I was at the Triangle AMA luncheon last week in Raleigh, NC, and I was "shocked" to meet a printer. It has been a long-standing antic of mine to post on Twitter that I would pay for the lunch for a printer I saw at an AMA luncheon, stating that "my money was safe." I forgot to do it this meeting, so my money is still safe :) But I did meet Carol LeClair, co-owner with her husband, of the Alphagraphics franchise in North Raleigh (sales office) and their production facility in Cary. She was at the meeting with their account executive, Tim Mims. Carol and husband Edward are originally from Buffalo, and moved to Raleigh eight years ago. (I moved into the area almost three years ago, and am in Wake Forest). Their franchise has performed very well, and if I remember correctly from our discussion, sales were up 14% last year. Carol writes on her LinkedIn page:

My husband and I purchased the AlphaGraphics in Cary, NC in Feb. 2008. Since then, we have added a Sales & Marketing office in North Raleigh. We have shown a 10% growth in sales each year since purchasing the company due to the strength and experience of my husband and our staff. Each year we have conducted 3-4 multi-media marketing campaigns in an effort to inform our customers of our design and technical ability within printing, marketing solutions and large format. Our response rate has been exceptional and track-able. In May, 2012, we became a woman owned business. In July, 2012, AlphaGraphics Corporate awarded us with the coveted "Best Operations Award of 2012."

Carol's franchise is not just a member: they are a sponsor of the Triangle AMA chapter, and are looking forward to becoming more involved. This area has one of the top chapters in the country. Its High Five conference will draw more than 300 marketing decision makers in a few weeks, bringing creatives and marketers together for discussions about strategy and technology, and I'm sure some high intensity networking. This AMA chapter has been a marvelous source of education for me, and I wish more printers than Carol would go. She'll have all the prospects and contacts to herself. I'm sure she doesn't mind. The luncheons draw anywhere from 125 to 225 participants, sometimes more, depending on the speaker and the topic. We had a great time at the luncheon and I hope to see them again at our next one in March, where the chapter will have its annual panel of marketing CEOs talking about their plans for the future and what they're seeing in the market today. # # #