Data Label

Nearly three years have passed since the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) joined forces with management firm SmithBucklin and relocated its headquarters from Alexandria, Va., to Chicago. Now the PSDA is making bold moves once again.

The Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) is adding even more charm to Baltimore this year.

A little change never hurt anyone. With that in mind, this year’s big show promises a change of pace, a change of scenery and a change in demand. The newly revamped PSDA (formerly DMIA) will host its annual Print Solutions Conference and Exposition on Oct. 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore. This year’s featured general session keynote speaker will be Charlie Pesko, founder and president of InfoTrends, a leading market research and consulting firm in the digital imaging and document solutions industries. Technological advances and refined marketing strategies are just some of the issues gaining momentum in a slowing economy. To encourage print

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

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,

DMIA’s annual Print Solutions conference and exposition will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The conference will provide three days of educational sessions, including a presentation by this year’s keynote speaker, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and co-author of “Contract with America.” Join Gingrich as he analyzes the current political climate in Washington, DC, and educates attendees on effective leadership. This year’s conference will feature equipment demonstrations, offering distributors better insight into how various applications are produced. In addition, exchange centers will be located on the show floor with more than 34 hours of

State of the Industry - 1986 1986, Ronald Reagan was in his second term as president... ...the economy was growing and inflation was low. "Platoon" won the best film category at the Academy Awards and vinyl records were still a staple in everyone's music collection. BFL&S was Business Forms & Systems, and 50 percent of industry distributors had just one single computer in their facilities. Daisey printers used ribbon cartridges and business forms ruled supreme. In fact, for many manufacturers and distributors, business forms were the only necessary game in town. The competition was clear, everyone provided similar services to clients and location

Doors open wide for independent distributors probing this industry. To say that there have been a few changes within the independent channel in relation to the health-care industry would be a bit of an understatement. It is now well-known that in October of last year, American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., and International Business Solutions Alliance (IBSA), Bowling Green, Ky., pulled off a major coup by snagging Novation—the largest-volume group purchasing organization (GPO) in the health-care field. (Novation formerly contracted with major direct Moore Wallace, owned by RR Donnelley, Chicago, Ill.) This spells opportunity for manufacturers and independents affiliated with American Solutions for

Print-O-Tape, Mundelein, Ill., a manufacturer of pressure-sensitive label materials and printer of pressure sensitive label products, recently hired two new staff members for its sales and marketing division. Jon Barrere, formerly with Skokie, Illinois-based Lord Label Group and Mail-Well Label, joined Print-O-Tape as vice president of sales and marketing. He comes with 19 years of sales and marketing experience in a variety of industries. Under Barrere's direction, Print-O-Tape experienced a 60 percent annualized growth in 2003. He credits a number of factors for this exceptional performance. "Our strategy was to re-focus on the company's core competencies, including speed, reliability and cost-effective manufacturing," said Barrere. "We

Manufacturers discuss emerging markets and value-added applications. Spurred by the introduction of laser printers in the 1980s, laser labels continue to be a profitable product for distributors, with new applications and processes spawned regularly to meet end-users' demands. "Lasers are pretty hot right now," noted Melinda Fulton, marketing manager at Continental Datalabel, Elgin, Ill. As pin-fed labels have faded from their former preeminence, laser and thermal labels have taken over. Mike Evans, marketing service manager for Lancer Label, Omaha, Neb., a PrintXcel company, said that he has seen steady growth in stock laser label sales over the past three years. John Strecker, vice