Classic Graphics

Meridian Printing Wins Gold NEW YORK CITY—Meridian Printing won the coveted 2003 Sappi North American Printer of the Year award at an elegant, black-tie awards gala held here recently. The East Greenwich, RI-based printer was acclaimed for excellence of printing craftsmanship in its production of the "100 years of Harley Davidson" book, which was printed on 100-lb. Sappi Porcelain Dull Text paper. The 275,000-copy run, for publisher Melcher Media, was printed four-color process with varnish at 250 line screen on Meridian's Heidelberg CD sheetfed press. As the Sappi North American Printer of the Year winner, Meridian received a trophy and a handcrafted gold medallion. A Real Fancy Affair The

(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2003. Therefore, companies that revised their 2002 revenues may have changed their 2002 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.) 252 ('02: 262) Specialty Printing, Niles, IL Total Sales (Millions): $21.90 Previous Year's Sales (Millions): $21.40 Change (%): +2 Principal Officer: Adam M. LeFebvre Employees: 92 Primary Specialties: DM 45%; ADV 30%; COM 25% Web Offset Press Units: 16 Sheetfed Press Units: 12 Other Press Units:

Meridian Printing Wins Gold Award NEW YORK CITY—Meridian Printing won the coveted 2003 Sappi North American Printer of the Year award at an elegant, black-tie awards gala held here on October 10. The East Greenwich, RI-based printer was acclaimed for excellence of printing craftsmanship in its production of the "100 years of Harley Davidson" book, which was printed on 100-lb. Sappi Porcelain Dull Text paper. The 275,000-copy run—for publisher Melcher Media—was printed four-color process with varnish at 250 line screen on Meridian's Heidelberg CD sheetfed press. As the Sappi North American Printer of the Year winner, Meridian received a trophy and a handcrafted gold medallion. The event, appropriately

LAS CROABAS, PR—Forget the red carpet and stretch limos for Hollywood celebrities, the provocative designer dresses and the "A-list" parties. The printing industry recently celebrated its own version of Academy Awards night here at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa as part of Sappi Fine Paper North America's Printer of the Year celebration. Nearly 400 people were in attendance, including 36 Silver Award finalists vying for the six coveted Gold Awards, Sappi merchants and Sappi Fine Paper employees. The black-tie gala featured a giant mask on stage cascaded with special lighting, video clips highlighting each finalist's printed piece and short skits

Bindery workers at Quebecor World's Effingham, IL, plant will not reconsider the company's final contract offer, according to the Effingham Daily News. There are approximately 400 union bindery workers at the plant. Quebecor World management says it has growing concerns about the future viability of the plant because of the competitive magazine printing market and the high cost structure of the plant. As of presstime, Graphic Communications International Union representatives are moving to request additional meetings. Atlanta-based priNexus Inc. has announced several staff changes. Larry Klotz has been named vice president of sales and national sales manager. For the past 12 years, Klotz has

Howard Fenton has joined the staff of the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), Paramus, NJ, as a senior consultant of digital technologies. Previously, Fenton served for six years as the senior consultant of digital technology for the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) has granted $275,000 in scholarships to a total of 202 students pursuing careers in the graphic communications industry. PGSF awarded 99 of the scholarships to women and 103 to men. Also, Brown Printing, Waseca, MN, recently pledged $50,000 to establish the Wayne "Bumps" Brown Honorary Scholarship. After the fund matures, the scholarship will be awarded

(Editor's Note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2002. Therefore, companies that revised their 2001 revenues may have changed their 2001 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 400. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.) 252 ('01: 275) Commercial Communications, Hartland, WI Total Sales (millions): $22.38 Previous Year's (millions): $22.75 Change (%): -2 Principal Officer: Robert D. Hegwood Employees: 250 Primary Specialties: PUB 50%; COM 30%; SPEC 10% (On-demand); BKS 10% Web Offset Units: 6 Sheetfed Offset Units: 18 Other: 14

David Carr is now vice president of the Printing Industries Association, serving Northern Kentucky and Ohio (PIANKO). Carr was recently brought on board to head up the association's efforts to grow membership and to serve and assist existing members. Carr's sales experience spans more than 20 years and his experience in the graphic communications and printing industry goes back 16 years, ranging from prepress to production and post-production. Robert Romero, operations manager at Paragon Printing & Mailing in Austin, TX, has been named this year's "greatest" in sheetfed offset press operations and problem solving by the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF). Romero won the GATF

American Spirit Graphics, Minneapolis, has promoted several key managers. Darren Carlson has been promoted to CEO. Myron Angel has been promoted to president and COO. Lauren Drevlow is now executive vice president. Jason Carlson has assumed the position of corporate vice president. The Segerdahl Corp., Chicago, has appointed John Kampa to its sales and account management staff, and Roy Perfetti has been named to the company's sales staff. Kampa has an extensive, 17-year background in the web printing industry. For the past seven years, he worked as a national account executive at Lehigh Direct. Perfetti has 20 years of experience in the printing industry. His

Chris Breault has been named vice president of sales for the Banta Book Group, Western region. He is headquartered out of Banta's Santa Clara, CA, office. Breault brings five years of experience as a senior sales executive in Banta's Western region. John Wetzel has been hired as sales director for Payne Printery, Dallas. Previously, Wetzel established J.L. Printech, a commercial printing brokerage firm. As president, he directed all sales and marketing, and personally called on all key accounts. Mark E. Little has been hired as a corporate officer and president of the document management strategic business unit for Standard Register, Dayton, OH. Before joining the company,