First Class Printing

The fun doesn't stop at 50. Additional suppliers responded to this year's Top Suppliers survey, but just missed this year's list. Here are some of them:

1 Ennis Headquarters: Midlothian, Texas Annual Sales $(000): 584,713 Principal Officer(s): Keith Walters, Chairman, President, CEO Employees: 6,200 Locations: 44 2 Champion Industries Headquarters: Huntington, W. Va. Annual Sales $(000): 145,188 Principal Officer(s): Marshall T. Reynolds, CEO Employees: 740 Locations: 22 3 Western States Envelope & Label Headquarters: Butler, Wis. Annual Sales $(000): 117,900 Principal Officer(s): Mark S. Lemberger, President Employees: 731 Locations: 5 4 Printegra Headquarters: Peachtree City, Ga. Annual

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

Talk to printed business products customers about their book and booklet needs—before they talk to the competition Distributors who are not handling the book and booklet needs within their printed business products accounts are leaving money on the table—and, quite possibly, their customers in a bind. Said Bruce Tanner, president of First Class Printing, Fayetteville, Tenn., "Our orders are not coming from distributors specializing in book and booklet sales, but from those providing forms, stationery, labels and other printed business products who are taking the time to go a little deeper into their existing accounts and discuss book and booklet needs with customers."

Printed products bring profitable returns for distributors in the education market. Whether it is forms, commercial printing or promotional products, the education market offers distributors a variety of avenues that will ensure outstanding profits. "On the university level, I have sold everything from cut-sheets and application forms to en-velopes and letterhead," said Greg Linhardt, senior account representative at Best Business Systems (BBS), Bowling Green, Ky. When it comes to this market, however, BBS—part of the International Business Solutions Alliance (IBSA) network of distributors headquartered in Bowling Green and headed by President Paul Keith—has found its niche in commercial printing. The company provides catalog, invitation