Miscellaneous

I was in Costco the other weekend stocking up like many families do on all sorts of items, from groceries and pharmacy items to a bathing suit for my daughter, and a video game for my nephew’s birthday. I stopped and peered into my cart, then down the surrounding aisles and mentally noted that absolutely everything under the sun was available to me inside these four walls. There were vacuums, small appliances, televisions, DVDs, furniture, pool supplies, grills, toys, pet supplies and even tires if I so desired. I could even go as far as booking a family vacation through Costco Travel.

WF Capital Holdings, Inc. (WF Capital), the parent company of Workflow Management, Inc., which operates principally through its division WorkflowOne, announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division has entered an order formally confirming Workflow’s Plan of Reorganization, positioning the company to complete its restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11 on or about March 2.

Nothing remains of 2009's economic tidal wave except the bad memories of what it was like during the Great Recession. Financial reports still don't paint sunny pictures of the current situation, but the economy is improving, albeit slowly. For companies that waited for economic conditions to improve before making a major capital equipment purchase, now is the time to start investigating in earnest.

DeKalb, Illinois-based MPE Business Forms has been awarded its 100 percent woman-owned business certification from the Illinois Board of Elections Committee. This documentation will allow MPE to produce jobs reserved for WBE firms.

The old adage of spending money to make money certainly rings true in the printing industry.

Many companies in the industry find that nothing gives an employee a little push to succeed, and in turn a boost in revenues, then forking over a cash bonus, an all-expense paid trip to somewhere sunny or another type of pat on the back.

In order to increase efficiency and streamline communications, Atlanta-based Pamarco Global Graphics and Sparta, New Jersey-based TOTALogistix completed a project that will help expedite the flow of shipping rates, routes and information into and through Pamarco's enterprise resource planning system, or ERP. The state-of-the-art integration allows tight coordination of Pamarco's orders with TOTALaccess, the proprietary TOTALogistix transportation management system.

It’s that time of year when my suitcase becomes my home, traveling coast-to-coast and shaking hands and getting in touch with industry leaders. I have come to recognize the value in business travel. However, sometimes it can be brutal. Case in point: our publishing team’s recent attempt to return to the east coast from Chicago. It was a journey filled with as many great surprises and mini victories as tired defeats. Anyone who has flown out of O’Hare surely understands.

While watching television a few weeks ago, I was aghast at what I saw. A large cable television company ran a commercial about a new competitor. The large cable company identified its competitor by name and showed a bull-headed service technician offering service to a homeowner, who interpreted anything the homeowner said as wanting service.

The United States is in a financial crisis on par with the tumultuous economic times of the 1930s. And while it is impacting automakers, retailers, financial institutions and many segments of the print industry, some trade-only printers seem to be getting by unscathed.

When it comes to keeping things contained and secure, this month’s mystery product guarantees it’s all in the bag. The item offers outstanding performance qualities, and works effectively in a variety of environments, including hospitals, clinics and laboratories.