Paramus, NJ – NAPL will honor 18 graphic communications companies for their overall management excellence by presenting them with 2009 Management Plus Awards at the organization's 2010 Top Management Conference in San Marco, Florida, on February 16. Classic Graphics of Charlotte, N.C., will be awarded the program's highest honor, the William K. Marrinan Hall of Fame Award, while three companies will receive Management Plus Gold Awards, 10 will be given Silver Awards, and five will receive Merit Awards.

"Management Plus Award winners are not only dedicated to exemplary managerial performance, but extend that commitment into every area of their organization and their interactions with customers, vendors, and their communities," said Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL President and Chief Executive Officer. "They are the companies that set the management bar for our industry and they continue to move it higher. On behalf of everyone at NAPL, I congratulate all our 2009 Management Plus honorees."

Management Plus 2009 Gold Awards will go to Harding Poorman Group, Indianapolis, Ind.; Think Patented, Dayton, Ohio; and Western Graphics Inc., St. Paul, Minn. Silver Award winners are Allen Press, Lawrence, Kan.; Allstate Legal, Cranford, N.J.; C L Graphics, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Classic Graphics; Daily Printing, Plymouth, Minn.; Dome Printing, Sacramento, Calif.; Hammer Packaging, West Henrietta, N.Y.; NPC, Claysburg, Pa.; Omaha Printing, Omaha, Neb.; Portland General Electric, Portland, Ore. Merit Awards will be given to COT Media Group, Christ Church, Barbados; Midtown Printing Company, St. Louis, Mo.; PDQ Print Center, Taylor, Pa.; Square One, Mount Laurel, N.J.; and Washington State Department of Printing, Olympia, Wash.

Unlike other graphic arts competitions in which printed pieces are judged, Management Plus entrants are judged on how they perform against industry standards in seven key management areas: Leadership and governance, human resources, strategic planning, marketing and sales, operations, community/industry relations, and financial performance. Entries are based on the NAPL Management Plus Best Practices Assessment, a free diagnostic tool that printing companies can use to compare their own management performance against accepted standards even if they do not choose to enter the awards competition.