MISSION VIEJO, CA—August 6, 2007—PIP Printing & Document Services is pleased to announce the winner of this years “Franchisee of the Year” award. Jimmy and Judy Brumley of Burlington, NC were presented with the award at the annual PIP Convention and Vendor Show in Denver, July 25-29. In addition to the “Franchisee of the Year” award, a “Top Volume” award was presented to the Fulner Family of Indianapolis, IN and Nashville, TN. Awards were also given to franchisees and salespeople in the following categories: Top 10, Top 25, Volume Increase Percentage, Million Dollar Club, Sales Achievement Awards, Application Innovation Awards, and Quick Print Top
Sir Speedy
ONE OF the most neglected, yet cost-effective, ways to market yourself is public relations. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) definition of public relations, “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” In your business, you have several “publics” that PR activities will help you address, including: • customers/potential customers; • employees/potential employees; • the business community; and • the media. The key to public relations activities is to build awareness about your firm and what you can offer. The most-often considered tool in the PR toolbag is a press release. Perhaps you have hired a new salesperson, bought a
Pearl Pressman Liberty Celebrates Centennial PHILADELPHIA—Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group (PPLCG) appropriately chose The Franklin Institute as a backdrop to host its 100th anniversary celebration, which was attended by dozens of long-time employees and customers. The event featured a traditional birthday cake, an oversized card for attendees to sign and even a special appearance by Ben Franklin himself. Terry Remaly, plant manager at Hopkins Printing, Columbus, OH, was honored with the “Craftsman of the Year” award by The Columbus Club of Printing House Craftsmen. In his 20 years at Hopkins Printing, Remaly has held positions as pressman, pressroom supervisor and his current position as plant manager. The
arizona SCOTTSDALE—Armed with a new Kodak Nexpress 2100 digital press and Kodak Nexglosser glossing unit, Sir Speedy Printing Scottsdale now can meet growing demand for short turnaround color printing and glossing. Since the installation a few months ago, the company reports it has gained new business from customers it previously could not service. illinois HARVEY—Andrews Printing has installed a four-color Printmaster PM 52 from Heidelberg. It replaces the shop's Printmaster GTO 52-2, which previously handled the shop's four-color jobs in two runs. Schiller ParK—The Business Press, now in its 26th year in business, has replaced its four-color Heidelberg GTO with a new five-color Printmaster
Cary Printing has promoted Debbie Roberson to fill the position of mailing manager. She has been with the Cary, NC-based company for less than a year, but has more than 20 years of mailing experience. Patrick O'Brien has joined Direct Group in Trenton, NJ, as vice president of sales and business development. Padgett Printing in Dallas reports that Matt Pluta has joined the company's sales team. Pluta joined Padgett from Buchanan Visual Communications where he was a sales representative. Baltimore-based Vertis announced that Jim Litwin has joined the company as vice president of marketing research. In his new role, Litwin now leads Vertis' Customer Focus studies and
Whither lies the future of the franchise printer? Well, while most observers agree that the bountiful years of the 1980s will likely never return, there is ample opportunity to enjoy growth for those who buy into a particular franchisor's mantra. Sure, there's been a lot of fireworks on the quick printer side in the past year.
arizona PHOENIX—Steve Woods Printing opened its doors with a dedication celebration in May. Steve is the son of Frank Woods, formerly of Woods Lithographics. CALIFORNIA SAN MARCOS, CA—Golden State Graphics recently added to its bindery a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher. florida DeLEON SPRINGS—E.O. Painter Printing held its 100th annual stockholders and directors meeting recently. The company, which traces its origin to 1873, was purchased and incorporated by Sidney Weller Johnston, the current company president's grandfather. MIAMI—Color K Graphics purchased a KBA 74 Karat digital offset press with coater during Drupa. PENSACOLA—Six Stahl B30 buckle plate folders have been installed at Pensacola Christian College. georgia
Xerox Sees Future In Black-and-White ROCHESTER, NY—Based on its market analysis, Xerox Corp. believes there is $18 billion in annual print sales worldwide that potentially could migrate from offset to digital production. The nature of the applications, substrates used and other job requirements make this work suited to digital production, asserts Valerie Blauvelt, vice president of integrated marketing. "Our goal is to capture 10 percent of that opportunity." Xerox has identified a "mid production" market and technology category that fills a gap in price, performance and capability, adds Mark Waxenberg, vice president and general manager, Production Solutions Business Unit. In response, the company has
FedEx Buys Kinko's Franchise MEMPHIS, TN—FedEx Corp. and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) have announced an agreement for FedEx to acquire Kinko's for $2.4 billion in cash. Kinko's operates approximately 1,200 stores worldwide, generating annual sales of about $2 billion. Funds managed by CD&R, a private equity investment firm, currently owns about 75 percent of Kinko's outstanding shares. Once the transaction is completed, all Kinko's locations will offer new or expanded FedEx shipping options to small- to medium-size businesses and to large corporate customers. FedEx has been Kinko's exclusive shipping provider since 1988. Scitex Selling Digital Printing TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—Scitex Corp. and Eastman Kodak have signed a
News Fit for Printing Extra! Extra! Read all about it. The graphic arts industry is launching a new campaign to promote the use of print as a replacement for, and complement to, other media. I know, grizzled industry veterans might point out, other efforts have been tried in the past—typically losing steam over time. But this effort has some of the biggest industry guns behind it as founding members, including vendors such as Agfa, EFI, Heidelberg, IBM, MAN Roland, Scitex Digital and Xerox, as well as prominent printers like Mail-Well, RR Donnelley, Quad/Graphics, Sandy Alexander and Franchise Services (the parent company of PIP