Hans Peetz-Larsen, Chief Executive Officer of Heidelberg Americas, and the Bobst Group received the 2001 Harold W. Gegenheimer Awards for Industry Service at the NPES Annual Conference October 29 in Coral Gables, Florida. The awards, named for a former NPES President and Chairman Emeritus of Baldwin Technology Company, recognize in a member company and an individual qualities which Harold Gegenheimer continues to stand for - a lifelong commitment to technical innovation, sound management, support for education and research and working for the good of the whole industry. The winners receive plaques, and NPES contributes $2,000 in the name of the winners to the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation for scholarships offered to the employees or children of employees of NPES member companies to pursue studies in graphic communications. Peetz-Larsen was honored with the individual award for more than 25 years of leadership in the industry and at NPES, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors and Long Range Planning Committee and was instrumental in the decisions to move the office from New York to Washington and hire the first fulltime professional to manage the association. Born in Denmark, Peetz-Larsen began his business career in 1957 by joining one of the largest Danish enterprises, the East Asiatic Company as an apprentice. Five years later, he was assigned a position with the company in Bangkok, where he worked his way up to become general manager of E-A-C's Oriental Machinery Stores and gained strong knowledge of printing presses. In 1974, he was transferred to the United States to become president of Heidelberg Eastern, a position he held until the 1993 merging of Heidelberg Eastern and Heidelberg Western to form Heidelberg U-S-A. In 1998, he became CEO of Heidelberg Americas as well as serving as chairman of Heidelberg U-S-A, Heidelberg Canada and Heidelberg Mexico, and as a board member of the NexPress joint venture with Kodak. Active in the promotion of the industry, and particularly of education and training, Peetz-Larsen has also served as a member of the board of directors of Printing Industries of America, the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation and the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation. "It is truly a measure of Hans Peetz-Larsen's place in our industry and our hearts that, not only is he receiving the highest award NPES can give, he has received similar awards this year from PIA and NAPL as well," said NPES Chairman David Reny in presenting the award. Bobst was recognized with the corporate award for the company's many contributions to the association and the industry. A leader among suppliers to the converting industry, Bobst has been a member of NPES for more than 20 years and has been an active participant in Graphic Arts Show Company events since GASC was formed in 1982. Representatives from the company have been active in the Association's work in safety standards development, and on the Government Affairs Committee. President Philippe Michel, who received the award, serves as a member of the board of directors, the Executive Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. Nominations for the Gegenheimer awards may be made by any NPES member company. Nominations for the 2002 awards will be due August 15.