The Man and His Machines

Education and equipment provide the keys to success for Dick Kuntz and GBF Graphics.

There are quite a few photos of Dick Kuntz in the BFL&S archives. Over the years, several articles have documented the achievements and contributions of the president of GBF Graphics, Skokie, Ill., in an industry he clearly loves being a part of.

He first appeared on the cover of the February 1977 issue, when the magazine—then called Business Forms Reporter—launched what has become an annual tribute to the manufacturer of the year.

At that time, the company, formerly known as General Business Forms, was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Kuntz had recently earned his CFC—one of the few manufacturers to do so.

Kuntz considers the certified forms consultant program one of the National Business Forms Association's (NBFA) most valuable contributions to the industry. A long-time supporter of the NBFA, he was first selected as a member of its manufacturers' board in 1970, and eventually was named its president in 1975.

Kuntz has relied heavily on industry associations as well as the knowledge and experience of their members to grow and develop in the field. Said Kuntz, "I've always been interested in listening to what others had to say."

In return, he has given back a hundredfold by volunteering to serve on committees and often speaking at seminars in the United States and abroad. In the mid '70s, Kuntz contributed significantly as a co-originator and instructor in "Operation Rainbow", a school for distributors—which included tours of his plant—to aid them in selling more color in forms. In addition, Kuntz always makes it a point to attend trade shows, which he said are great places to network and discover what the competition is up to.

He has attended DRUPA in Germany for the past 30 years, IPEX in England and IGAS in Japan. In fact, it was at a trade show in 1957 where he first saw—and purchased—a 17x13˝ Puglisi-Dutro prototype rotary offset press, thus establishing a reputation for being the first with the latest in production equipment. Even though the price tag was out of sight for his small business, Kuntz made a deal right then and there.