Compass Capital Partners

BREAKFAST IS a ritualistic celebration for me. It must consist of complementary foods—eggs and bacon, eggs and sausage. It should include some grits or fried potatoes. And fruit; I prefer mixed berries or melon, but not mixed melon—just honeydew or just cantaloupe. There must be orange juice and strong, dark roast coffee. I usually make two pieces of toast and butter with thick slices of country white bread.

The food is almost always perfect because I cook for myself. I am one of America’s great egg cooks. I’m talkin’ about fried over, sunny side up, scrambled, poached, soft boiled and omelettes of all persuasions.

I sit

A MOB OF about 15 printing company owners swept in, unimpeded, whilst I was taking a short nap. I had worked 21 hours (my typical work day) without eating or sleeping, and was only dozing for a few hours. They moved with swift execution. Obviously, they were well-prepared.

They looked professional in their matching black stocking caps, camouflage fatigues and glistening new combat boots. They had corporate sponsorship and wore patches advertising their benefactor’s logo.

Horribly, my spouse, Attila the Nun, was an accomplice to this vicious conspiracy. She was in on the planning and, in fact, served as a lookout who stood the door while

Merrill Corp. Staying Private NEW YORK—It looks like financial printing specialist Merrill Corp. isn’t going public again after all. At least not in the foreseeable future. Merrill withdrew its Initial Public Offering (IPO) registration statement, reported the Associated Press. Citing Merrill’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing, it said the printer’s change of heart was due to “adverse market conditions.” Tapella Named Public Printer WASHINGTON, DC—Robert Tapella has been confirmed as the nation’s 25th Public Printer by President Bush. Tapella will oversee more than 2,200 employees at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Tapella has been instrumental in the GPO’s transformation into a profitable digital printing operation

EXTON, PA—Tom Williams, a longtime printing industry management and financial services provider, is joining Compass Capital Partners as a partner. Williams also boasts executive experience with PhoenixCor, GE Commercial Finance, U.S. Concord and P.C. Leasing.Compass Capital, which provides valuation, investment banking and advisory services to the industry, recently advised PhotoCraft of Portland, OR, when it…

MY LAME anxiety about the time remaining on my 65-year-old actuarial table got some welcome news this week. I had checked the U.S. government mortality tables for males age 65 and learned that I’ve got another 16.3 years. I’m gonna raise some kind of hell during that .3.

Then I had a big longevity breakthrough! First, researchers announced that people who laugh frequently live seven years more than folks who rarely manage a smile.

Whew!

Good news for me! I’m a laughing fool. Constantly. In the car. In the tub. In the shower.

Mine is a rumbling, belly-shaking laugh that begins deep somewhere down around my pancreas and

EXTON, PA—September 27, 2007—Compass Capital Partners announced that Tom Williams is joining the firm as a Partner. Mr. Williams will be based in Connecticut and will have an office at Compass Capital Partners’ headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania. Williams has provided management and financial services to the printing industry for many years, with executive experience at PhoenixCor, Inc., GE Commercial Finance, U.S. Concord and P.C. Leasing. Harris DeWese, Chairman of Compass Capital, said, “Tom has combined experience in operations and financial management that will serve our clients well in his new role at Compass Capital. Tom is well known throughout all

PORTLAND—September, 2007—The IGH Solutions Business Unit of Taylor Corp. purchased the assets of PhotoCraft in late August, 2007. PhotoCraft has been a leading producer of large format graphic images from its headquarters in Portland, Oregon for over twenty years. PhotoCraft produces retail point-of-purchase materials, displays, banners and signage as well as reproduces the finest custom artwork. It has been a leader in developing digital technology which has allowed it to compete successfully in the contemporary market. The key management team of PhotoCraft will continue to manage the Company. Taylor Corp. is a privately-held organization specializing in business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications, printing

IF YOU’VE ever visited Philadelphia, you probably ate a cheese steak. Maybe you ordered your cheese steak with extra cheese, grilled onions and hot peppers. That’s Mañana Man style. I’ve had to back off on too many cheese steaks due to my waist line and worsening lactose intolerance.

If you were just visiting Philadelphia, you probably didn’t have any Tastykakes. You have to buy them at the grocery store or a minute market. Personally, I prefer the Chocolate Lovers Cupcakes. They come two in a package, and you have to open the cellophane carefully, so you don’t disrupt the thick chocolate icing on the cupcakes.

IF YOU are not yet eligible for Medicare, I want to alert you that the week prior to your 65th birthday is a deep and dark depression.

There were all sorts of morbid thoughts about my mortality. I asked myself again and again, “Where the hell did my life go?”

I had symptoms ranging from a gall bladder attack to bubonic plague. I must have looked up a dozen illnesses on WebMD. None of them matched my malady of the moment.

I called my doctor three times and waited impatiently by the phone for his return call. He lives around the corner and, after 6 p.m., I

On the last day of this month, I will be 65. And, dammit, I’m still not grown up. I still don’t know what I wannabe when I grow up.

This is sad. I ask myself: “How am I defined?”

Ever wonder how you are defined? It’s scary to think about.

When I finish this column, I will have written 251 “DeWese on Sales” columns for PRINTING IMPRESSIONS magazine. Does that define me as a columnist?

I owned the Marple Crawdads semi-pro baseball team, coached more than 1,000 baseball games and won nearly 80 percent of the games. That’s better than the win percentages of Connie Mack