Mike Vejar

You can run, but you can’t hide. There’s no escaping [cue dramatic music]: The Recession. Had enough of the media’s fear-inducing headlines? Like it or not, this is reality—and not just for the printing industry. But that doesn’t mean suppliers and distributors have to close their eyes and wait for miracles to fall in their laps.

Upon first examining this year’s Top 100 Suppliers’ sales numbers, the BFL&S staff discovered a $241 million decrease in overall sales compared with last year. This sent the team scrambling for answers. However, deeper analysis revealed a simple explanation. As our readership may have noticed, in 2004 and 2005, Quality Park, Englewood, Colo., ranked number one and two respectively on the Top 100 Suppliers list with sales peaking at $430 million. This year, the Quality Park brand no longer appears on the list at all. In years past, Quality Park consisted of six companies: DealerLabel, Discount Labels, Lancer Label, PrintXcel, Wisco and Quality Park Products.

Located in New Albany, Ind., Discount Labels, a Quality Park Brand, was recently awarded the Supplier of the Year Award from Proforma during its 2005 Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla. For the fourth consecutive year, Discount Labels has received the award, which recognizes manufacturers with superior service and quality, consistent pricing, and collaborative efforts such as joint projects. Mike Vejar, vice president of sales and marketing and long-time national account manager for the Proforma account, accepted the award on behalf of Discount Labels. "It's an honor to receive the award from an organization like Proforma, which is ranked as the No. 1

Discount Labels, New Albany, Ind., a Quality Park brand, recently was awarded the Supplier of the Year Award from Cleveland-based Proforma, a 12-year customer of Discount Labels, during the 2004 Annual Proforma Convention in Chicago. For the third consecutive year, Discount Labels earned the award that recognizes superior service and quality, consistent pricing and collaborative efforts. Mike Vejar, vice president of marketing for Quality Park and Discount Labels, and who manages the national account for Proforma, accepted the award on behalf of Discount Labels. Quality Park is the brand under which Discount Labels, Dealer Label, Lancer Label, PrintXcel and Wisco Envelopes operate. It

Static cling labels continue to stick as a promotional necessity. They hold fast, reposition with ease and leave no sticky residues. They are static cling labels, and they can be placed on almost any smooth, clean surface—including glass, plastic and some metals. Such traits create an attractive option for customers seeking just the right adherence for just the right application. And, according to many manufacturers, ad specialties and product promotions are just those applications. As a result, clingy labels can be found on high-exposure areas including storefronts, drive-through windows and car windshields. The latter is one of the top reasons New Albany, Indiana-based

The ubiquitous bar code label is a necessity for distributors' portfolios. While bar-coded labels are a small segment of manufacturers' bottom lines, it is important that they are not overlooked by distributors. "Bar codes are a low percentage of overall sales, but their contribution to profit is higher," said John Shanley, president of Labels West, Woodinville, Wash. As interest in the product grows and equipment prices plummet, manufacturers are seeing a spike in on-demand bar coded labels. "Today a great deal of variable printing is done by the end-user," said John Strecker, vice president of sales and marketing for Data Label, Terre