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Dodging downturns and responding to distributor needs, the following lead a $4.96 million line-up. According to Tracy Dennis, vice president of sales for Transcontinental Printing, Newtown, Pa., "our current growth areas are in value-added products, but data management and fulfillment are emerging as the way of the future." She explained that distributors are increasingly requesting these services as customers are seeking a single source for meeting all of their needs. "For example, end-users conducting large direct mail campaigns want assistance with storing, tracking and managing data, rather than simply manipulating it. This allows them to prepare better focused and more effective future mailings."

Despite setbacks, the printed products industry staged a good performance. It was another big year for the Top 100 Manufacturers as total reported revenue climbed to $4.96 billion, up $580 million from last year's $4.38 billion. The total number of employees reported by the Top 100 in-creased by 514 to 30,945 from last year's total of 30,431. The total number of locations increased to 423 from 384 last year. It has been a more productive year as sales per employee jumped to $160,123 from the $143,843 reported a year ago. Sales per location also increased to $11.7 million from last year's $11.4 million. The increase in overall revenue

ProForma Adds 500th Distributor — The Cleveland-based ProForma distributor network has added its 500th franchise. ProForma One Stop Marketing, Memphis, Tenn., has been opened by Kurt Wulff, a former sales representative for Moore. Wulff said that the decision to establish the distributorship was based on quality-of-life issues. Wulff chose ProForma because, "It will allow me to have more free time and minimize financial risk." ProForma was third among the Top 100 Distributors with sales of $175 million. The company expects to top $200 million in total sales for the 2000 calendar year. Precept CEO Deason Resigns Doug

More Change Hits the Top 100 Changes in company ownership and product mix are having a dramatic effect on the industry By Bill Drennan, Maggie DeWitt & Danielle Litka Change has become the norm in the forms industry, as the past year has seen last year's top independent manufacturer by sales close its doors and directs going independent, in addition to the usual spate of mergers and acquisitions. CST/Star Products ceased operations last Spring. A few weeks later, American Tissue, a paper converting company, purchased CST/Star's assets and opened three of the eight plants as American Forms. With only a few months of operations, American Forms declined

Forms leaders speak out about the past, present and future of the industry Transcontinental Printing, Newtown, Pa., keeping up with industry needs means paying close attention to industry trends and customers' needs. "We make sure we are manufacturing the products that distributors are asking for," said Tracy Dennis, sales manager. She explained that company representatives continually talk to and meet with customers and ask where they see the industry headed. This feedback, she noted, has shown that distributors are seeking fewer continuous forms and more value-added products such as direct mail, label forms, cut sheet products, security features and commercial pieces. "We

Distributor-only CSRs and five plants are positioned to handle distributor orders The $2.43 billion direct-selling giant of the forms industry—Moore North America, Bannockburn, Ill.—has launched a business unit geared to the independents and joined the DMIA. The new unit, called Latitudes, is based in Iowa City, Iowa. According to Dick Dennis, vice president of the Resale Channels, Latitudes is completely independent of Moore's direct-selling divisions. Rather than reporting to a vice president of sales, Dennis reports to Patrick Brong, the president of Logistics & Operations for Moore. No stranger to the independent channel, Dennis previously served as vice president of sales for Vallis

Large Distributors: Differentiate To Succeed Collateral printing and value-added services top the list of large distributorsÍ survival tools By Misty Byers In a highly-competitive industry one thing is certain„you canÍt survive if you arenÍt willing to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Successful large distributorships are meeting this challenge by increasing services and extending their product bases. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin-based Teuteberg is doing more commercial printing and ña lot more value-added services such as fulfillment and database managementî than five years ago, said Matt Teuteberg, executive vice president. ñInstead of just having forms in a clientÍs pick-and-pack program, we might include all of their literature,