Niles, IL - The Garvey Group, one of the largest independent printers in the Midwest, is proud to announce that Ed J. Garvey Jr., its president and CEO, has been inducted into the Printing Impressions/RIT 2010 Printing Industry Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at a special gala on Monday Oct. 4, 2010 in the Regency Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel during Graph Expo in Chicago. Garvey was joined in the Hall of Fame by three additional honorees that evening.

“The Printing Industry Hall of Fame has earned venerable status by celebrating its silver anniversary,” says Printing Impressions editor-in-chief Mark Michelson. “Our tradition of detailing the accomplishments of individuals—both in the magazine and on stage during the awards banquet itself---hasn’t lost its luster.”

Garvey was nominated by his peers and chosen, from a field of finalists, by a panel consisting of printing industry association presidents, as well as Printing Impressions and the Rochester Institute of Technology. “Ed was chosen in part because he has a reputation as a dynamic leader, his company is a force in the Midwest printing market, his staunch business acumen is a huge part of his company’s growth and success, and his willingness to embrace technology,” says Erik Cagle, Printing Impressions senior editor.

“I am proud to be selected for the Printing Industry Hall of Fame,” says Garvey. “Our company was established three-generations ago and we continue to hold the values, service, and quality instilled in us over these past 91 years. However, we’ve been nimble to make changes as the industry and markets have evolved and we’ve responded with the best technology for our customers. I am deeply gratified. I accept this honor for my entire family and dedicated employees.”

Garvey’s grandfather established the small Illinois printing business in 1919 with little more than 20 employees. His father continued the business, then known as Ed Garvey & Co, until his sudden death when his son took over the family-owned business after he graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1978. During his tenure, he has transformed it from a $1.2 million business forms provider with about a dozen employees to a $40 million performer employing 175 people in four locations.

But it has been in the last 10 years that Garvey has shown his strong business instincts and willingness to move in new directions. It was his decision to exit from the business forms and direct mail markets and acquire a number of companies that provided new capabilities. He acquired Milwaukee-area commercial printer Tru Line Lithographing, C-Graphic and Global Fulfillment Services in 1999, which enhanced the firm's printing, warehousing, distribution and e-commerce tools. United General Graphics and SOS Forms Plus followed in 2001, and Axios in 2003, bringing along kitting, fulfillment, package printing and point-of-purchase (POP) capabilities.

Today the firm possesses four distinct units: Niles, IL (POP and package printing); Milwaukee (40? commercial work); Oak Creek, WI (kitting, fulfillment and distribution); and Sturtevant, WI (long-run commercial jobs). Using the proceeds of the sale of his direct mail operations, he obtained a trio of large-format KBA sheetfed offset presses. The firm is one of only two printers in the U.S. to utilize two Rapida 205 81-inch sheetfed presses, the largest in the world. Last year, the firm was the first in the U.S. to install a Screen Truepress Jet2500UV grand format inkjet printer and Zund G3 2XL-1600 router/cutter/plotter.

Nearly every year, The Garvey Group is honored for its high-quality with top printing awards. This fall, the firm was recognized with three Premier Print Awards, the graphic arts industry’s largest and most prestigious worldwide printing competition, hosted by Printing Industries of America. The Premier Print Awards recognizes those responsible for the creation and production of outstanding print communications. In May 2010, the firm received three awards for outstanding achievement in the category of Large-Format Printing in the 8th Annual 2010 Pinnacle Print Awards Competition, a two-state printing competition hosted by the Printing Industry of Illinois and Indiana, the states’ trade association for printing and the graphic arts.