PARAMUS, N.J., JANUARY 12, 2005 – The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) has selected 21 graphic communications companies to receive 2004 Management Plus Awards, which recognize management excellence in all phases of operation. NAPL bestowed its highest Management Plus honor, the William K. Marrinan Hall of Fame Award, on Friesens Corporation, an employee-owned book manufacturer and printer based in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. Five companies earned Management Plus Gold Awards, seven received Silver Awards, and eight were named Merit Award winners. Gold Award winners were Action Printing, Fond du Lac, Wis.; Omaha Print, Omaha, Neb.; Pacific Printing, Fresno, Calif.; The Sheridan Press, Hanover, Pa.; and Western Graphics, Inc., St. Paul, Minn. “Each Management Plus Award winner exhibits the high degree of management excellence needed to succeed in today’s demanding business environment,” said Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL president and chief executive officer. “I and everyone at NAPL extend our sincere congratulations to all the honorees.” The awards will be presented at a special banquet on Feb. 17, 2005, during NAPL’s Top Management Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The annual NAPL Management Plus program is sponsored by Compass Capital Partners, MAN Roland, and American Printer magazine. In addition to receiving the award, the Hall of Fame inductee and the top Gold Award winners in each category (there are five categories based on sales volume and one for in-plant printers) have the honor of presenting scholarships to the graphic communications schools of their choice. The scholarships are funded by NAPL and the Management Plus sponsors. All Management Plus award winners become members of the NAPL Management Plus Society, a peer group dedicated to improving and promoting the graphic arts. The Society offers valuable opportunities for networking with executives of leading companies in the industry. About Management Plus: Unlike other graphic arts competitions in which printed pieces are judged, NAPL’s Management Plus program judges management excellence. Graphic communications companies are asked to conduct an analysis of specific areas of their operations. In that way, the program becomes a diagnostic tool that printing company leaders can use to judge their own management performance against accepted industry standards. Management Plus entrants are judged on how they perform against industry standards in nine key areas: internal control systems; financial performance; marketing/sales plan; business planning; human resources; environmental/safety concerns; quality control; community/industry affairs; and vendor relations. For more information about NAPL’s Management Plus program, contact Robin Schabacker, program coordinator, at (800) 642-6275, ext. 1307, or [email protected].