PIA/GATF Installs 2008 Officers

PITTSBURGH—The 2008 officers of Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) were installed on November 11 at PIA/GATF’s Fall Administrative Meetings. The ceremony took place following the nomination and election of the officers by the Board of Directors.

Chairman of the Board—Janet Green, CEO of Greens Inc., Irvine, Calif.
Ms. Green is the first female Chairman of the Board in PIA/GATF’s history, which dates back to 1887. A 25-year veteran of the printing industry, Ms. Green has worked in nearly every department in her company, a third generation, family-owned firm which has operated since 1908. Ms. Green has served on the PIA/GATF board for over 10 years and has been involved in countless committees, including government affairs, GAIN, finance, and business practices. She has chaired both the Association Relations Committee and Planning Committee and served on the Task Force which plotted the consolidation of PIA and GATF. On the local level, she served on and ultimately chaired the Finance, Government Affairs, and Public Relations Committees of Printing Industries of Southern California (PIASC), and in 1999 she became one of the youngest people in PIASC’s history to serve as Chairman of the Board. In 2004, she was recognized as PIASC’s Executive of the Year.

1st Vice Chairman—Ken Kaufman, Chairman/CEO of Omniprint, Inc., Lanham, Md.
Mr. Kaufman has been involved with local PIA/GATF affiliates since 1973. He served as president of the Printing Industry of Metropolitan Washington in 1989–1990, where he received its Distinguished Service Award in 1991. Mr. Kaufman presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Printing and Graphics Association MidAtlantic. In addition, he is the Board Chairman of the Graphic Arts Benefit Corporation, which provides health coverage to over 320 companies and their 6,000 employees and families. Mr. Kaufman joined the PIA/GATF board in 2000 and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2005; he served as Second Vice Chairman of the board in 2007. Mr. Kaufman is also a member of the Finance Committee, the Investment Committee, and a past chairman of the Presidents Conference Committee.

2nd Vice Chairman—Bill Gibson, Vice President of Sales, Rider Dickerson, Chicago
Mr. Gibson grew up in a family tradition of print. In 1908, his grandfather started Gibson Graphics, Inc., a commercial sheetfed printing company in Chicago, and Mr. Gibson’s father took over the company after World War II. After graduating college, Mr. Gibson worked for The Iowa Newspapers until his father decided to sell Gibson Graphics in 1982. Mr. Gibson purchased the company and ran it until he sold the business to Rider Dickerson, Inc. in 1998. He is active in his affiliate, Printing Industries of Illinois and Indiana, having served on their board, and he is currently president of the Ben Franklin Club of Chicago. Mr. Gibson also currently serves as Chairman of Education for PIA/GATF and is chairman of the PIA/GATF Presidents Conference Advisory Committee.

Secretary—Michael Keene, President and CEO, The John Roberts Company, Minneapolis
Mr. Keene started his career while attending The University of Minnesota. After graduating in 1972, he was appointed supervisor of the prepress department, and he was named Vice President in 1982. Mr. Keene has served as president of The John Roberts Company since 1986 and as Chief Executive Officer since 1994. During Mr. Keene’s tenure, The John Roberts Company has increased market share and maintained a reputation for technical excellence and the effective integration of new technologies. Spearheading the company’s investment in ISO9001: 2000 certification is just one of the ways in which he has led The John Roberts Company into the highly competitive global economy of the 21st century.

Treasurer—Hal Slager of Trico Graphics, Inc., Chicago (continued term)
A Certified Public Accountant by trade, Slager has spent over 20 years with Trico Graphics. Founded as Triangle Engraving Company in 1915, the company evolved to focus on sales and marketing support services with Slager as a driving force in advancing the company into electronic publishing. Slager also serves his community as a Town Councilman in Schererville, Indiana and is a director for the Calumet Region Striders, a local running club of 500 members.

Also joining the Board of Directors beginning in 2008 are Curt Kreisler, representing the Printing Association of Florida; Mark Rand, representing PIGC; Robert Lindgren, Affiliate Manager Representative; Chris Parrilli, representing the vendor community; Joseph Schmissrauter, representing PIAS; Michael Kucharski, representing the vendor community; and Jeff Ekstein, representing Canadian Printing Industries Association.

Joining the 2008 PIA/GATF Executive Committee are Nick Wagner (Chair of the Affiliate Managers Group), Tim Burton (Chair of the Association Relations Committee), Jim Mayes (Chair of the Research Committee), and Charlie Calhoun (Chair of the Government Affairs Committee).