut us would sell printing to the client and manage the relation- out.” ship, and the fulfillment firm would essentially act as the FRI Resources and its former partner had won the For- distributorship’s subcontractor, responsible for warehous- tune 500 client’s business mainly because of their promise ing. Together, the companies made a proposal and won the of single-source efficiency. He considered legal recourse business. against the other company, but decided against it. FRI “Almost immediately and then for a few years after- began providing warehousing and fulfillment services ward, it became a substantial amount of revenue for both soon after. sides,” Crump says. “All the while, I intended to come up Today, DataSource’s St. Louis Group is a $10 million with a written agreement” that stipulated what both com- enterprise offering a broad range of custom documents and labels, commercial printing, promotional products, direct mail, office consumables and more. In January 2008, it joined forces with The Layton Group, a St. Louis-based George Crump’s Advice marketing and consulting company, to form Stochastic to Young Professionals Marketing. The new enterprise, co-located with the older company, provides creative services, data analytics, digital asset management, call center services and other market- “New business models are all about ing solutions. “If that partnership had remained intact, we would be a accountability, metrics and ROI. $40 million company today, not $10 million,” Crump says. Unless you can make a difference, “But it taught us a valuable lesson: In any agreement, get something in writing up front if both sides plan to get val- you’re just a purveyor. Offer a ue from the deal. It’s a little like marriage. If you don’t measurable solution, and you’ll be think ahead of time about how you’re going to get a divorce and spell it out in written agreement, you’re mak- successful.” ing a big mistake. A handshake isn’t enough.”

Darin Painter, former managing editor of Print Solutions, is a freelance writer in Cleveland. Email comments to [email protected].

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Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 102 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009 2009 PEAK Awards 38 Winning Projects

n the fifth year of our annual Print Excellence And Knowledge Awards, entries continued to surprise judges with their sophistication and creativity. In 2009, the contest attracted more than 231 entries from around the world, encompassing everything from a patent-pending, plastic-free DVD case to dozens of high-end, cross media self promotion campaigns. We also attract- ed a record number of new entrants and significant submissions in packag- ing and digital printing. A beautiful printing job is just the first hurdle for these 38 Grand Award winners, who earned recognition through smart solutions that solve real end user problems. PEAK winners meet customers’ needs through creativity in design, production, fulfillment and other services. Grand Award winners will receive trophies honoring their achievements at a reception Oct. 13 at the Print Solutions Conference & Expo in Chicago. Attendees will be able to view the winning entries and chat with winners about their solutions. Grand Award winners are listed by category, along with Award of Excel- lence winners, who will receive certificates. In certain categories, judges desig- nated some Award of Excellence winners deserving of “special recognition.”

This year, the PEAK Awards were judged by (from left): • Dennis McGarry, CDC, PSDA Vice President of Education and Sourcing • Kemrey Heinold, Senior Account Executive, Canon Business Solutions, Canon USA • Joe Schwan, who held top executive positions at Wallace Computer Services and Standard Register until his retirement in 2001

28 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Affixed Products Promo Print Solutions, Oshkosh, Wis. When Direct Auto Insurance wanted a brochure, three key fobs and four stickers all in one piece, Promo Print Solutions suggested affixing the components to the inside of a brochure, sized to fit into a standard No. 10 envelope. “That’s going to save a lot on postage,” said one judge. Both the key fobs and the stickers are produced with slit scores, allow- ing less substrate to be used, versus perforating the pieces on all four sides within additional stock. Award of Excellence, Special Recognition Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan., Tiny Tim Magnet Mailer

BarCoded Products Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan. Gill-line was called on to provide a lenticular ticket for the presidential nomination ceremony, and the client wanted a piece that would be both functional and memorable. The tickets, which were worn by attendees, were die cut and incorporated offset and screen printing, creating a flip design that utilized a 75 lpi lenticular lens. Each ticket contained variable data with the individual seat number corresponding with the consecutively numbered barcode. The tickets were perforated so the bottom section could be torn off and collected. Judges were impressed that Gill-line was able to turn around more than 101,000 pieces in a couple of days, and praised the rounded corners of the tick- ets as more people friendly. Award of Excellence The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Blood Bank Specimen Form

Best Distributor Kit Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis. Independent Printing Co. wanted its 2009 passport to be an all-inclusive presentation solutions sales kit. The Passport binder contains all of the materials needed to make a folder, binder, media holder or packaging sale. Index tabs and color-coordinated sub-tabs help distributors narrow down to specific products. A niche marketing section helps distributors target certain industries, listing businesses to contact and the type of materials a business usually purchases. Also included is a paper stock and foil selection guide. The guide houses 72 paper swatches and 24 foils in a flip chart format and can be used as a standalone sales tool. “This is something you’d put on your desk for a reference just for ideas,” judges said. “This piece starts selling the moment it arrives at your company.” Award of Excellence Admore, a division of Ennis Inc., Macomb, Mich., Admore Sales Kit SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Binders, Complex Cadillac Looseleaf Products, Troy, Mich. This binder, praised by judges as unique, was produced in-house at Cadillac Looseleaf Products. The outside and inside binder wraps were digitally printed and hand turned. Cadillac added a magnetic closure to make the binder function more as a box, which protects the paint chip samples and makes it easy to mail, judges said. Award of Excellence Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis., PFLAG Safe Schools Training Guide Binder & Tabs

Binders/Folders, Kit Quality Resource Group, Plymouth, Minn. Quality Resource Group’s new self-promo kit is a vast improvement from earlier marketing collateral, the distributorship says. Previous brochures and sell sheets contained heavy graphics and very little flow. But the new brochures and sell sheets are clean, professional and engaging. The judges agreed, calling the kit “an expensive piece.” They added, “It’s spot on. It’s hard to get a varnish to be right on like that.” Awards of Excellence Great Lakes Flocking/Dynamic Print Group, Menasha, Wis., TOUCH/FEEL Sprint Denver, Denver, Printing Air

Binders/Folders, Presentation Dynamic Print Group, Menasha, Wis. Dynamic Print Group helped Sargento promote a new product catego- ry with a versatile window changing pocket folder that held all support material for the roll-out. Dynamic worked closely with structural design experts and produced the folder using two Dynamic companies. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” said one judge. “This is real- ly great for cross advertising too.” Awards of Excellence Diverse Printing & Graphics, New York City, Urban Zen Foundation Press Kit Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis., Snider Tire Custom Folder

30 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1223 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Binders/Folders, Simple Quality Resource Group, Plymouth, Minn. Judges were impressed with the varnish imprinting on the spine of this “unique” binder—another piece in the launch of a new brand for Quality Resource Group. The company wanted a binder that subtly communicated goods and services. The solution: varnish imprinting on the spine of the binder to remind prospects of goods and services each time they glance at it. Award of Excellence Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis., New Beauty Center for Cosmetic Surgery Folder

Commercial Printing, 1-3 Colors E-Bisprint Pty Limited, Tuggerah, NSW, Australia Judges were wowed by the die cutting on E-Bisprint’s diagnostic imag- ing guidelines booklet. E-Bisprint’s client needed a sales aid for reps and a service directory to leave with customers. Additional inserts con- taining new service information would need to be added over time. The resulting product was six versions (practice branded) of a Canadi- an half-bound booklet, Wire-O bound at the head, including 11 tabbed dividers and a gloss cello-glazed cover for durability. Heavy weight art stock was used for bulk, increasing durability while keeping cost down.

Commercial Printing, 4 Color+ Single Sheet Graphic Litho, Lawrence, Mass. Judges oohed and aahed at the flowers on this huge poster, used by Graphic Litho’s customer to promote their products’ floral fragrances in store windows. “Prepress was critical,” said the judges, who noted how the image picked up light colors without muddying the darker flowers. The poster was printed in four colors on a Harris 54-inch by 77-inch press. Award of Excellence Integer, Lakewood, Colo., Duracell Summer Storm Display

32 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Commercial Printing, Booklets Promo Print Solutions, Oshkosh, Wis. Promo Print Solutions “really made a function out of these booklets,” said judges. The trick with the IAMS Premium Nutrition Guide is that it’s a saddle-stitched booklet with tabs. “Not every printer can produce this configuration,” President Paula Condor said. Additional runs of the nutrition guides have been produced as the booklet is part of a program that drop ships on a weekly basis. Awards of Excellence The Allied Group, Cranston, R.I., University of Hartford Viewbook Innovative Print & Media Group, Phoenixville, Pa., Wyeth Internal Sales Training Booklet

Commercial Printing, Books Documation, Eau Claire, Wis. When a client approached Documation about producing infertility assistants—a guide and diary for women trying to get pregnant—the company designed a nine-section, tabbed book for the different processes in trying to get pregnant. One thing that was overlooked in the beginning, however, was packaging. To prevent damage to the book’s cover and tabs, Documation suggested chip boarding and shrink wrapping the book, which the client thought was a great idea. The book was a hit with judges too. “I really like the encased spine with the Wire-O,” one said. “It looks like a perfect binding, but they probably saved some money for their clients by doing the encased binding.” Awards of Excellence Curtis 1000, Johns Creek, Ga., Sodexo Holiday Cookbook Promo Print Solutions, Oshkosh, Wis., Sebastian Next Up Tech Guide

Commercial Printing, Envelopes & Stationery E-Bisprint Pty Limited, Tuggerah, NSW, Australia E-Bisprint’s radiology client needed a variation on the standard large X-ray envelope: the ability to enclose CDs. The Australian company saved its client money by creating an envelope that can store reports, film and CDs in one place. The envelope was sized 445mm by 366mm to fit standard X-ray film and included a plastic CD sleeve attached to the inside with die cut on the front. “It’s great that the CD is secured inside,” judges said, noting it is also a marketing piece. Award of Excellence Conformer Expansion Products, Great Neck, N.Y., Ernst & Young Poly and Paperboard Envelopes

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 33 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Commercial Printing, Kits The Flesh Company, St. Louis PAR’s Personality Assessment Inventory Comprehensive Kit required a lot of coordinating with vendors. But that was not a problem for The Flesh Company, which worked with a book printer, an offset printer, an OCR printer, a packaging manufacturer, a binder company and Digital Marketing Ser- vices. The kit contains a professional manual, a control sheet for professional report services and a padded critical items form. It also includes a package of adult profile forms and a package of hand-scorable answer sheets with cross-web glu- ing; both are shrink wrapped with a copyright reminder slip and reorder sheet enclosed. In addition, two slim-line orga- nizers (folios) for testing include a left-side pocket that holds a spiral-bound, flip-style reusable item booklet, a pencil and a clip to hold the answer sheet. Award of Excellence cmfi group, Peoria, Ill., OSF HealthPlans Asthma Care Program Campaign

Commercial Printing, Multicomponent Northern Printing Network, Wheeling, Ill. This sales tool helped Northern Printing Network’s client elimi- nate the need to open a new sales office for its condos and townhouses. The distributor designed a saddle-stitched booklet with a box pocket that sales reps and outside real estate agents could use to market the high-end property directly to potential buyers. The piece featured a translucent cover sheet and body pages of Curious Metallics Paper. The box pocket opened on the outer edge vertically to hold floor plans and features/amenities inserts. In addition, a “Your Neighborhood” insert illustrated the proximity of downtown Chicago attrac- tions, shopping and commuter stations. “It’s obvious Northern Printing put a lot of time and care into this,” one judge said. Awards of Excellence Dynamic Print Group, Menasha, Wis., Maurices Holiday Gift Wrap The Flesh Company, St. Louis, PAR Package

34 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 AppletonA l t congratulatest l t The Flesh Company, Printgraphics, ProDocumentSolutions, Ward/Kraft and Wise on their 2009 PEAK Awards!

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 604 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009 Cross Media BC Graphics, Tempe, Ariz. Judges said BC Graphics has “everything going for them” after they examined the company’s 2009 self-promo campaign. BC wanted to expand on its usual quarterly calendar theme, so it used the calen- dars as the cornerstone of its 2009 campaign and added custom pro- motional products, an online sweepstakes and direct mail marketing. The four quarterly calendars were printed in full-color with soy inks on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. They feature contemporary tone-on-tone foil stamping, accented by embossing. After distributing a calendar, a BC sales rep would return on a later visit with a branded promotional product connected to the concept of the calendars. For example, the “think” calendar would be followed by a canis- ter of brain putty. Awards of Excellence The F.P. Horak Company, Bay City, Mich., Hear the Chatter Campaign Primacompanies, Green Bay, Wis., PrimaCircus Campaign

Digital Printing, Short Run Printco, Omro, Wis. Koenigs ProSource approached Printco about an optometrist’s office that had two sets of clients—regular patients and those who came in sporadi- cally, or only once. Previously, to encourage yearly checkups, office staff mailed a folded letter about the importance of regular exams. But Printco opened the optometrist’s eyes to the benefits of VDP with a full-color per- sonalized postcard with UV coating. The personalized image on the post- cards was determined by the recipient’s age group, and the message was determined by age and amount of time since last exam. Printco also learned that patients were sent cards near the anniversary date of their last appointment, so it suggested sorting the database and printing cards in order of appointment, so office staff wouldn’t need to search through the cards to mail them. The campaign, which judges said shows the value of short run digital printing, used Direct Smile software and an HP Indigo 3050 to create 20 templates. Award of Excellence Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Petroville Game Pieces

Digital Printing, Variable Data, B2B Solution Graphics, Chicago Solution Graphics’ client needed a full-color employee emergency hand- book that was easy to use in an emergency and bound to allow low-cost page replacement, with a variable and easily replaceable contact name page. Judges praised the functionality of the solution—a digitally-printed, comb-bound flip chart that could be affixed to a cubicle wall. The hand- book is easy to navigate and the client can easily reprint and replace spe- cific pages at low cost. Award of Excellence Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Holographic Green Frog Mailer

36 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009

SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Digital Printing, Variable Data, B2C Eagle Graphics, San Diego A custom placard showing prospects’ names atop the Masters Leader Board was the perfect takeaway for prospects at a golf tournament that Eagle Graphics helped sponsor. Players’ last names were also printed on the shirt of a caddy shown in the picture, and on golf pouches the com- pany distributed at the tournament. “We gained several valuable clients that day and the emcee at the dinner mentioned us by name for what we did,” says Business Development Director Rodger Price. Judges were impressed too. “You know this is getting hung up in their office,” they said. Award of Excellence Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Direct Mail Campaign

Direct Mail, Lead or Acquisition Dynamic Print Group, Menasha, Wis. This unusual direct mail campaign was designed to market Brunswick’s virtual bowling systems. Lenticular technology was a key component in illustrating change and motion to bowling centers that received the mailing. The piece was placed in a clear envelope and mailed in two repetitive drops spaced a month apart. Judges praised the hologram and its visibility through the clear envelope. “If you get this in the mail, you’re going to open it,” one said. Award of Excellence, Special Recognition The Allied Group, Cranston, R.I., Brandeis University Search Fulfillment Mailer

Direct Mail, Loyalty Printco, Omro, Wis. This direct mailing helped generate 38 warm leads for a bank client that wanted to cross-sell additional products to mortgage customers. The pro- gram, designed by Printco and Quality Resource Group, included a digital full-color personalized calendar with unique images and VDP, and a set of mailing labels. Both of the gifts directed the customer to a pURL site to complete a customer satisfaction survey, which helped Printco track response rates and generate leads. The items were inserted and mailed using a clear plastic envelope to highlight the personalized cover. Award of Excellence M7 Business Systems, Denver, Setpoint Systems 25th Anniversary Celebration Invitation

38 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Document Security ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif. Judges were impressed by the number of security features and the back- end technology of these vouchers, designed by ProDocumentSolutions. The Motor Trade Association wanted to increase security and create a new mod 11 numbering system with MICR to allow tracking through its custom internal scanning system. The solution strengthened the security of more than three million annual vouchers and allowed auto- mated scanning of documents. ProDocumentSolutions took existing 6- color vouchers with a true registered hologram and added an artificial watermark, a custom ScanCheck backer with custom algorithm, and a custom mod 11 MICR line to existing specifications. The judges vouched for the security of the product, noting, “It has everything.” Award of Excellence ProDocumentSolutions, Paso Robles, Calif., Financial Trainer Certificates E-Commerce Maine Printing Company/MPX, Portland, Maine IDEXX Laboratories wanted to increase awareness of its products and services by providing educational seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada. But the company often has short turnaround requirements to create and mail invitations to these events, as they are reactive to mar- ket conditions. Maine Printing Company/MPX stepped in, developing a comprehensive web-to-print interface that includes variables for all available topics, speakers and event details. The user can create and proof the invitation online, upload the mailing list and place the order. Previously, the invitation mailing process took up to seven days but with the new system, the invitations mail within 24 hours of order placement. “That’s really what e-commerce is,” one judge exclaimed. Award of Excellence Prograde, Cincinnati, NatureSolv Direct

Forms The Flesh Company, St. Louis The Flesh Company and Lithtex Northwest partnered on this colorful order form for Tulip Town, featuring its “Rainbow Collection of Tulips” in 4-color process ink. The brochure is an 11- by 17-inch unit set, folded to 4.25- by 11-inches. It serves as a catalog, an order form with a duplicate copy and a customer reference sheet, all in one prod- uct. Judges praised the thought behind the product, and the fact that customers create their own receipts. “I love that it saves the company money and time,” one judge said. Awards of Excellence The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Raben Tire Company Work Order The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Scented Product Brochure Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Care Notes Flyer

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National Alabama California Ohio Tennessee 866-367-9235 800-767-3725 800-767-3752 800-537-8648 800-767-3786 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 307 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Green Solutions, Self Promo Documation, Eau Claire, Wis. Nobody wants customers to look somewhere else, so when it was time for Documation to promote its FSC certification, it created the “Why Look Anywhere Else?” brochure. The piece is printed on a variety of FSC-certi- fied papers with embossing that wowed the judges. “A lot of people don’t get what certification this is and this is a neat way of explaining what you should be looking at when you are printing,” they said. Award of Excellence Svec Conway Printing, Silver Spring, Md., 2008 Holiday Card Green Solutions, Product Tally Media Group, Grants Pass, Ore. Cascade Peak Spirits, the first organic micro-distillery in Oregon, was preparing to launch a new gin when it approached Tally Media Group about the possibility of a label made from 100 percent recycled materi- al. Tally knew pressure sensitive labels were available with 30 percent post-consumer waste, but after some digging, it learned Label Works had recently partnered with Mactac to test and offer a new line of label material (Bloom) constructed with 100 percent post-consumer waste. Judges thought it was a plus that Cascade Peak Spirits was one of the first three companies in the U.S. to use 100 percent recycled label mate- rial stock, and the company was happy about it as well. Award of Excellence ShipShapes, Park Forest, Ill., Green Gala Fundraiser Invitation Innovation Wynalda Litho, Belmont, Mich. For the release of the Wall-E triple-disc DVD package, Buena Vista Home Entertainment needed an environmentally friendly alternative to the stan- dard plastic case. It wanted the new package to have the same look and feel of the plastic case, but be made completely from paperboard. For this project, Wynalda Litho designed a patented structure called “Wynslide.” The triple disc Wynslide is a three-piece package composed of an outer sleeve and two internal trays. The internal trays slide out on both the left and right side of the outer sleeve. Locks inside of the sleeve allow each tray to be slid out to reveal the discs without com- ing completely out of the package. The Wynslide keeps the disc secure inside the tray. Judges called this piece a “home run,” adding, “That’s the definition of innovation.” The package is made from materials that are completely recyclable—the outside sleeve is .018 metallized holographic paperboard and the internal tray is .018 SBS with 30 percent post consumer content. Awards of Excellence Independent Printing Co., De Pere, Wis., Flash Drive Folder Self Promo Maine Printing Company/MPX, Portland, Maine, FairPoint Communications Returned Mail System Maine Printing Company/MPX, Portland, Maine, FairPoint Communications Statement Reprint System

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Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 201, 203 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Integrated Products USA/Docufinish, Plainfield, Ill. This customized integrated address label was a major money-saver for Children’s Memorial Hospital’s spring fundraiser. The new design, which replaced a pressure sensitive label, features a press-printed pressure sensitive adhesive backer. This does double duty in transferring a laser-compatible adhesive as well as allowing the client to use space on the form backer. Placing the printed adhesive patch precisely where the labels needed to be allowed for the letter and reply device to be produced on reg- ular form stock, as opposed to label stock. The piece also uses a complex array of internal die cuts, with 24 address labels and a large promotional label at the top. Awards of Excellence The Flesh Company, St. Louis, NHPA Membership Card and Sticker Printgraphics, Vandalia, Ohio, St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital Postcard with Integrated Specialty Label

Labels & Tags, Prime Overnight Labels, Deer Park, N.Y. A shrink sleeve label was the perfect solution when Magic Coat needed to reduce packaging costs while maintaining shelf appeal. The company had been silk-screen- ing directly onto cans, which is an expensive process. Any graphics or copy changes required overlabeling the existing cans with a pressure-sensitive label or discarding the preprinted cans entirely. The new shrink sleeve label allows the customer to pur- chase unprinted cans, which cost less, and offers greater protection from scratching and chipping. “The finished product is a representation of flexographic printing tak- en to a level that rivals gravure,” said marketing manager Susan Cox. Awards of Excellence, Special Recognition Overnight Labels, Deer Park, N.Y., MX-LS7 Dietary Supplement Label Awards of Excellence Labels West, Woodinville, Wash., Walla Faces McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, Texas, Blaque Coffee McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, Texas, Fruit of the Spirit McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, Texas, M5 Extreme McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, Texas, Posh Couture Western States Envelope & Label, Butler, Wis., La Dolce Vita Wine Labels Labels & Tags, Workflow The Flesh Company, St. Louis This 8.5- by 11.5-inch unit set was a hot solution for Raben Tire Company. Raben, which re-treads tires for tractor trailers, needed a form that would allow the compa- ny to track a tire through the entire re-treading process, even in ovens up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The Flesh Company and Hansen Business Forms came up with a form that provides spaces 1-10 for individual tires, descriptions and instructions, and is individually numbered with a variable image barcode and human readable num- ber. Labels on the back copy correspond with the barcode, as well as the line number 1-10. The form provides three copies, one for the dealer, customer and sales rep. Award of Excellence Trebnick Systems, Springboro, Ohio, Stihl Product Identity Labels

44 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009

Mailers Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan. This piece incorporated three separate mailed pieces—the Cardinal Athletic Fund donor report and status in the donor standings, a thank you decal and an invitation to a donor tailgate event. The Ward/Kraft mailer eliminated several steps from the previous mailing process, allowing faster turn- around and eliminating the insertion of errors on donor information. Judges were impressed by the piece, calling it both functional and cost effective. Awards of Excellence E-Bisprint Pty Limited, Tuggerah, NSW, Australia, C4 CD Mailer Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Laser Printable Form-N-Envelope

Moneymaker Kieran Label Corp., San Diego Kieran Label saved Samsung 50 percent of the cost premium associ- ated with offset when it took over the printing of labels for the flat- panel 650 series. Previously, the labels were printed by a Korean commercial printer and exported at stratospheric cost to Mexico where the TVs are assembled, said Steve Cady, director of strategic account management for Kieran. Samsung asked distributor Kyung In Printing to determine if a label of the same quality could be produced in the U.S. using flexography. Although the material was not available to any U.S. paper vendor, a competi- tive Korean material was identified. However, production was compli- cated by the material arriving from Korea in varying thickness. Kieran partnered with Mark Andy and developed a combination of anilox- es and inks to allow the use of flex- ography. It also added primers to the facestock for ink recep- tivity. A 1.1 mil laminate was added to solve the damage susceptibility problem. Press speeds were reduced by varying degrees, in some cases up to 60 percent, to ensure tight regis- tration and to mitigate the problems with the ink laying down properly. Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 717

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 45 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009 Packaging Wynalda Litho, Belmont, Mich. To create a whimsical package for the collector’s edition Fraggle Rock DVD set, Wynalda Litho used the outside package to create a shadow box, making it appear that the Fraggle Rock characters were inside a cave. This package, made from paperboard and PVC, contained an inside binder of rigid paperboard wrapped with a coated litho sheet. A printed thermoformed styrene piece, designed like the inside of a cave, was tipped on to the front of the rigid binder. Attached inside the binder was a metal three-ring holder with paperboard pages to hold the DVDs. “What creativi- ty,” one judge exclaimed. “You can’t beat that.” Award of Excellence, Special Recognition Wynalda Litho, Belmont, Mich., Speed Racer DVD Package

Plastic Cards Teraco, Midland, Texas Judge’s praised the flesh tones on Club La Vela’s VIP card. Teraco and designers for the Panama City, Fla., club collaborated on a card with a functional back, including a signature panel and lucid printing of rules and regulations, and a memorable image. “The white and clear is differ- ent,” judges said, and ensures that the VIP card will make an impression. Award of Excellence Teraco, Midland, Texas, CHUCKiES Gift Card

Promotional Products Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan. This eye-catching lenticular menu was used as a promotional piece at an awards banquet. Attached to a three-sided display board, it was the centerpiece for each table, and doubled as a menu. “What a great idea,” judges said when they saw the menu, which was printed in full-color using a 75 lpi lenticular lens. Viewed from one angle, the Louisiana Kitchen logo and the announcement of the awards gala can be seen. A different angle shows the menu for the evening’s dinner. Awards of Excellence The Flesh Company, St. Louis, Scottrade User Summit Package Quality Resource Group, Plymouth, Minn., UnitedHealth Group Employee Recruitment Program

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SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009 Screen Printing Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit needed a full-color window decal on clear polyester with ultra removable adhesive, and the food pictured had to look good enough to eat. But deep blacks and vivacious reds are among the hardest to create with process inks, said Sales VP Larry Timberlake. The piece was cre- ated using a 100-line screen with white printed twice, as a backup, and over- printed to maintain the small copy and fine details. Judges said the quality and details of the decal were similar to jobs printed with a 300-line screen. Award of Excellence, Special Recognition Promo Print Solutions, Oshkosh, Wis., Frito Lay Kroger Aisle Elevation Signage Self Promotion, Complex Proforma, Cleveland

Proforma’s print capabilities booklet “has everything,” judges said. “Profor- ma is on top of its game.” The booklet features a variety of paper stocks, print- ing methods and specialty finishing techniques and is an idea generator for owners to use on sales calls or to leave behind with customers. Each page of unique paper stock has an explanation of various printing techniques. Award of Excellence, Special Recognition McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, Texas, 2009 McDowell Calendar—Buckle Up With Innovation Awards of Excellence Colortree, Richmond, Va., Envelope Kits Maggio Data Forms, Murrieta, Calif., sales tool for forms, checks, labels and cards Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1006

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 47 SPECIAL REPORT PEAK WINNERS 2009 Self Promotion, Simple Admore, a division of Ennis Inc., Macomb, Mich. Admore’s Halloween-themed self-promo folder looks complex, but is deceptively simple, says Marketing Manager Lisa Goebel. Previous Hal- loween promotions consisted of a folder, insert and coupon, which were hand assembled and stuffed into a companion mailing envelope. Because this piece was all inclusive, there was only one piece to assem- ble and stuff. The graphics were created using four-color process print- ing with gloss UV and spot matte coating effects. The folder also fea- tured one level raised embossing with custom die cutting. Judges praised the spot varnish on the back of the folder, noting there was no cracking. One added, “I love that they do it for Halloween. That’s really unique.” Award of Excellence, Special Recognition cmfi group, Peoria, Ill., Corporate Christmas Card Awards of Excellence Custom Data Imaging Corp., Markham, Ont., Everyone’s a Winner with VDP Folien Fischer USA, Wilmington, Del., Self-Promo Calendar Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis., FVTC Tractor Trailer Bank Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Marketing Spin Wheel Wise, Alpharetta, Ga., “Take a Fresh Look at Wise” Gum

Time Saver Maine Printing Company/MPX, Portland, Maine When Wright Express needed to reduce the time and effort spent on updating forms, Maine Printing Company/MPX built a system that pulls data from each partner’s profile and automatically includes it in the forms sales reps send to prospects. Sales reps select the applicable form, enter the required information and email the form to the end users. The end users click on a link in the email, taking them to the form to fill in the rest of their data and submit it, creating a printable file to sign, date and fax back to Wright Express. Authorized Wright Express personnel can log into the system, enter the information to be updated into a web form and save it, making a universal change for each form containing that specific information. MPX’s solution drastically reduced the time spent by employees to update forms, and virtually eliminated exposure to outdated forms, said MPX Marketing & Technology Direc- tor Mandee Fish. Wright can also send additional sales or marketing collateral in a PDF form along with the electronic form. Awards of Excellence Taiyodo Printing, Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan, Medical Check-Up Sample Envelope with Label Ward/Kraft, Fort Scott, Kan., Whirlpool/Maytag Digital Kit Labels

48 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 FEATURE ARTICLE EXECUTIVE COACHING Executive Coaches Blow the Whistle on Owners With No Accountability Coaches help distributorship owners keep on track, stay in the game

By April Hollis

If you’re the owner of a distributorship, or an not their client, it’s their employees. executive-level employee, you might be thinking I’m trying to get a lot of distributors to have a paradigm shift in developing “the buck stops here.” But you might be wrong. people more.” Most of Faubel’s clients come to him because they want to be better Several company presidents, accus- He says he now takes time to listen leaders, a desire that may be especially tomed to being the ultimate authority to his employees, asking them what relevant for successors in family-run at their firms, are turning to executive they need to do their job better and distributorships, who may not have coaches to add an extra layer of grow. the same leadership experience as the accountability and guidance. Glen James met his coach, Craig Faubel, outgoing owner. “The owner needs to James, CEO of RPM, Ft. Worth, Texas, president of Dantotsu Performance, train their son or daughter in all areas is one of them. Carrollton, Texas, at a PSDA event. The of the company, and having him or “Part of the reason I use a coach is two meet once a month for a couple of her meet with an executive coach because I don’t have an immediate hours. Faubel, a former WorkflowOne inste ad of having dad explain what to supervisor,” James says. “It’s very sales rep, says he helps his clients— do is very non-threatening,” Faubel important to have someone you’re typically company presidents— says, noting two of his clients are pres- accountable to. Many people who run increase employee performance idents of family-run businesses. their own companies don’t want to be through employee development. challenged, and as a result, their com- “I’m a firm believer that if you CEO Group Connection panies wi ll max out at a cert ain level build your people, your people will Carrie Siconolfi, president of Print and they won’t be able to take it fur- build your company. When I was in Solutions Plus, Vineland, N.J., met her ther. But if you open yourself up to a the print industry, I had three assis- coach through her CEO group, where coaching type relationship, you’ll be tants on very small salaries, but they he is the moderator. The coach meets challenged and you’ll be able to grow.” earned compensation according to the with the group monthly, providing an He adds that a coach can also offer clients they took care of. If you give agenda that includes marketing, sales guidance. “As an entrepreneur, I pur- your customer service staff commis- and related goals and stra tegies. sue many different things at the same sions, give them a piece of the pie, help The coach, Ma nny Nowak of Nowak time. A coach can help yo u decide train and develop them, they’ll do Associates, also meets with members wh at you want to achieve and how to more than what you could do,” he individually and has helped Siconolfi prioritize activities to reach those says, adding, “A lot of times, good cus- set goals and make business decisions. goals.” tomer service people move into great For example, Siconolfi says, “I was But, James says, “the biggest thing account management people.” hemming and hawing over purchasing I’ve learned is that the more you invest Faubel often hears questions about distributorship management software in your employees, the better off your why certain distributors fail, and says a for the business. After discussing with company is going to be. Before the majority do so because of lack of him the benefit I’d get versus the cost, coaching, I was so results-oriented interpersonal leadership skills, person- he said, ‘That’s a drop in the bucket that I didn’t think about investing in al skills and focus. “Distributors need based on what you’re telling me this others as much as I did in myself.” to realize that their No. 1 customer is could do for the company.’” ➷

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 49 FEATURE ARTICLE EXECUTIVE COACHING

Gail O’Roke, CEO of Independent Business Group, Hayward, Calif., was Drill Sergeant vs. Cheerleader advised by her CEO group to hire a Executive coach Craig Faubel, president of Dantotsu coach because her business was “too Performance, advises distributors on choosing the traditional in our approach,” she says. right coach: (IBG is now a div. of Golden Pacific Systems, Rohnert Park, Calif.) “We Get clear about your ‘what’ and ‘how’ had more of an order-by-order sales The clearer you are on what you want to achieve, the approach as opposed to program sell- more effective your work with a coach will likely be. ing. Now, about 20 percent of our Do you want to boldly go where no one has gone business comes from large corporate before, follow a proven path, or something in accounts that look at IBG as a pro- between? Do you want your coach to track assign- curement department. The coach ments and deliverables from you, help you brain- helped us transition to this approach.” storm and clarify new ideas, or something in between? Do you want your For example, with her coach doing coach to be more like a drill sergeant or a cheerleader? the vetting, O’Roke brought in a new What to look for in a coach VP of marketing and sales from out- • Relevant coaching experience: To be effective at coaching, it is not neces- side the industry, “which is kind of sary for the coach to have experienced exactly what you’re trying to accom- refreshing,” she says. “He asks those plish, but it can help. Look for a coach with relevant coaching experiences questions that if you’ve been in this to what you’re hoping to achieve. industry forever you wouldn’t ask because somebody’s already said, ‘You • Relevant pre-coaching background: What did the coach do before becom- can’t do that.’” ing a coach? It may not matter, but then again, it just might. Find out and She adds that during the transition, see if it’s relevant to what you want to work on. the coach spoke not only to her, but to • Coaching credentials: Professional coaching isn’t just conversation. Go other key employees at the company to with a coach who’s been properly trained at a school accredited by the get a feel for where resistance to change International Coach Federation. was. “People will tell an outsider the • Coaching commitment: Look for a full-time coach. Don’t be fooled by things they won’t tell you,” she says. trainers, speakers and consultants, who only “coach” when their other work O’Roke agrees with James that hav- dries up. It’s not that these aren’t good people, it’s just that it typically takes ing a coach “really does keep you several hundred hours of practice to hone one’s skills as a professional accountable. As a CEO, you’re really coach. not that accountable, except for a quarterly board meeting.” But her The Sample Session coach makes sure she gets things done. Most coaches offer free, no-strings-attached sample coaching sessions. Take them up on the offer. To make the most of these calls, have a specific issue to The Coaching Advantage discuss and actively engage in the coaching process. Although several distributors report Dollars and ‘Sense’ positive experiences with coaching, All coaches are NOT created equal. Being coached by someone is not the same using a coach is not that common in as being coached by anyone. So don’t fall into the trap of thinking that coach- the printing industry. David Clark, ing is a commoditized service. president of executive recruiting firm PrintQuest, says he’s seen very little use Why might some coaches charge less? of executive coaching in the industry • Maybe they are new (read: inexperienced) in his 28 years as an executive recruiter. • Maybe they are struggling to get new clients (read: desperate) “I think the one area with a pretty • Maybe they are part-timers (read: hobbyists) dynamic coaching effort is the sales area. But there is very little executive • Maybe they are testing some new methodologies (read: experimenting) level coaching. One problem is that • Or maybe they’re offering an absolutely incredible deal (read: it’s possible) there are a lot of family businesses, • Obviously, higher fees don’t always mean better service. The most impor- and people think they can’t be taught tant thing is finding a coach you really like and ‘click’ with—someone who how to do their job because they are a really helps you think smarter, feel better and act sooner. third-generation printer. The bottom line is there should be, and could be, a

50 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 FEATURE ARTICLE EXECUTIVE COACHING

“Distributors need to realize that their part of communicating than talking is. I find myself being much more con- No. 1 customer is not their client, scious of how I am coming across in routine interactions.” And Buggy’s it’s their employees. I’m trying to get a lot employees have noticed a difference, telling him to keep it up. of distributors to have a paradigm shift Coaching helped Sunbelt Graphic in developing people more.” Systems President Larry Bradley become a better listener as well. Craig Faubel, President Bradley says the tips he learned from Dantotsu Performance, Carrollton, Texas his coach helped make his company’s weekly meetings more involving and more relevant. Employees now have an opportunity to say whatever comes lot more print industry coaching, but well. Steve Buggy, general manager at to mind at the meetings, and are due to the time constraints and fire- B&D Litho of Arizona, has used a encouraged to share something they fighting typical in printing, it’s a pret- coach and says the biggest lesson he have learned that week. Sunbelt ran- ty reactive environment. That doesn’t learned is how to be a better listener. domly gives out monetary rewards to lend well to taking large blocks of time “At times, especially in stressful sit- employees who share what they’ve out of your day.” uations, I would think ahead to what I learned, encouraging people to read Clark says coaching could help dis- was going to say next, or just plain trade magazines and keep up with tributors improve their interactions multitask, and I probably wasn’t industry developments. with peers, underlings and vendors. always listening 100 percent. I learned Bradley says that although the And printers may be using coaching as that listening is often a much bigger coaching was expensive—$6,500 for

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1019

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 51 FEATURE ARTICLE EXECUTIVE COACHING “It’s very important to have someone you’re three months of coaching—it was accountable to. A lot of people who run worth the price as the meetings are still better several years later. However, their own companies don’t want to be he jokes, “What I really hate about coaching is that they don’t do the challenged and their companies will max work for you.” Barry Zweibel, executive coach with out at a certain level and they won’t be able to take GottaGettaCoach!, Northbrook, Ill., it further. But if you open yourself up to a coaching says that even though a coach can’t do the work for his or her clients, a dis- type relationship, you’ll be challenged and you’ll be tributor could use a coach to help brainstorm, for example, ways to make able to grow.” print more relevant in an internet- based world. Glen James, CEO Another important benefit is that RPM, Ft. Worth, Texas the conversations are confidential. “A lot of times, business owners have to main- tain a certain amount of privacy about Group Coaching stamped on their lapel to show their the things they’re not so sure about,” he Although private advice is a great ben- personality type, but I did find it help- says. “With a coach, you can talk about efit of coaching, not all coaching needs ful to be reminded of the types of pre- the things that matter, not just the to be done one-on-one. Four51 Mar- conceived notions people would have things that sound good. You really can keting & Communications VP Jim based on how they scored.” dig into the stuff that’s been keeping Lahner previously worked for a com- Lahner notes that after the group you up at night. There’s great power in pany that used a coaching-based inter- was assessed, it was divided into sub- shining a big light on those things.” nal development program. groups with other members of the In the beginning, the firm’s senior same personality type, “which was leadership took personality assess- enlightening because when you looked ments and were categorized into one across the room and saw who the As Lessons Learned of several personality types. Then, they were, it made sense.” participated in a series of workshops The group would also role-play, Steve Buggy, general on how to collaborate more effectively which he says was hard in the begin- manager at B&D Litho based on knowing the other person’s ning, but is rewarding when you can of Arizona, shares personality category. take it outside of the session and put it practices he learned “The basic premise was that every- to work in real meetings. from his coach: body has built-in filters. You enter all Role-playing also helps Jamie I need to remind myself to be con- conversations with preconceived Mentzer, President of M2Print, Indi- scious of how I am coming across to notions and the program stressed not anapolis, prepare for large sales calls. others, and to change what I’m letting your notions color the outcome Mentzer gives his coach a general back- doing if I’m not accomplishing a pos- of any specific meeting or conversa- ground on the customer’s history and itive result. tion,” Lahner says. personality, and any problems that I need to remind myself that God He participated in both the internal have come up in the past. Then, he and put certain difficult people in my life program and outside coaching at the the coach role-play the sales process. as a reminder to me that I can han- company, but found the internal pro- “He’s able to come up with things dle anything difficult that comes my gram more helpful because other that might be problems, especially way, and that there are positive employees were involved. “It became a because he’s not a printer. He helps ways of dealing with people who common vocabulary internally and it distill my pitch down to what will seem to want to make things diffi- was easier to stick with. We were all matter to the customer, getting rid of a cult. holding one another accountable, day lot of industry jargon,” says Mentzer. I need to remind myself that I in and day out.” “The best thing it’s done for us is teach have a choice in how I respond to Lahner says the most revealing les- us a more solution-oriented sell.” anything, and that an emotion- son was how to approach various per- fueled, knee-jerk reaction is usually sonality types with information, April Hollis is assistant editor of Print going to be the wrong approach. requests, conflicts, discussions, etc. “It Solutions magazine. Email comments sounds very formulaic—it’s not like to [email protected]. people walk around with an A or a C

52 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101 NICHE MARKET TAX FORMS The Tax Form Cometh This annuity sale remains profitable despite economic and electronic pressure.

BY ERIC HORNBECK

For printers and distributors, there’s one sale that’s certain “It’s a very, very easy product to sell—and very lucrative,” says Neville in good times and bad: tax forms. Each year, the Internal Johnson, vice president of Apex Busi- Revenue Service requires employers to make paper copies of ness Systems in Houston, Texas. Apex has sold tax forms for nearly 60 years, several tax forms, including a W-2 for every employee. which account for about 95 percent of the company’s business. But even tax form boosters concede that the tax form business is no longer Selling Tax Forms the goose that lays golden eggs. Whether you’re a printer or a Although some printers and distribu- distributor, tax forms tors describe tax forms as “recession- can be a big money proof” because clients are legally oblig- maker—if you know ated to purchase them, the economy has what you’re doing. taken a toll on the business. Nationwide Before jumping in, it’s layoffs and rising unemployment mean important to test the market waters first. fewer employees and, therefore, less Become an expert. demand for W-2s and other forms. The tax code is notori- Other customers have cut back on their ously complex, and forms orders, buying only the bare minimum. are as well. Although little “In past years, people could order changes from year to year, form design, which is dictated by the IRS, is updated extra in case they messed up on a run annually, including instructions on the backer. Each state also has specific or something,” says Shirley Taft, general instructions pertaining to its tax forms. For some distributors, overcoming these manager of Coaxis Business Forms in hurdles means connecting with a knowledgeable printer who can help navigate Huntsville, Ala. “But this past year we the landscape. Clients don’t often know what they need, so an informed distribu- had a lot of people who were trying to tor is important. “Know what you’re selling,” says Jill Ramsey-Baughn, Concept get as close to their count as possible.” Forms, Grand Rapid, Mich. “It’s important for the printer to be the one stop that Electronic filing is the other loom- can answer everything.” ing specter for tax form professionals. Be prepared. If you’re used to waiting until April 14 to start thinking about your Some companies haven’t seen much of own taxes, you’ll be ill-prepared for the tax form business, which reaches its an impact, but electronic filing has peak between October and January each year. While the downside of such a siphoned off business from others. short season can be a frantic workload, the upshot is squeezing lots of revenue into a small window. Some firms have tried to make up the Know your client base. While everyone needs tax forms, each client’s needs difference by landing more customers. are unique. Do they deal with international clients? How many employees do they Others have expanded their product have? Which states do they operate in? Each situation requires a specific combi- line to include supplementary prod- nation of forms. ucts that can be sold to customers Get your foot in the door. If there is no large finance or accounting department, along with tax forms. As electronic fil- find the person in charge of payroll—“whoever’s stuck with filling out W-2s,” ing ate into its business several years Mikesell says. Once you sell the customer tax forms, you can sell them other ago, Apex Business Systems made up products, such as envelopes, payroll checks and health insurance forms. “If you the difference by expanding into other go in and are knowledgeable and have good prices, it’s a great way to get in the forms its clients needed, including door,” Ramsey-Baugh says. health insurance and human resources ➷

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Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 910 NICHE MARKET TAX FORMS forms for business customers and tax Potential Tax Form Clients dening swing until October, when presentation folders and envelopes for accounting departments begin end-of- Yes, everyone needs tax forms. But accountants. organizations with large payrolls— the-year tax preparations. From there, Even as some firms cut back on the and, therefore, more tax forms to be it continues at a brisk clip through Jan- number of forms they’re buying or printed—are more profitable. Com- uary, before slowing down—but not move to electronic filing, no business is panies with many employees or that stopping completely until last-minute able to get rid of paper tax forms com- work with other companies’ payroll orders before tax day. “We have some departments are good starting pletely because of IRS requirements. points. Some common examples orders as late as April,” Mikesell says. Like every accountant knows, tax include: Quick turnaround and frazzled cus- season can be overwhelming, and it’s •Accountants tomers make it important for distribu- no different for companies that sell tax tors to be knowledgeable. There’s not •Tax attorneys forms. Melissa Mikesell, who is in much leeway in the design, as the IRS charge of purchasing for Boyce Forms •Payroll processing vendors and state tax authorities dictate what Systems in Daleville, Ind., groans when •Hospitals the forms will look like. The agencies she thinks about that time of the year. •Assisted-living and issue guidelines each year describing “I get so encumbered with tax forms rehabilitation facilities any changes that should be made to at the end of the year that it gets hec- •Universities the form. It’s not the changes that are tic,” Mikesell says. Tax form season •School districts difficult to navigate, but helping clients starts as early as August, when printers •Banks, mortgage companies, etc. determine which forms to purchase. are first ready with forms. Some print- “Many times a customer will call and •Government (cities, counties, ers and distributors encourage clients towns, etc.) say, ‘Jill, my customer has 40 employ- to purchase early with discounts or as a ees. What do they need?’ And that’s all way to avoid next-day air charges. But they say,” says Jill Ramsey-Baughn, a the season doesn’t get into its full, mad- tax form adviser and customer service

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 104

56 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Make a Triple Play this Tax Season with three great selling advantages from TFP Great New Catalogs 1 with Free Imprints We have two catalogs this year... our 36 New catalog page Reference Guide for you and an with free imprint innovative new 16 page catalog for your customers. The Reference Guide delivers all the details you need while the customer catalog is more open with an easier flow and larger illustrations of the most popular tax forms. This new catalog is supported by our online resource... the Tax Form Wizard (see below) and comes with a free imprint of your company information. An Online Wizard 2 to Find Your Forms We have a great new resource online at Your Company Imprint Here Online tax form www.taxformwizard.com. It allows you finder for you and to search by our form number, by type at No Charge for 2009 your customer of form or by answering four questions. You’ll find your form and download a PDF to see all the details. The site is unbranded and has no pricing so it can be used by you or your customer. And, we’ll even link it your site if you like. Online Filing for 3 Your Customers We also offer eFile for Business for the easiest filing ever. Your customer goes to your branded link and fills out Online filing their W-2 and 1099 forms online. We do for your the rest. We print them, mail them, file customers them with the IRS/SSA, store them and send you a check. No orders to place or

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S L U B STAINA Our commitment Compliance. Confidence. Convenience. to the environment We use only recycled or sustainable Phone: 800.482.9367 forest paper for our forms and Fax: 800.526.1040 envelopes along with soy-based inks and other www.tfpdata.com environmentally-minded practices and procedures. Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 607 NICHE MARKET TAX FORMS manager at Concept Forms in Grand land new clients. Boyce Forms Sys- N.J. “Basically, we just sell it to our Rapids, Mich. Most distributors grow tems, Daleville, Ind., sells ledger existing clients,” says Renew Graphics their tax form knowledge over time by forms, checks, receipts and other owner Mike Collins. “If we print pay- responding to each client’s unique forms prescribed by the Indiana State roll checks for them, we ask them if we needs, often relying on a knowledge- Board of Accounts for government can also do their W-2s.” able printer or a client’s accounting units, such as schools, towns and Despite the challenges posed by the department that knows exactly which counties. Tax forms were a natural depressed economy and the rise of form they should order. add-on sale from other forms for their electronic filing, few distributors and Tax forms are a product that can be client base. The same is true for Renew printers seem to be leaving the tax sold to existing clients and as a tool to Graphics, a distributor in Park Ridge, form business. “It’s one of the few products that you can get a decent mark-up on,” Johnson says, because TFP Launches Online Tax Form Finder even though it’s a once-a-year prod- TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., has a new website that allows users uct, it repeats every year. “Once a deal- er makes a good impression on his to quickly find and view hundreds of tax forms and related items. The customers, that business comes back site is open to distributors and their customers. It is unbranded and to him every year. A lot of our dealers has no pricing. Users can find forms in several ways, such as entering live for tax form period because that’s “1099-INT”or answering a series of questions about the type of form, when they make their gravy.” the state, the number of employees and the type of printer used to process the form. Forms are displayed as full-sized PDFs. TFP can link Eric Hornbeck is a freelance writer in the site to a distributor’s website and brand it for the distributor. New York City. Email comments to edi- [email protected]. www.taxformwizard.com

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Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 307 MAILING & FULFILLMENT Your Check Is in the Mail Incorporating mail expertise into your job can make you more valuable to your boss and clients

BY REBECCA TRELA

he $60,000 in postage costs that American Academy of Family Physi- much they could be saving, says Chas- TDiane Chastain saved a member cians. A colleague presented the idea to tain, who holds certifications in both three years ago isn’t her only claim to a physicians’ group, and it made a big- Executive Mail Center Management fame. It’s not even the biggest sum ger difference than changing the paper and Mail and Distribution Systems she’s rescued, nor the most radical or any of the other cost-cutting ideas Management (EMCM and CMDSM). idea in her 20-plus years as a print and the client had previously considered. That knowledge gap creates a great mail professional. It is, however, the “I hadn’t thought anything of it,” opportunity for mailing experts, both detail that stuck in the mind of her says the common-sense Chastain. in front of end users and even at association’s executive director. “However, six months later, our execu- printing companies. Mail Change Over time, Chastain says, mailing has “Very few people, including top management, changed and grown in importance. “It used to be that you just threw things in realize what a huge portion of the budget postage is. the mail 25 years ago, and maybe you could save some money if you mailed And then they realize that as a mail professional, it standard, but the difference in deliv- ery time was huge.” Today, the postal I can make a big-dollar difference to this service is highly automated, and lower rate classes aren’t that much slower organization. My boss looks at it like we save than first class. Additionally, the postal service has begun to offer a number of a whole job when I save $20,000, $30,000 or discount scenarios that weren’t previ- $60,000 on a mailing.” ously available, and it’s up to the con- sumer to stay educated. Diane Chastain, CMDSM, EMCM When mailing isn’t your core busi- Manager of Digital Printing ness, there are still ways to incorporate Mailing Services & Postal Affairs mail expertise into your offering, says American Academy of Family Physicians Mary Streb, a shipping and mailing ser- vices manager for the Postal Service, Leawood, Kan who gives presentations with Chastain. “In many cases, printers are selling their services and need to be thought of as experts.” The Postal Service offers a wide “I made a recommendation that tive director came to me and men- range of options, from technical certifi- one of our partners take a publication tioned how impressed he was. It was a cations such as Executive Mail Center and fold and tab it to letter size instead big deal to him.” Management to free checklists online. of mailing it flat,” says Chastain, who is Most executives don’t realize just “Sometimes this person in the orga- the manager of digital printing, mail- how expensive mailing and postage is nization ends up owning the mail cen- ing services and postal affairs at the in the first place, not to mention how ter, but doesn’t understand it,” Streb

60 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1101 MAILING & FULFILLMENT

mining productivity within a mail center,” Streb says. While the post office doesn’t issue specific worksheets UNDERSTANDING THE MAILING INDUSTRY for these metrics, mail center man- agers typically share their experiences Federal Register Notices: http://ribbs.usps.gov and knowledge with colleagues at mail Postal Regulatory Commission: prc.gov events. “The networking part is so important.” MAIL magazine: mail-magazine.com Being proactive about your offer- InfoServer newsletter: infoserver.com ings is the key to success, Chastain says. “You just can’t let it come to you. Memo to Mailers newsletter: usps.com/memotomailers Many mail center managers view Mailers Companion newsletter: usps.com/mailerscompanion themselves as a service organization, and wait to be asked to pitch in, rather MailPro newsletter: usps.com/mailpro than encourage people to do the right Mail Systems Management Association: msmanational.org thing.” Doing the “right thing,” she says, Mailing and Fulfillment Association: mfsa.org means being flexible enough in design Local Postal Customer Councils: usps.com/nationalpcc and printing to obtain those dis- counts. When Chastain was first hired Or search by ZIP code for a local Business Service Network representative at the association, her coworkers at usps.com believed that association members, who are doctors, would rather receive first-class envelopes and other high- value mail. After doing some market- says. Distributors have an opportunity ing research with a focus group, how- to target facilities managers and mail ever, Chastain learned that the doctors center operators who are new in their responded favorably to the associa- jobs. tion’s respected logo, no matter what The constant adjustments in prices, type of mailer. discounts and mail technology can If you don’t have access to a focus seem overwhelming, but the only way group, she says, you can compile your to attack it is to just “plunge in,” Chas- own data about printing and mailing tain says. After getting over the initial costs in a simple Excel spreadsheet. learning curve, it’s much easier to stay With a sufficient amount of historical abreast of one change at a time. And as data, mail center managers can create each change rolls out, it’s a natural different cost scenarios, much like segue to contacting a client and pro- accountants do. viding value. “When I was able to tell people about that focus group discovery, they What’s Hot Now were more willing to use the nonprofit Most professionals who are new to the mailing rate,” Chastain says, which mailing business are first surprised by saved the association about $500,000. how much postage actually costs—and “That’s the kind of thing you have to then they’re surprised about how be proactive about and present to much they can save. Their challenge is them. You have to learn to give simple to convince others to make changes explanations about mail to executives, with them in order to credit from and talk to them at the 50,000-ft. view, available discounts. which is how they think.” “Over the last several years, there has been a lot of interest from mail Rebecca Trela is managing editor of program participants about how to Print Solutions magazine. Email com- measure performance, whether that’s ments to [email protected]. establishing a cost-per-piece or deter-

62 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 • • Checks & Forms Pressure Seal Mailer Solutions • Up to 16 color Direct Mail • Custom Mailers & Promotional Products • Jumbo Rolls • Vertical Market Experts • Document Security • Unit Sets & Booked Products • Integrated & Affixed Products • Medium to Long Runs

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Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 307 GREEN SCENE Is Cloud Computing On Your Horizon? Positioning new technology as the greener choice

BY REBECCA TRELA

he thing that everyone forgets and has been since before it was eco- draw of printing equipment, enter- Tabout printing and communica- chic. Instead, electronic devices are the prise IT can consume about 40 per- tions, says Meta Brophy, director of hidden energy hog of the business. cent of a company’s total energy, some publishing operations at Consumer’s Print and electronic data are inex- IT professionals say. Union, New York City, is that it’s a tricably linked, although this isn’t As the electronic aspects of the data-driven business, and that data has immediately apparent for many buy- printing industry grow in importance to be powered by something. Many ers. All communications have an elec- and number, sellers have an opportu- end users think that paper is the vil- tronic component—from ripping a nity to position their companies as lain of the print industry, but it’s a VDP job to soft-proofing a business greener than the competition and recyclable and renewable resource— card. Even without the tremendous ahead of the pack. One of the easiest ways to do this is by virtualizing some or all of your business practices, through cloud computing or gridshar- HIDDEN E-CARBON FOOTPRINTS ing. In fact, you may already be doing this and not even know it. “According to information recently released by Apple, the The Next Big Thing lifecycle carbon footprint of an iPhone is responsible for the If you’ve used software as a service, or emission of 121 pounds of CO2-equivalent green house gas have outsourced basic business prac- tices or data storage over the internet, emissions over the course of a three-year expected lifetime you’ve begun to dip your toe in the waters of cloud computing and its more of use, the same amount produced by 12 100-watt light complex counterpart, gridsharing. bulbs glowing for 691 hours, or a car engine burning 603 This approach allows users to access computational power and storage space gallons of gasoline. Though it is not a direct comparison, it from third-party vendors online, which is the “cloud.” It’s a scalable technology, is interesting to note that Discover magazine estimates the meaning it encompasses both very sim- lifecycle carbon footprint of each copy of its publication is ple applications such as Salesforce.com, PayPal and data storage and very com- responsible for 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the plex ones like BitTorrent and Skype. Many gravitate to this approach same amount produced by 12 100-watt light bulbs glowing because it’s a good way to save money for an hour, or a car engine burning 14 ounces on capital investments. But it’s also a green approach, because it centralizes of gasoline.” the energy needed to process data. Slava Apel, CEO of Amazing Print Don Carli Corp., Ontario, Canada, admits he’s Institute for Sustainable Communication always been curious about new tech- nology. But he first became interested in the virtualization process as an organizational time-saver. ➷ Source: sustainablecommunication.org

64 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1010 GREEN SCENE

“For a long time, there was a threat keyboard to use. For $30, we have a the software, maintaining servers and of our hard drives dying about every great collaboration solution, and it storing data. three years,” Apel says. “As a business saves power, too.” “From an infrastructure perspec- owner, that’s a huge headache.” Dell One of the biggest benefits of virtu- tive, I’m extremely interested in mov- introduced solid state hard drives sever- alization is the cost savings, Apel ing off our own equipment,” Wan- al years ago, Apel says, and he leapt at admits, and not from the utility com- gaard says. Because Four51 has already the opportunity to invest in one of these pany. “We realized that we can just buy invested in equipment, it will maintain quiet, low-power server machines. Now one license for Adobe, one license for the current investments but seek to Amazing Print has a terminal service Quark, one copy of all the software we virtualize the process in the future. It setup, wherein 15 “dumb terminal” need, and everyone can access it as makes sense, he says, for his team to desktops and laptops connect to the needed from the server computer.” For build e-commerce applications instead mainframe server through a local a web development firm, he estimates of maintaining servers. In that sce- nario, a centralized data company would house Four51’s information on “The trend will be to continue to not servers, alongside other com- panies’ information. Those own software, and more of it will move servers would be cooled, secured, maintained, backed to managed applications because up and monitored by the data company. it makes sense to let companies “I think in a few years our infrastructure will be on the focus on their core business. Those cloud, and the customers won’t even notice a change,” small pockets of data processing Wangaard says. The printing industry can be proud of being ahead of and data repository will be moved the curve this time. “The rea- son why web-to-print was to more efficient pockets.” born in the first place was the John Wangaard, CTO biggest virtualization of Four51, Minneapolis graphic design services,” Apel says. For more than a decade, the industry has realized that it’s a cost-effective way to get printing done. But it’s also a intranet. Each terminal is equipped the savings are thousands of dollars green way to do business, too. with a web browser and some antivirus per computer. In the future, Apel anticipates that software, he says—that’s it. more and more users will offload their Except for logging into applications What the Future Holds virtual work onto suppliers’ systems. on the network, users can’t even tell Almost any application available, says “If you’re dealing with an agency that that most of the computers are Four51 CTO John Wangaard, can be is proofing a job online, you could stripped down—but Apel’s electricity moved onto the cloud. “The trend will take it one step further. You could give bill is about 30 percent lower. be to continue to not own software, them controlled access to your main- Apel takes his leadership responsi- and more of it will move to managed frame, and let their designer make the bilities as a business owner seriously, applications because it makes sense to job online. You could watch them use he says, and is always looking for ways let companies focus on their core busi- it and help them. They’d be using your to innovate. “We have so many meet- ness,” he says. “Those small pockets of fonts, your colors—I could see that as ings here, perhaps two or three a day,” data processing and data repository the near future.” he says. “Everyone used to come to the will be moved to more efficient pock- meeting with his or her own laptops, ets.” For example, Four51 offers e- Rebecca Trela is managing editor of and it was too much. Now, we just use commerce services for clients, allow- Print Solutions magazine. Email com- one projector, and everyone at the ing them to extend their capabilities as ments to [email protected]. conference table gets a mouse and a subscribers, rather than purchasing

66 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 INDUSTRY NEWS

Arthur Blank, American Bank Carlson Craft Cuts 114 Positions Billing Association has grown from Note and Keystone Become Carlson Craft, North Mankato, Minn., 900 to 1,200 in the last three years. ABnote North America cut its workforce by 114 positions to denver.bizjournals.com Arthur Blank & Co., American Bank align the business with current eco- Note, and Keystone Plastics of Cana- nomic conditions, according to the Wolf Envelope FSC Certified da, three subsidiaries of the worldwide Mankato Free Press. The company is The Wolf Envelope Company, Troy, ABnote Group, united under a new part of Taylor Corp., which has had a Mich., received Chain-of-Custody cer- brand, ABnote North America. The series of layoffs in several of its com- tifications under the Forest Steward- companies provide secure printed panies since last fall. “Two forces have ship Council (FSC) and the Sustain- products and related services, includ- combined that require us to realign able Forest Initiative (SFI). ing plastic cards, secure documents our business. First, consumers’ needs wolfenvelope.com and personalization, and warehousing have migrated to our solutions that are and fulfillment. The companies’ more technology enabled and second- Edible Postcard Wins Award names will remain for an interim peri- ly the worldwide economic decline Advertising Age reports that Nestle’s od and then be phased into the new compels us to restructure our opera- Kit Kat candy bar found a new distrib- brand. tion,” General Manager Barb Kaus said ution channel in Japan’s competitive americanbanknote.com in a prepared statement. retail environment, earning its agency, carlsoncraft.com JWT Japan, the Media Grand Prix SICPA Announces Price Hike award at the 56th Cannes Lions Inter- SICPA Securink Corp., Springfield, Va., Harland Clarke to Close national Advertising Festival. “JWT announced a five percent price increase N. Y. Plant was struck by the Japanese translation for desensitizing ink 199500A. Since Harland Clarke will close its 101- of Kit Kat — Kitto Katso means ‘surely the last increase in 2006, “we have con- employee check printing plant in Sali- win’—and the tradition of sending tinued to witness the escalation of na, N.Y., according to the Syracuse students good luck wishes before they prices for materials, energy and distri- Post-Standard. The company informed take tough higher-education entrance bution,” said Tom Jay, VP of sales and employees last week of the shutdown exams. So Nestle partnered with marketing, in a news release. that will take place in November. It Japan’s postal service to create ‘Kit Kat sicpa.com also will close a plant in Chicago later Mail,’ a postcard-like product sold this year. The Salina plant was founded only at the post office that could be SR’s Industramark Business in 1986 by American Bank Stationery. mailed to students as an edible good- Unit to Focus on Manufacturing That company was later acquired by luck charm.” It was the first time Industry Clarke American Corp. That company Japanese postal authorities had part- Standard Register announced the for- was combined with the John H. Har- nered with a private company, “creat- mation of Industramark, a business land Co. in 2007 to form Harland ing a new, competition-free retail unit to provide labels and technical lit- Clarke. channel.” erature to industrial manufacturers harlandclarke.com adage.com seeking to reduce the total cost of ownership of all printed production Doctors Outsourcing Billing parts. Industramark provides design, The Denver Business Journal reports sourcing and inventory management, that more doctors are turning to out- and operates printing facilities in Day- side companies to handle billing ton, Ohio and Tampa, Fla., as well as a because of increasing workloads and 30,000-square-foot production and greater difficulty in getting reimburse- service facility in Monterrey, Mexico. ments from insurance companies. One The industramark.com website is billing service that was founded in under construction. 1974 reported 20 percent growth in its standardregister.com client base in the past year, and mem- bership in the American Medical

THE LATEST NEWS What’s happening at your company? Email your industry news and tips to [email protected] or call (800) 336-4641.

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 67 NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES PEOPLE

Univenture, Marysville, Ohio, intro- SUPPLIER NEWS NEW HIRES duced the Unikeep View Case binder. Fujifilm’s Greenwood, S.C., manufac- Dave Hunnius and Jeff Heimerdinger The new daily planner is offered in the turing plant began using methane gas were hired by Proforma, Cleveland, to compact A5 format made from 100 from a local landfill to power 40 per- run the company’s new Major percent polypropylene, which is recy- cent of its operations. The project, Accounts Program. Major accounts clable. The item’s clear overlay can be announced in 2007, is the result of an are those with the potential for more personalized with a custom insert. The agreement between Greenwood Coun- than $250,000 in sales. The two reps binders require 30 percent less materi- ty and Methane Credit LLC to extract have 40 years of combined sales expe- al to manufacture than similar prod- methane gas from a local landfill. The rience, and previously worked togeth- ucts made from vinyl, the company company, which pledged to reduce its er at WorkflowOne. They supported a said, and contain no PVC. CO2 emissions 40 percent from its sales team in generating more than 1990 numbers by 2012, also $100 million of major account busi- announced plans to develop a wind ness in three years, the company said. farm in Tilburg, The Netherlands, for At Proforma, Hunnius serves as Chief its European manufacturing plant. Business Development Officer and Heimerdinger is the Director of Busi- Formax, Dover, N.H., introduced the ness Development. FD 2094 and the FD 2084, the latest additions to its AutoSeal line, replac- ing the FD 2092 and the FD 2082. The The UniKeep View Case Binder can be machines process cut sheet and con- recycled curbside without separating the tinuous forms in a mid-volume pro- components. duction environment. They are capa- SanMar, Seattle, introduced imprinted ble of processing up to 400,000 forms Columbia Sportswear in its 2010 monthly at speeds up to 28,000 forms Apparel, Bags & Caps catalog. The per hour, the company said. Heimerdinger Hunnius company debuted 10 styles of its pop- formax.com ular athletic gear, including fishing apparel and outdoor jackets. Presstek, Hudson, N.H., will introduce Larry Somers was named print spe- sanmar.com new digital offset solutions at Print ’09 cialist for Government Print Manage- in Chicago this fall. The company will ment, a division of e-LYNXX Corp. 7R Communications, Wayland, Mass., demonstrate new digital offset presses that specializes in winning work from introduced the 7R Convertible Mailer. in different configurations, as well as the Government Printing Office and The interactive piece contains a reply chemistry-free CTP solutions and dig- other government agencies. Previous- postcard and a coupon/business card ital workflow options. ly, Somers was a GPO specialist/esti- or other “keeper” embedded in the presstek.com mator/planner at YGS Group in York, back panel. Pa., and was also a production man- 7rcommunications.com XMPie, New York City, began shipping ager at Triangle Printing Company, the new version of its uStore marketing also in York, and a general manager of SERVICES portal solution. New features enhance Waveline Direct in Mechanicsburg, Geographics Inc., Atlanta, installed a the customer web-to-print experience Pa. Muller Martini PrimaPlus SB saddle and ensure maximum site up time, the stitcher. The company added the company said. Version 3.5 also adds the Mark Angelson was named chairman machine to fulfill direct mail program capability to issue coupons and features of Quebecor World, Montreal, Cana- needs for customers in the banking, a PayPal plug-in. The company has also da. Angelson was formerly the CEO of retail and travel industries, said Plant made the enhanced XMPie Response rival R.R. Donnelley from 2003 to Manager Ray Weidele. URL Wizard available. 2007. He is credited with doubling the xmpie.com company’s revenue and profits during Geographics that time. Angelson also engineered employees the Moore-Wallace merger, served as demonstrate HOT OFF THE PRESS Moore-Wallace CEO and was the the new Manufacturers—get the word out about stitcher’s your new products, equipment, capabilities “principal architect” of the merger of capabilities. and services. Email Moore Wallace with R.R. Donnelley. [email protected] or call Since 2007, he has been the chairman (800) 336-4641.

68 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 PEOPLE of MidOcean Partners, a private equity joined the company in 2007 and is became part of the Source4 team and firm headquartered in New York City. now in charge of the mailing depart- orchestrated the integration of his Angelson replaced former Canadian ment. company. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as Quebecor’s board chairman. Walter Duignan, executive vice presi- dent and vice chairman of Mohawk PROMOTIONS Fine Papers, Cohoes, N.Y., was hon- Cenveo Inc. announced three manage- ored with the Stanley O. Styles Indus- ment appointments: Mark S. Hiltwein try Excellence Award from the Nation- was promoted to president of field al Paper Trade Association. The award sales and manufacturing; he had been recognizes individuals who have had a EVP and CFO, and formerly was CFO Joe La Valla, left, president of Integrity distinguished career in the paper, at Moore Wallace. Kenneth P. Viret Graphics, commends David Lawrence for packaging and supplies industry. Two was named senior VP and CFO. Scott more than four decades of service. scholarships will be awarded in his J. Goodwin was named corporate con- name through the Paper and Plastics troller. Phil Taylor, former member of the Education Research Foundation in PSDA Board of Directors, has retired. 2010, and Duignan will receive his HONORS His company, Taylor Business Prod- honor in October. Duignan has almost David Lawrence, a cutter operator at ucts, North Wilkesboro, N.C., was 50 years of industry experience, and Integrity Graphics Inc. for more than acquired by Source4 four years ago. He joined Mohawk in 1995. 40 years, has retired. Lawrence was hired at Integrity Graphics, based in PEOPLE ON THE GO Windsor, Conn., in 1969, but today his Celebrate new hires, promotions and retirements in Print Solutions magazine. To announce work is computerized. His son, Matt, your personnel changes, email [email protected] or call (800) 336-4641.

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 69 INDUSTRY EVENTS CALENDAR

AUGUST SEPTEMBER 15-18 MFSA Fulfillment Conference Tampa, Fla. 5-6 NAPL/IKON cross media and 11-16 Graphic Arts PRINT ‘09 mfsanet.org marketing workshops McCormick Place, Chicago Chicago, Detroit gasc.org 17-20 DMA 09 Conference & Expo napl.org/IKON.reg San Diego Convention Center 24 FPA Fall Executive www.the-dma.org 12-13 DMA Nonprofit Conference Conference Waldorf-Astoria, New York City Flexpack.org the-dma.org NOVEMBER 13-14 TransPromo Summit OCTOBER Hyatt Regency Hotel, Boston 3-5 Print Buyers Conference & transpromosummit.com 13-15 Print Solutions Conference & Boot Camp Expo Boston www.bostonprintbuyers.com Chicago psda.org

70 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009 ADVERTISER INDEX

Interact with the companies whose products and services are advertised in Print Solutions. Go to www.printsolutionsmag.com/ adindex.html. Visit Print Solutions magazine on the web: www.printsolutionsmag.com. If you’re an advertiser and would like your website or email address listed (a free service), contact Roxanne Rash, at (703) 836-6232, ext. 118. The advertiser index is published for readers’ convenience. While every effort is made to list information correctly, the publisher is not liable for errors and omissions.

Advertiser Web Site Advertiser Web Site

4over Inc., inside back cover www.4over.com Gill Studios Inc., p. 47 www.gill-line.com

Apex Business Systems, p. 55 www.apextax.com Growll.com, p. 16a www.growll.com

Appleton, p. 35 www.appletonideas.com JBM Envelope, p. 51 www.jbmenvelope.com

B & W Press, p. 31 www.bwpress.com Kay Toledo Tag Inc., p. 13 www.kaytag.com

Broker Forms, p. 56 www.greatland.com Label Art, p. 21 www.labelart.com

Cadillac Looseleaf Products, p. 37 www.cadlp.com National Imprint Corporation, p. 59 www.printegra.com

Calibrated Inc., p. 11 www.calibratedforms.com PrintXcel, p. 63 www.printegra.com

CE Printed Products Inc., p. 25 www.hotce.com ProDocumentSolutions, p. 17 www.prodocumentsolutions.com

Continental Datalabel, back cover www.datalabel.com Repacorp Inc., p. 43 www.repacorp.com

Data Management Center, p. 25 www.dmclink.com ScreenTech Imaging, A Div. of Roeda, p. 14 www.screentech.com

DFS Group, p. 27 www.dfsonline.com Team Concept Printing & Thermography, p. 25 www.tcpt.biz

Discount Labels, p. 7 www.discountlabels.com TFP Data Systems, p. 57 www.tfpdata.com

Ennis Envelopes Inc., p. 61 www.ennis.com Uncompromised, p. 39 www.ennis.com

Ennis Inc., inside front cover, p. 1, 2 www.ennis.com VersaSeal, p. 41 www.printegra.com e-Quantum Inc., p. 65 www.e-quantum.com Ward/Kraft Inc., p. 8 www.wardkraft.com

The Flesh Company, p. 23 www.fleshco.com Western States Envelope & Labels, p. 45 www.westernstatesenvelope.com

Folder Express, p. 48a www.folderexpress.com Wilmer, p. 58 www.4wilmer.com

Formax, p. 9 www.formax.com Wise, p. 5 www.wbf.com

General Financial Supply, p. 53 www.gfs.com Wright Enterprises, p. 15 www.wrightbg.com

Off Hours continued from p. 80.

John and Renee Osborne, distribu- PSDA distributors in Barbados on their in Guadalupe. “We just got talking tors from Wichita, Kan., were also boat- honeymoon several years ago as well. about business, and they’re unhappy ing around the islands at the end of the “It’s serendipitous when you run with their supplier. Now that I’m year, entertaining some friends on a into someone, especially someone home, I’m working on connecting rented motorboat. Their captain decid- from the print industry who speaks them with a distributor of ours.” ed to row the two couples to dock at the your language,” says John Osborne, a Coming back home has been a bit Bitter End Yacht Club for provisions former PSDA board member and of an adjustment, Hodgins says, from one evening. When he saw his old sail- CEO of Midwest Single Source. “The reading dozens of books and falling ing friend, Bob Hodgins, he stopped to only real friends I have are people I’ve asleep to the rocking of the ship. “I chat. But his passengers also knew Bob. met through PSDA—those are my feel better and more agile after living “We had just stepped onto the guys. The organization is really like a on and maintaining a boat,” Hodgins dock, and this guy looks at me and brotherhood, a close-knit group of says. “After this trip, I wouldn’t be says, ‘Are you in the printing busi- people who have really made a differ- intimidated about doing a longer voy- ness?’” John Osborne remembers. “I ence in your life.” Over the years, age, maybe around the world.” The said, ‘Oh my God, I am!’” Osborne Osborne says, running into fellow couple isn’t sure they’re ready to com- immediately remembered conversing industry members has made PSDA mit four or five years to life abroad on with Hodgins at a PSDA CEO Summit meetings “like a reunion.” a boat, but there are “absolutely” more several years ago. Hodgins also has a tendency to run trips in their future. “It was just hysterical,” says Renee into friends and neighbors while trav- Osborne. “Our friends were laughing, eling. Although he planned to work Rebecca Trela is managing editor of telling us that we can’t go anywhere only “occasionally” via phone and Print Solutions magazine. Email com- without being recognized.” The email while sailing, he picked up a ments to [email protected]. Osbornes recall running into fellow potential Florida client while docked

AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 71

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AUGUST 2009 PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM | PRINT SOLUTIONS 79 OFF HOURS Industry Couples’ Sweet Meet at the Bitter End

BY REBECCA TRELA

Two print industry couples had a chance meeting in the British Virgin Islands. From left: Mary Lu Hodgins, John Osborne, Bob Hodgins and Renee Osborne. At right: the Hodgins’ piloted their boat, Liebchen, down the East Coast, through the Bahamas (top) and anchored it at Jost Van Dyke Island, BVI (bottom).

ast summer, Bob Hodgins, CEO of Hodgins Engraving, Batavia, N.Y., L left Lake Ontario with his wife, Mary Lu, on the sailing trip of a lifetime. Hodgins has been sailing since he was a teenager, but this time, the couple decided to take a year off from the printing business to travel to the Caribbean and back. “It was an adventure we’d been planning for quite a while,” Hodgins says, recalling a similar trip 19 years ago with the couple’s three children, sailing down the East Coast to spend the winter in the Bahamas. Now that the chil- dren are grown, Hodgins was ready for a longer journey. The two piloted their 41-foot sailboat, Liebchen, up the New York State Canal, past New York City, down the east coast and on a nine-day open- ocean voyage to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. By the end of the year, they were cruising around the Caribbean and soaking up the sun. “The best part about this trip was the people we met and traveled with,” Hodgins says. One of the best meetings of the trip was reconnecting with an old PSDA friend while anchored in the British Virgin Islands. ➷

Off Hours continues on p. 71.

80 PRINT SOLUTIONS | PRINTSOLUTIONSMAG.COM AUGUST 2009

Come See us at Print Solutions Expo, Booth # 1125