SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. (Oct. 24, 2008) - Printing Industries of New England, the region's largest trade association for printing and graphic communications companies, will host its annual Industry Awards Gala Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel in Framingham, Mass.

The Industry Awards Gala is the preeminent evening for leaders in New England's $12 billion print marketplace to gather to recognize individual and company achievements over the past year.

A Supplier Cocktail Reception begins at 5 p.m. to allow attendees to meet, mingle with vendors and view the winning entries from PINE's Awards of Excellence print competition.

Winning entries will be announced during the banquet, which begins at 7 p.m.

Awards of Excellence print competition

For the second year in a row, more than 300 entries were submitted by PINE members to the association's print competition. More than 70 Pinnacle Awards in the form of a sparkling polished cut glass crystal, which represents the best entry in a particular category, will be presented. Runner-up and third place entries will be acknowledged in the form of Awards of Recognition and Awards of Merit.

One attraction to the program, according to members, is the ability of members of various sized companies to compete for Pinnacles on a level playing field. Five separate divisions that group competing companies by numbers of employees were established.

All Pinnacle winning entries are automatically entered in the 2009 Premier Print Awards competition, the world's largest annual print competition that usually draws nearly 5,000 entries.

The three-member panel of judges who spent two days in October viewing all entries has been selected one piece as the single best entry submitted in the show. That Best of Show entry will be announced during the evening banquet.

And new this year is a People's Choice Award, which will be determined by votes cast during the Supplier Reception.

Ben Cooper is 2008 Influencer Award recipient

Benjamin Y. Cooper, executive director of The Print Council, an international advocacy group for the effective use of print, will be presented with PINE's 2008 Influencer Award for his career-long effort to improve the printing industry through current advocacy and legislative lobbying for 25 years while a top executive at Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation.

PINE established its Influencer Award in 2003 as a way to acknowledge the contributions of individuals whose efforts to improve the industry in a broad manner have gone largely unnoticed. The Influencer Award has been sponsored since its inception by Heidelberg.

RR Donnelley regional plant is honored

Senior executives at the RR Donnelley - Andrews of CT plant will receive PINE's Dedication to Education Award this year for their ongoing commitment to professional development and continuing education for their employees. This major award of the association has been sponsored by Adobe since 2006.

Continuous Membership Awards

As one of the oldest and largest of the 25 regional PIA/GATF affiliates, PINE began a tradition years ago to honor member companies that achieved milestone years of continuous membership. Twelve companies will be honored this year; three for 50 years of continuous membership and nine for 25 years of continuous membership.

Celebrating 50 years of membership is George H. Dean. Co. of Braintree, Mass., Hanson Printing Company of Brockton, Mass., and Queen City Printers of Burlington, Vt.

Companies to be honored this year for 25 years of continuous membership are all based in Massachusetts. They are Alden-Hauk Inc., Everett; American Printing & Envelope Co., Auburn; Concepts Unlimited, Acton; Gangi Printing Inc., Somerville; Gateway Graphics Corp., Revere; Minute-Man Printing Corp., Concord; New England Art Publishers, Inc., North Abington; Superior Offset Repair & Supply, Saugus; and Travers Printing Company, Gardner.

Schedule and ticket information

The Industry Awards Gala opens with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. Awards of Excellence winners will be on display in the reception area. Several vendors will staff tabletop exhibits during the opening reception to give attendees the chance to learn more about their products and services. The banquet begins promptly at 7 p.m. Announcement of all awards will be made throughout the evening.

Individual tickets cost $60. Tables of 10 are available for $560. The Sheraton Framingham Hotel is located at 1657 Worcester Road (Route 9) in Framingham. The hotel is easily accessible from Exit 12 off the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90).

Tickets can be purchased through the PINE web site at www.pine.org or by calling PINE directly at 508-804-4100 or 1-800-365-7463.