Idealliance, Epicomm Create Expanded Member Resources as Part of July 1 Merger

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — April 11, 2016 — Idealliance’s nearly two dozen active Working Groups will offer technical and strategic management best practices and benefits to an expanded audience of more than 3,000 companies and tens of thousands of media professionals when the association’s merger with Epicomm, the Association for Leaders in Print, Mail, Fulfillment, and Marketing Services, is completed on July 1.

“The process-oriented methodology our Working Group members use to create innovative workflow best practices will be augmented by the management considerations that are integral to all workplace functions – a specialty of Epicomm,” says David Steinhardt, president and CEO of Idealliance.

“Similarly, current Epicomm members will have access to the latest standards and best practices for technologies and workflows that continue to transform our industry and enhance efficiency across the end-to-end media supply chain, through active Working Groups such as our Print Properties and GRACoL Committees, Postal Operations and Technologies Committee,  and the metadata committees of PRISM," he adds.

“Our respective staff have begun to work together to develop ways to blend our individual association offerings into a powerhouse lineup of resources that can help our members across the entire industry supply chain to gain greater productivity and profitability, by leveraging programs applicable to every industry area, from the pressroom to the mailroom to the board room,” says Steinhardt.

“The wheels are turning as our two associations are coming together to realize the benefit of their complementary missions and services. We are also already collaborating very effectively to develop new programs for our expanded memberships,” he continues. “In fact, we will be launching a new program for the certification of mail supply professionals and will be introducing additional program offerings in the coming months.”

The new association will retain the name Idealliance and will be located in the current Epicomm headquarters at 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320 in Alexandria, Va. Steinhardt will serve as president and CEO of the new association and current Epicomm President and CEO Ken Garner will be executive VP. Epicomm Board Chairman Tim Johnson, CEO, Impact, Minneapolis, Minn., will serve as chairman of the new association’s board.

Serving companies across the total graphic communications supply chain, the new association will provide members benefits in six primary categories: Best practices and specifications, strategy and consulting, advocacy and standards, certification and training, education and events, and research and resources.

Idealliance Working Groups address issues relating to print media, print distribution, and integrated media, and provide a user-driven, cross-industry, and open environment in which its members can strategize, innovate, standardize, and implement solutions to real business challenges in graphic communications. Among Idealliance’s best known offerings are the G7 Expert/Professional Certification and G7 Master Qualification Programs, and print quality and workflow specifications GRACoL, SWOP, Mail.dat, and PRISM.

Through its active Working Groups, training resources, and networking events, Idealliance and its members collaborate to craft best practices, advance standards, and certify people, processes, and systems to achieve the highest performance in creation, production and delivery of graphic communications. Its resources support its members in building and operating state-of-the-art workflows to meet and exceed their business objectives and clients’ expectations. As new technologies are transforming business models and customer demands, members benefit from an expanded focus on the processes and technologies used to accomplish their business objectives.

Epicomm was created through the 2014 merger of three of the industry’s best-known trade associations: The Association of Marketing Service Providers (AMSP), the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), and the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP).

Epicomm’s team of business advisors and menu of products and services provide research and trends analysis, management insight and guidance, education, networking, advocacy and specialized consulting services for leading companies across the broad industry spectrum, encompassing printing, mailing, fulfillment and a wide variety of marketing services. Its resources support its members in building a strong strategic foundation on which they can prosper and grow, and gain a better understanding of the markets and clients they serve.

“The combined resources of Epicomm and Idealliance will strengthen our industry and all who work in it as we come together to help shape the future,” notes Steinhardt.

For more information, please contact Idealliance’s Steve Bonoff at (952) 896-1908 or sbonoff@idealliance.org; or contact Epicomm’s Dean D’Ambrosi at (201) 523-6314 or ddambrosi@epicomm.org.

About Idealliance
Idealliance is a global community of more than 1,600 brand owners, agencies, publishers, premedia and print service provider companies, and their material suppliers and technology partners. A not-for-profit industry association, Idealliance provides media creators and technology communities the opportunity to collaborate to craft best practices, advance standards, and certify people, processes and systems to achieve the highest performance in the creation, production and delivery of graphic communications – both digitally and in print. On July 1, 2016, Idealliance will merge with Epicomm, an association of more than 1,600 companies offering print, mail, fulfillment, and marketing services, under the name Idealliance, combining the building business solutions of Epicomm with the innovations in workflow processes and technologies of Idealliance.

About Epicomm
Epicomm, the Association for Leaders in Print, Mail, Fulfillment, and Marketing Services, is a not-for-profit business management association representing companies in the $80+ billion graphic communications industry in North America. It provides industry advocacy, management training, and a comprehensive slate of business-building solutions for companies in an evolving market environment. It was created in 2014 through the merger of the Association of Marketing Service Providers (AMSP) and the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL)/National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP). Its founding associations have some 200 years of combined experience serving graphic communications companies of every size and specialty. Epicomm headquarters is at 1800 Diagonal Rd., Suite 320, Alexandria, VA, 22314.

Source: Epicomm.