Columns/Opinions

Brianna Long has been managing and directing the marketing department at Thomas Printworks for more than 20 years.  As Marketing Director, she coordinates advertising campaigns, customer promotions and store remodels. Brianna plays an instrumental role in the branding of the largest family-owned reprographics company in the nation.

Emily Fonnesbeck has been writing for more than ten years and enjoys her current position as a content writer for Ferrari Color. She lives in Idaho with her husband and children and loves doughnuts and a good book. 

Denise Gustavson is the Editorial Director and Special Projects Editor for the Printing & Packaging, and Publishing Group, which includes Printing Impressions, packagePRINTING, In-plant Graphics andWide-Format Impressions magazines, among other brands. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Wide-Format Impressions.

Jon Davis is in the marketing department at Cushing, a commercial printer and environmental branding firm in Chicago. Recently he has contributed to articles to Self Employment in the Arts, the Business Marketing Association, and Work Design Magazine. From marketing strategy to office branding and customer case studies, he writes on a variety of topics.

Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs for SGIA, joined the Association in 2014. He assists association members with technical information on digital printing as well as digital equipment, materials, and vendor referrals. He oversees training and certification workshops at SGIA along with the Association’s Digital Equipment Evaluation program. Ray is project manager for both the PDAA Certification program and SGIA's Digital Color Professional Certification program and is an instructor for the Color Management Boot Camps. Ray regularly contributes to the Association's Journal and won the 2016 Swormstedt Award for Best in Class writing in the Digital Printing category.  Outside of work, Ray enjoys biking, international cuisine and spending time with his three fantastic grandkids.

Ray@SGIA.org

Ford Bowers is the CEO and President of SGIA.

Dr. Harvey R. Levenson is Professor Emeritus and former Department Head of Graphic Communication at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. His research and teaching specialties are communication, intellectual property, media, printing, and technology. He is often called upon as an Expert Witness in these areas. Contact him at hlevenso@calpoly.edu

Gerry Nathe is a retired chairman and board member of Baldwin Technology. He is the current chair of the Ben Franklin Honor Society, and a member of the board of the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF).

Michael Makin was appointed President and CEO of Printing Industries of America on August 1, 2002. Born and raised in Montreal, Makin attended Carleton University in Ottawa where graduated with honors with a degree in Journalism in 1986. He also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. After a brief stint as a reporter and public affairs officer with the Canadian government, he began his career in association management 20 years ago. Prior to joining Printing Industries of America, Makin was President of the Canadian Printing Industries Association and for almost 10 years served as an executive with the Canadian Construction Association.

Catie Duffy is in the marketing department at Cushing, a commercial printer and environmental branding firm in Chicago. With a background in corporate communication and customer service, she’s written blogs, case studies and other website content on a number of topics. Follow Cushing on social media to see how she puts these ideas into action!

Raymond J. Prince has served the industry for 60 years as a printer, student, association executive, and now as an industry advisor and consultant. Ray can be reached at: raymondjprince@aol.com

Bobby Fosson is Channel Sales Manager for North America, SAi.

Toren Prawdzik is president of Photo Evo.

Charlie Rueb is the display division manager a Rainier Industries.

Lon Winters is president of Graphic Elephants.

Ken Burns is the President/CEO of Axis Graphic Installations Inc. He is a native of Boston, MA and studied Business Management in the mid 90’s. He has consulted, developed and managed multiple Fortune 500 companies. In 2006, he approached his friend (who was a 10-year veteran graphic installer at the time) and asked him to teach him the art of installing vehicle wraps. Ken saw the value in this niche industry and had the idea of bringing his knowledge of large corporate structure to a newer industry that was mostly comprised of independent subcontractors. He started his first Axis team in South Florida in 2009 and has since developed teams in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Beyond vehicle wraps, Ken and his teams have become proficient in all types of sign and graphic installations.

Rick Mandel is president of Mandel Graphic Solutions and member of the SGIA Digital Textile and Décor Committee.

Ron Gilboa is a director of InfoTrends’ Functional Printing and Packaging, and is responsible for conducting graphic communications market research, market forecasting, custom consulting projects, strategy and planning engagements, and creating editorial content for product and market analysis reports. Gilboa has been involved in the graphic arts and publishing industries since 1980. He rejoined InfoTrends in 2013 after the better part of a decade with Eastman Kodak, where he served in executive marketing roles in the Commercial Imaging group. Gilboa's roles at Kodak included vice president of marketing at Kodak’s Production Inkjet group, director of worldwide current marketing and operation, and director of worldwide communications. In these roles Gilboa managed a cross functional team responsible for overall go-to-market including strategy development, marketing operations, and in market execution across the individual regional strategic product groups. Prior to Kodak, he held senior positions as director of the Print On Demand and Publishing Service at InfoTrends (formerly CAP Ventures) and product management at Scitex Corp. Gilboa brings skills and experience in key print industries such as commercial, publishing, packaging, transaction, enterprise, as well as direct customer knowledge in vertical markets. Contact him at (781) 616-2108.

Lisa Cross is the principal analyst of NAPCO Research (a unit of NAPCO Media) where she conducts market research and analysis on emerging trends and changing dynamics in the commercial, in-plant and packaging industries, and the market forces that are driving those changes. With decades of experience covering the graphic arts and marketing industries, Cross has authored thousands of articles on a variety of topics, including technology trends,  business strategy, sales, marketing and legislation.

Mark Michelson is the Editor-in-Chief of Printing Impressions. Serving in this role since 1985, Michelson is an award-winning journalist and member of several industry honor societies. Reader feedback is always encouraged. Email mmichelson@napco.com

Jim Raffel is a color management consultant who also serves as CEO of ColorCasters, LLC and ColorMetrix Technologies LLC. As a veteran of the printing industry and a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology’s acclaimed printing management program, in 1995 he formed ColorMetrix to bring an idea he had to make color measurement and evaluation easier by creating easy-to-use software solutions. Today as a certified G7 expert and color management professional, his consulting practice focuses on dye sublimation and flat-bed UV inkjet printing. This work keeps him on the road many weeks each year working with end users and manufacturers to improve their color management processes. He has also been authorized by SGIA to conduct their color management boot camps; in both open venues for anyone to attend and in closed venues for clients and their staff.

Gary A. Jones is the director of environmental, health and safety (EHS) affairs at the Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association in Fairfax, VA. His primary responsibility is to monitor and analyze EHS regulatory activities at all domestic and some international government levels. He provides representation on behalf of the printing and specialty graphic imaging industry. In doing so, Mr. Jones works closely with the federal and state-level Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and other agencies. He also provides membership assistance on EHS compliance and sustainability programs through a variety of approaches including responding to inquiries, presentations, writing, and consulting services.

Mr. Jones is also supporting Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association’s efforts for the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP). SGP is dedicated to assisting printing operations respond to the customer demand for sustainable printing.

He holds a BS in biology from LaRoche College and an MS in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

Régis Thienard is an inkjet expert.

Shelby Sapusek is a color management consultant who also serves as CMO of ColorCasters LLC. She grew up in the newspaper industry; working primarily in graphic design and prepress. In her editor capacity, she was responsible for the print and color quality of several newspapers around the country. In 2011, after 17 years in the newspaper industry, she joined fellow instructor Jim Raffel in his company ColorMetrix, and later co-founded ColorCasters. Today, she works with graphic designers, end users, and manufacturers in the print industry to improve their color management skills.

Mike Ruff has more than 40 years of experience in the graphic arts industry and is currently the owner of Mike Ruff Consulting. He is a certified G7 expert instructor and a certified G7 process control and conformance expert. Contact him at mruff@mikeruffconsulting.com

A.J. Titus is President of Signarama, a member of United Franchise Group (UFG), comprised of nine brands and 1,600 franchise owners in 80 countries. He sits on multiple boards, including the Rinker School of Business and the Titus Center for Franchising. He was also recognized in South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2018.

Kerri's goal is to help people connect deeper with themselves, their community, other individuals, and the world around them. As a transformational coach, she works with companies to create cultures of human greatness and connectivity. She works with individuals who are looking to play a bigger game, and supports her community by offering various workshops and programs.

Kerri launched The Red Baron Group in 2018 and has spent the past year enrolled in an ICF accredited transformational coaching program, Coachville. She is an affiliated partner with Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team® as well as a Higher Ground Leadership® partner. The 35 years she spent in business management and operations as well as her own transformational journey gives her a unique perspective and many personal experiences to draw from. She is a firm believer that strategy, leadership, culture, processes and people must be in careful balance in order for change to be sustainable.

Heather Nortz is the Sustainability Programs Coordinator for SGIA. Her primary responsibilities consist of running both the Sustainable Business Recognition and Safety Recognition Award Programs. She also contributes to industry specific research on matters of sustainability trends and environmental safety and health regulations. She regularly publishes articles and blog posts on these topics and consistently updates the SGIA website with advocacy related content. Nortz recently graduated from George Mason University with her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a concentration in Human and Ecosystems Response to Climate Change.

Brad Haupt is the Regional Sales Manager for Drytac.

Johnny Shell is the Vice President of Print Technology & Training for SGIA. In this role, he is responsible for developing educational opportunities and industry-focused products and services for the advancement of the printing industry. Johnny is a printing professional and recognized industry expert with 30+ years’ of experience in apparel, graphics, commercial, and industrial printing applications. Shell conducts numerous workshops annually and his articles appear regularly in top industry publications.