Rising Stars Confirm We’re in Good Hands —Michelson

THE PRINTING industry could very well serve as the poster child to represent a profession that is suffering from an inferiority complex. We remain on the defensive when talk turns to how print fits into the modern media mix, despite the fact that print elicits higher emotional and response rates compared to electronic advertising. We battle misconceptions as being environmentally unfriendly when, in reality, paper producers are at the forefront of recycling and renewable energy efforts; computers and servers consume huge amounts of electricity, largely powered by fossil fuels; and Internet spam, in fact, wastes an estimated 33 billion kilowatt hours of power annually.
Don’t get me wrong. Despite all of the recent consolidation, there are still too many printing establishments chasing the shrinking pool of marketing budgets. Also of concern is where ink on paper fits within the digital revolution that is rapidly altering how people communicate. Emerging social media such as Facebook, Twitter and the like is more than just a passing fancy. By the same token, though, the “20 Under 40” rising stars profiled on the following pages validate that our industry does possess 20- and 30-something-year-old professionals with the brain power, leadership skills and tenacity to tackle these challenges and ensure that marketing services providers remain viable.