Think Big, Win Big

1. Global Domination

It was a very good year for Chicago-based 
InnerWorkings.

"Before this year is out, over 7,000 clients will have relied on InnerWorkings to manage the production of nearly 300,000 unique jobs, meeting their service, delivery, cost and quality expectations," said Eric D. Belcher, president and CEO. "We are exceedingly proud of our track record, and of the supplier community we have partnered with to meet these commitments."

A provider of global print management solutions, InnerWorkings put forth a strong showing of $482.2 million, securing the top spot in this year's list. To stay on track, the company already has a plan for 2012.

Belcher foresees customers turning to InnerWorkings for additional support—especially with their global operations. Customers also may need InnerWorkings' assistance with managing more categories for their businesses.

"Expanding our support capabilities to meet this increased demand is a real focus for us looking forward," Belcher commented.

He wasn't kidding.

InnerWorkings just acquired Paris-headquartered Productions Graphics, a leading international print management firm with particular strength in Continental Europe. The acquisition will give the company a stronger global footprint. Most important, customers will benefit from an enhanced buying scale, an expanded supplier network and an extended global platform.

While his company is faring rather well, Belcher realizes the industry comes with some challenges. In his opinion, the vast majority of jobs in the print industry continues to operate on something other than the optimal print manufacturing platform, in the wrong geographical region or sometimes both.

"This creates waste, both time and money, and limits the returns to end-users for their expenditures on printed material," Belcher noted. "Moving forward, the industry will thrive if we embrace the optimization of the supply chain, with distributors investing in the development of relevant procurement data and manufacturers relying less on sales-oriented relationships and more on being the best manufacturer in the space for their chosen products."