It is with honor and great enthusiasm that I begin my term as this year’s President of PLGA Global. I would foremost like to thank my predecessor, Ed Lieb, whose passion and knowledge of the gravure industry in an inspiration to us all.
As I begin my tenure, we are faced with the most devastating economic crisis since the great depression. With this looming over us, we forges ahead and head our 2009 annual Operational Conference in Miami this past March. The confernece was themes “Establishing a Competitive Edge,” and given the current economic situation, I believe the conference was a great success as shown by the level of participation and attendance throughout the two days of the event.
Prior to the start of the conference, the Board of Directors met to discuss the “State of the Union” and forward-thinking “Strategies.” The Board has identified two key areas to focus on in order to further promote the gravure process:
- First is to more actively Market our group through various activities, including the completion of the Standard Specifications as well as revalidating our Mission and Vision.
- Second is a drive to increase membership with a focus on Printers, and especially End Users.
On that note, I would like to welcome the new members of the Board of Directors:
Jason Barrier – Printpack
Sue Kuchta – Flint Group
Mark Glendenning – Inland Printing
Heine Heininga – W & H Corporation
Brian McDufford – Trident North America
As we will not hold a 2009 Technical meeting this fall, our main focus leading up to the 2010 Operational Conference will be to compete the mandate set out by our board. In parallel this, we will also be preparing for the 2010 Operational Conference.
Details on the progress of these initiatives will be made available during the latter part of this year on our Web site. www.plga.com.
In closing, I would like to express my excitement in undertaking the new challenges that lie ahead. Our team of dedicated men and women bring experience, passion, and, most importantly, heart to this organization—all key qualities for success. As a famous coach once said, “The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength, not lack of knowledge, but rather lack of will.”
