Come Together? PIA, NAPL Begin Merger Negotiations

MARCO ISLAND, FL—One meeting held at the recent Vision 3 Summit here wasn’t listed on the general conference program. Prior to the event, a group of industry leaders convened to discuss the unification of the Printing Industries of America (PIA) and the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL). The group reached a unanimous consensus to move forward with a plan.

The action was taken for several reasons: economic conditions of the past several years, the ongoing contraction of the industry, and in response to calls for action from their membership and suppliers. The boards of each organization have approved a special task force, consisting of representatives from both sides, to take the steps to create a single entity. PIA Chair Laura Lawton and NAPL Chair Darren Loken are co-chairing the task force. The unification process is expected to take several months to complete.

The task force will develop sub-committees to address areas such as strategic planning, renaming of the organization, staffing and leadership, local representation, programs and location. Members of the task force include association CEOs Michael Makin (PIA) and Joe Truncale (NAPL), John Berthelsen, Tim Burton, Keith Kemp, Jules VanSant, Niels Winther and Nigel Worme.