Genoa Business Forms

The sum of a trademark equals a whole lot more than just its legal implications. By today’s standards, it’s what makes someone or something unique. Think golden arches, the swoosh or the doughboy. The corresponding brands shouldn’t be too far behind. In the case of commercial printing, such talk of “differentiation” has grown proportionately with each new-and-shiny improvement in technology. As in-house production becomes more a reality than ever before, print brokers have been looking for a way to diversify their offerings to maintain brand equity in a turbulent business environment. In growing numbers, manufacturers have been adding promotional products to their lines

Promotional products are an $18 billion industry, but promotional apparel comprises a large chunk of that revenue. In response to a growing need for more reliable imprinting options, Genoa Business Forms, a Sycamore, Illnois-based manufacturer of printed products, decided to grow its promotional products business with an in-house embroidery program. Read on for a quick technological discussion with Genoa’s sales manager, Rex Young. PP: Was taking on an embroidery program a logical step for your company? Young: We find embroidery to be similar to printing. Just like printing, we are taking images provided by our distributors, converting them to an electronic format and

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

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