The Ovid Bell Press

by chris bauer Managing Editor Merger and acquisition activity. Monster trade shows. New faces in high places. The luck of the draw. It all adds up to just another year in the commercial printing industry. Let's take a look back at how the year 2004 played out, and who made headlines during the past 12 months. The year started out on shaky ground for the industry, with rumors that Heidelberg planned to sell off its web systems business and digital printing division, as well as reduce its worldwide work force by up to 1,000 employees. Eventually, the whispers became a reality as the other players in these

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Truth be known, many customers of The Ovid Bell Press in Fulton, MO, never enjoy the opportunity to realize just how honestly and fairly they're being treated. And that's just fine with President and CEO John Bell—a third generation printer, a man of integrity and honesty, and a 2004 Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame inductee. While Bell prefers the problem-free experiences, it is those challenges that arise during the print production process that allow The Ovid Bell Press to showcase its abilities. "It's that problem we often create in the world of printing that allows us the

Printers like to receive recognition for their accomplishments. It helps validate all of the hard work, creativity, attention to detail and high quality standards that go into building a successful career in the graphic arts industry, as well as producing award-winning printed pieces. That, in part, is what makes our annual Hall of Fame and Gold Ink Awards issue so rewarding; it allows us to honor both individual and printing production excellence. The 2004 class of Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame inductees surely deserve acclaim. For those that may not know the drill, we seek nominations each year from which finalists are

The Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame opens its doors to four new members during the annual Gold Ink Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet during Graph Expo and Converting Expo Monday evening, Oct. 11. Joining the hallowed ranks of the men and women who have provided an immeasurable impact on their own companies, as well as the industry at large, are: Charles "Tuck" Krehbiel, CEO of CJK (The C.J. Krehbiel Co.) in Cincinnati; John O. Bell, president and CEO of The Ovid Bell Press in Fulton, MO; George W. Stephenson, founder, president and CEO of Stephenson Printing in Alexandria, VA; and Peter McLean,

Minuteman Press Recognized by A.B.Dick CHICAGO—Minuteman Press International has been recognized as A.B.Dick's Customer of the Year for 2002. Minuteman Press has more than 750 franchises operating in the U.S. and almost 900 worldwide. Sue Nisson has assumed the responsibilities of national sales manager for Webcrafters Inc., Madison, WI. Nisson joined Webcrafters in 2002 as executive director of business development after 20 years in the educational publishing industry. Richard Sevigny, president and owner of Chromatic Lithographers, has been named the 2003 Ben Franklin Executive of the Year by the Printing Industries Association of Southern California. The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to both

If you know the name of a printing company that you think appears on the Printing Impressions 400 list, but you're not sure of its ranking, here's an easy way to locate that firm. Simply find the company in the alphabetical listings on this page. In addition to each company's name and headquarters location, a corresponding number appears indicating that firm's ranking on the Printing Impressions 400. ABS Graphics (Addison, IL) 400 Action Printing (Fond du Lac, WI) 353 Adams Business Forms (Topeka, KS) 96 AdPlex Inc. (Houston, TX) 102 Advance Business Graphics (Mira Loma, CA) 153 AFL Web Printing (Voorhees, NJ)

Editor's note: Company rankings for the current and previous years are based on figures reported in 2000. Therefore, companies that revised their 1999 revenues may have changed their '99 ranking as compared with the ranking that appeared in last year's Printing Impressions 500. Similarly, the percentage change in sales is calculated on the most recent information provided.2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:351340Jacob North Printing, Lincoln, NE$16.80$16.25+3David T. Calhoun125COM 50%; PUB 15%; CAT 15%; DM 10%16228Private 2  2000 Ranking:Previous Year's Ranking:Company:Total Sales (millions):Previous Year's (millions):Change (%):Principal Officer:Employees:Primary Specialties:Web Offset Units:Sheetfed Offset Units:Other:Ownership:Plants:352376Robin Enterprises, Westerville, OH$16.78$14.60+15Robin Hance126COM