GATF and PIA Name Joint Chief Executive Officer

ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 25, 2002)--Effective August 1, 2002, Michael Makin has been appointed CEO of the Printing Industries of America (PIA) and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), announced the associations' Boards of Directors.

"Michael was selected from a field of over 350 candidates for the position and brings 16 years of trade association management experience to the job, seven of which are in the printing industry," noted Chuck Stay, Chairman of the Board of PIA. "His stellar leadership as president of the Canadian Printing Industries Association and most recent service as executive vice-president and COO of PIA were leading factors in his selection as our new CEO."

Jerry Williamson, Chairman of the Board of GATF, added that, "this marks the final major step in the consolidation of GATF and PIA and we have great confidence that a single CEO will help us realize the full promise of our organizations."

"GATF and PIA offer such tremendous resources to the industry. I look forward to developing a clear vision for our consolidated organizations. I am also excited about the opportunity to work with our elected leadership, affiliates and staff to position GATF/PIA as the premier value proposition of the graphic communications industry," said Makin.

Makin, a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, holds an honors degree in journalism from Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario). He began his association management career in 1986 with the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). Over a nine-year period, he assumed increasing levels of responsibility at CCA, ultimately becoming the association's Deputy Chief Staff Executive.

In 1995, Makin was appointed president of the Canadian Printing Industries Association, a position he held until becoming COO of PIA in January of 2001. He was promoted to executive vice president and COO of PIA in November 2001.