Newly Merged SGIA and PIA Becomes PRINTING United Alliance
The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Printing Industries of America (PIA), which merged on May 1, 2020, today announce the new organization name as a combined company: PRINTING United Alliance. PRINTING United Alliance also announces its official board of directors as a merged entity.
“PRINTING United Alliance is a reflection of the invaluable partnerships and industry convergence that has evolved over time,” says Ford Bowers, President and CEO, PRINTING United Alliance. “The organization name seemed an obvious choice to many as our North Star points to the industry continuing to come together and strengthening to ensure future growth and longevity.”
PRINTING United Alliance brings together two long-standing printing organizations to better serve all communities within the printing industry. “In this time of consolidation, printer members and the supplier community at large are looking for a unified solution to the challenges they face in this era of rapid change,” says Scott Crosby, Chairman of the Board and Transcontinental Holland & Crosby Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “The new Association will become the place to find answers for everything related to printing. It is a great honor and privilege for me to serve the industry as we look forward to a new beginning.”
PRINTING United Alliance Board of Directors
The new PRINTING United Alliance board of directors reflects combined leadership from the previous SGIA and PIA board of directors, which is comprised of the following industry executives: Chairman of the Board Scott Crosby, Transcontinental Holland & Crosby; First Vice Chair Paul Cousineau, Dow Jones and Company, Inc.; Second Vice Chair Christopher Bernat, Vapor Apparel/Source Substrates LLC; Third Vice Chair Michael Marcian, Corporate Communications Group; Treasurer Dean DeMarco, IDL Worldwide; Secretary Brooke Hamilton, NPI; Immediate Past Chair Thomas Cooper III, WestRock; Chair of Chairmen’s Advisory Council Edward Cook, Jr., ECI Screen Print Inc.; Associate Vice Chair Scott Schinlever, Gerber Technology; and Ex Officio Ford Bowers, President and CEO, PRINTING United Alliance.
Directors at large include: Brian Adam, Olympus Group; Nick Buettner, American Cut and Sew; Roger Chamberlain, The Cincinnati Insurance Company; Kristen Danson, MitoGraphics Inc.; Chris Feryn, Premier Press; Kevin Gazdag, KG Graphics Décor; Bryan Hall, Graphic Visual Solutions; Lane Hickey-Wiggins, Douglass Screen Printers Inc. dba DPRINT; Brian Hite, Image Options; Michael Magerl, Trabon Group; Brent Moncrief, FUJIFILM; Joseph Olivo, Perfect Communications; Edward Pidcock, Chillybears; Heather Poulin, Ricoh USA; Timothy Saur, Durst Imaging Technology US LLC; Elaine Scrima, GSP Companies; Michael Wagner, Butler Technologies Inc.; and Joseph Lyman, President, Great Lakes Graphics Association, serving as Affiliate manager.
“The industry is going through great change right now, so the timing for these two like-minded organizations to come together dovetails nicely,” says Paul Cousineau, First Vice Chair, PRINTING United Alliance and Dow Jones and Company Inc. Vice President of Prepress Operations, Continuous Improvement and IT Ops Support. “I am honored to be a part of something so significant and impactful. I’ve enjoyed the process working with the board in getting to this point and look forward to the future.”
For more information about becoming a member of PRINTING United Alliance, visit www.sgia.org or www.printing.org.
About PRINTING United Alliance
In a milestone in the printing industry, on May 1, 2020, SGIA and PIA officially combined to create PRINTING United Alliance, the largest, most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in the United States. Members now have unparalleled access to preeminent education, training, workshops, events, research, government and legislative representation, safety and environmental sustainability guidance, as well as resources from the leading media company in the industry – NAPCO Media.
PRINTING United Alliance produces the PRINTING United Expo and Conference, the three most important days in printing. This year, PRINTING United takes place in Atlanta on October 21-23, 2020. This expansive display of printing technologies and supplies, education, programming, and services are showcased to the industry at large, and represents all market segments together under one roof. For more information, visit PRINTINGUnited.com.
Related story: Ford Bowers and Michael Makin Discuss What Drove the Merger of SGIA With PIA