Top Management Conference Shines

PHOENIX—The weather may not have cooperated, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the 265 people who attended the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) Top Management Conference, held here last month at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort.

Even Andrew Paparozzi, NAPL's chief economist, gave a largely sunny forecast in his state-of-the-industry report that kicked off the meeting. Signs that the industry is rebounding: sales increases for four consecutive quarters among NAPL's Printing Business Panel, reports that profitability and pricing levels are up, as well as the fact that printers are hiring again. This, in part, fuels his projections that commercial printing industry sales may grow as much as 51⁄2 percent in 2005.