Offset & Beyond Offers Strategies, Solutions and Tactics

CHAMPIONSGATE, FL—Offset & Beyond, presented by WOA and Printing Industries of America, showcased the best the offset industry had to offer—strategies, solutions and tactics—presented by industry leaders and experts, discussing the current environment of the market as well as a look at what the future holds in the dynamic world of traditional and integrated print.

“Don’t obsess about the things you can't control, but concentrate on what you can control,” said keynote speaker Michael Graff, president and CEO of Sandy Alexander, Clifton, NJ. Graff stated that printers must be more than order takers and manufacturers of custom products. He said you must position your company to be an integrated manufacturer and problem solver. (Read Editor-in-Chief Mark Michelson's blog about Graff's speech.)

Robert Murphy, founder and chairman, Japs-Olson Co. of St. Louis Park, MN, was honored as the recipient of the 2011 Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award. The VISION Award is conferred to a web offset printing industry executive who has reached an unsurpassed level of excellence and achievement in the industry.

Keynote Jim Sampey, COO of Cox Target Media/Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, discussed how his company is taking print into the digital age. He described how Valpak built one of the most advanced and automated manufacturing centers in the world—a hub of technology where automation and robotics are at the core of the operation. Sampey stressed the importance of knowing your customers, using your core attributes for expansion and moving beyond price to value for your customers.

John Gaspari, vice president of operations, Specialty Print Communications (SPC), was named the 2011 H. Howard Flint II Pressroom Manager of the Year. Gaspari’s leadership and determination have expanded SPC’s capabilities through the management of millions of dollars in capital investment in new equipment and technology. In thanking Flint for the award, Gaspari announced Western Michigan University as his choice to receive a $2,000 scholarship for its printing program.

Offset & Beyond wrapped with a final general session with Jamie Olson, senior director, brand management, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, and Hilary Strauss Hahn, managing director, global marketing, xpedx, with a look at the corporate buyer’s perspective on how to survive and grow in today’s multi-channel world.