Quad/Graphics

NEW YORK—A former Quad/Graphics employee pleaded guilty last week for his part in an insider trading scheme that pulled in more than $6.7 million. Juan Renteria pleaded guilty to conspiracy and insider trading charges at a U.S. District Court hearing here, according to a Reuters report. Renteria and Nickolaus Shuster were accused of stealing advance copies of BusinessWeek and passing stock names mentioned in the “Inside Wall Street” column to ex-Goldman Sachs employees Eugene Plotkin and David Pajcin. Renteria, the last of six defendants, was paid $500 or more for each copy of the magazine, according to reports. He faces a maximum of 25 years in

The 2012 Printing Impressions 400 list of the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada as ranked by annual sales.

STRAINS OF “Should old acquaintance be forgot” heard this New Year’s Eve will have added significance in the catalog and magazine printing market sector. The flurry of merger and acquisition activity that carried over into 2007 made several marquee names just a memory in this year’s lists of top printers. Then there are the developments on the paper and postal fronts that catalogers, publishers and printers wish they could forget. In looking back on 2007 and ahead to 2008, there’s a risk of coming across unduly negative. Most of the noteworthy developments and trends do have a downbeat tone, but it’s more a matter

BIG NAMES were on the move in 2007. It was a year in which major mergers and acquisitions jammed the headlines of our news pages. And some deals never quite got off the ground, while others are in a holding pattern. There was an explosion of headline grabbers to open 2007, led by a pair of major transactions and a political coup for the industry. Having been thwarted in his efforts to acquire Banta Corp. by RR Donnelley on Halloween 2006, Cenveo Chairman and CEO Bob Burton hammered out a deal to acquire Cadmus Communications for $24.75 a share, or a total of $430

SUSSEX, WI—Quad/Graphics and its insurance company have been awarded $63 million in a lawsuit stemming from the 2002 collapse of Quad’s racking system that started a fire, killing one person. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it took a jury less than three hours to place the onus on the manufacturers of the automated shelving system, which ultimately led to the destruction of a building at Quad’s Lomira, WI, plant and the death of a contract worker. The companies found responsible were HK Systems (51 percent responsible), Rack Structures (39 percent) and Leavitt Tube (10 percent). HK Systems designed the system and Rack Structures built

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

SUSSEX, WI—Quad/Graphics and its insurance company have been awarded $63 million in a lawsuit stemming from the 2002 collapse of Quad’s racking system that started a fire, killing one person. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it took a jury less than three hours to place the onus on the manufacturers of the automated shelving system, which ultimately led to the destruction of a building at Quad’s Lomira plant. The companies found responsible were HK Systems (51 percent responsible), Rack Structures (39 percent) and Leavitt Tube (10 percent). HK Systems designed the system and Rack Structures built the shelves, while Leavitt made floor-to-ceiling tubing. According to

THERE’S LITTLE doubt that a certain European country helped make Wisconsin the “Printing Capital of the USA.” Just ask John Berthelsen, president of Suttle-Straus in Waunakee. “There were lots of German immigrants who came to this area and many of them were printers,” Berthelsen says. “The rest made beer, so it was a good combination.” Welcome to Wisconsin, whose name translates to “grassy place” in the Chippewa language. And speaking of Native Americans, this state has a few cities and towns named after tribes: Milwaukee, Menomonie, Pewaukee, Waunakee and Waukesha, to name a few. Among its nicknames is the Badger State; in the 19th

THOSE WHO have not had the opportunity to visit Wisconsin may have some misconceptions and preconceived notions that portray it in a one-dimensional light. Tim Burton, president of Burton & Mayer in Brookfield, notes there is more to his state than beer, brats and cheese. Not that the aforementioned items should be the subject of scorn and ridicule, but there is another side to the Badger State. “We have first-rate theater performances all over the state,” Burton notes. “There’s a world-class art museum in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Symphony is ranked near the top of all cities. And there’s a new lakefront venue called Pier

Quad Taps Goss at Graph Expo SUSSEX, WI—Quad/Graphics will add six new high-productivity Goss finishing systems at various facilities in the United States over the next 12 months. The order, announced during Graph Expo in Chicago last month, includes Pace-setter 2500 saddlestitchers and Universalbinder adhesive binders. Quad/Graphics has installed more than 100 Pacesetter and Universalbinder finishing systems since 1980. “We are investing continuously in finishing operations to give our customers the fastest and most efficient technology available, as well as unique opportunities to add value to their printed products,” notes Bill Graushar, vice president of finishing at Quad/Graphics. “We have a long-standing history of working with