Industry News

Plastic Suppliers, Columbus, Ohio, announced EarthFirst PLA film will be on display Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 during Pack Expo International 2006, being held at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. Plastic Suppliers has partnered with various converters and brand owners to feature this innovative product and highlight its adaptability for most packaging applications. EarthFirst PLA film is an environmentally friendly plastic substrate that comes from a sustainable resource—corn. EarthFirst PLA film utilizes NatureWorks PLA resin. The benefits that EarthFirst PLA film offers to many packaging applications are key in today’s unstable petrochemical market. A representative of Plastic Suppliers will be speaking about

Dayton, Ohio-based WorkflowOne’s newly launched digital solutions business unit provides a dedicated network of equipment, services and personnel required to meet the company’s growing demand for digital and variable data printing, mailing and electronic communications solutions. It will also offer a virtual one-stop-shop for customers who want to take advantage of the latest technological solutions for marketing and transactional communications. Tom Dailey, formerly general manager of the company’s billing solutions group, was named general manager of digital solutions, reporting to Michael Zawalski, president and CEO of WorkflowOne. The business unit will unify the resources of WorkflowOne’s former billing solutions production facilities in

Onward and Upward for Ennis From a small, rural company serving the cotton industry to a complete printed products manufacturer with 46 production facilities, Midlothian, Texas-based Ennis has been dedicated to serving the wholesale printing industry for 96 years. The company reported more than $559 million in sales for its last fiscal year. Although that figure represents a decrease from the previous year’s $582 million, Ennis still captured the top spot in BFL&S’ manufacturers ranking for the second year in a row. At the heart of the company’s success is a strategic plan based on growth through acquisitions that fit Ennis’ existing business

Rank: 1 Company: Discount Labels, New Albany, Ind. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 76,269 Total Sales $(000): 76,269 Rank: 2 Company: Label Art, Wilton, N.H. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 47,000 Total Sales $(000): 47,000 Rank: 3 Company: Diversified Labeling Solutions, Itasca, Ill. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 39,200 Total Sales $(000): 39,200 Rank: 4 Company: Data Label, Terre Haute, Ind. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 33,729 Total Sales $(000): 33,729 Rank: 5 Company: Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 31,350 Total Sales $(000): 47,500 Rank: 6 Company: Lancer Label, Omaha, Neb. Labels & Tags

Personal security at home and in the office is a top priority for everyone. This month’s mystery product is designed to protect sensitive documents from potential identity and privacy violations, providing a value-added solution for customers in all markets. It is a simple and effective proactive measure that sends a clear message to prying eyes. Use the following clues to try to guess what the product is: • It utilizes pressure-sensitive, polyester film and a hidden pattern. • It is not only a deterrent against, but an indication of tampering, pilfering and unauthorized entry. • It is an effective way to seal the deal

Rank: 1 Company: Ennis, Midlothian, Texas Sales $(000): 559,397 Principal Officer(s): Keith Walters, Chairman, CEO, President Employees: 6,200 Locations: 42 (*Does not include sales figures for Block Graphics, acquired 08/09/06.) Rank: 2 Company: Champion Industries, Huntington, W. Va. Sales $(000): 135,000 Principal Officer(s): Marshall T. Reynolds, CEO Employees: 768 Locations: 22 Rank: 3 Company: Western States Envelope & Label, Butler, Wis. Sales $(000): 111,000 Principal Officer(s): Mark S. Lemberger, President, CEO Employees: 733 Locations: 5 Rank: 4 Company: Printegra, Peachtree City, Ga. Sales $(000): 87,706 Principal Officer(s): Casey Campbell, President, CEO Employees: 822 Locations: 14 Rank: 5 Company: PrintXcel, Montrose,

Rank: 1 Company: Ennis, Midlothian, Texas Commercial Print Sales $(000): 57,338 Total Sales $(000): 559,397 Rank: 2 Company: Champion Industries, Huntington, W. Va. Commercial Print Sales $(000): 54,000 Total Sales $(000): 135,000 Rank: 3 Company: Nieman Printing, Dallas Commercial Print Sales $(000): 16,417 Total Sales $(000): 22,185 Rank: 4 Company: RiteMade Paper Converters, Kansas City, Mo. Commercial Print Sales $(000): 12,000 Total Sales $(000): 40,000 Rank: 5 Company: Acculink, Greenville, N.C. Commercial Print Sales $(000): 10,068 Total Sales $(000): 10,598 Rank: 6 Company: The F.P. Horak Co., Bay City, Mich. Commercial Print Sales $(000): 7,000 Total Sales $(000): 20,000

Upon first examining this year’s Top 100 Suppliers’ sales numbers, the BFL&S staff discovered a $241 million decrease in overall sales compared with last year. This sent the team scrambling for answers. However, deeper analysis revealed a simple explanation. As our readership may have noticed, in 2004 and 2005, Quality Park, Englewood, Colo., ranked number one and two respectively on the Top 100 Suppliers list with sales peaking at $430 million. This year, the Quality Park brand no longer appears on the list at all. In years past, Quality Park consisted of six companies: DealerLabel, Discount Labels, Lancer Label, PrintXcel, Wisco and Quality Park Products.

Rank: 1 Company: Ennis, Midlothian, Texas Forms Sales $(000): 233,380 Total Sales $(000): 559,397 Rank: 2 Company: PrintXcel, Montrose, Ala. Forms Sales $(000): 84,976 Total Sales $(000): 84,976 Rank: 3 Company: Printegra, Peachtree City, Ga. Forms Sales $(000): 65,780 Total Sales $(000): 87,706 Rank: 4 Company: DSFI, Addison, Ill. Forms Sales $(000): 63,650 Total Sales $(000): 67,000 Rank: 5 Company: Wise Business Forms, Alpharetta, Ga. Forms Sales $(000): 63,000 Total Sales $(000): 70,000 Rank: 6 Company: Highland Computer Forms, Hillsboro, Ohio Forms Sales $(000): 43,712 Total Sales $(000): 43,712 Rank: 7 Company: Wright Business Graphics, Portland, Ore. Forms

Industry veterans will probably remember the names Paul Mendelson, Horace Klafter and Art Shapiro, and those of their respective companies: American Loose Leaf Binder Company, Normandy Label and OCR Tax Systems. What they may not know, is these men were the creative geniuses and logistical wizards responsible for establishing and running the forms distributor’s road shows more than 30 years ago. The idea was hatched in a St. Louis airport restaurant when Mendelson discussed with Klafter a more effective way of reaching out to distributors and educating them about various product lines. Six months later, fliers were printed, mailings were sent to distributors and sixteen