East Rutherford, N.J. – Keith Kemp, President of Xerographic Digital Printing, Orlando, Fla., has been named the 51st Walter E. Soderstrom Award recipient by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL). Kemp, who serves as Chairman of NAPL's Board of Directors, will receive the award, one of the graphic communications industry's most prestigious honors, at the annual NAPL Soderstrom Society Dinner on Saturday, September 10, 2011, at the Park Hyatt Chicago Hotel. NAPL (www.napl.org) will also induct 14 industry leaders into the Walter E. Soderstrom Society at the event.
 
In announcing this year's honoree, NAPL President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph P. Truncale, Ph.D., said, "NAPL is proud to present this very well-deserved honor to Keith Kemp, who has served our industry and our association with distinction. His dedication and commitment to advancing the graphic communications industry have been hallmarks of a resolute leadership that has served our industry well during very challenging times. On behalf of the NAPL Board of Directors, our members, staff, and all the members of the Soderstrom Society, I congratulate him on this significant industry-wide honor."
 
Following graduation from the University of Texas, Kemp began his printing career as a copier salesman for Eastman Kodak. In 1994, he became a partner in Xerographic Digital Printing, which had nine employees at the time. It has now grown to 32 employees and expects to have sales of about $5 million this year. Kemp has held a number of volunteer leadership positions, including serving as President of the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP), and has been active in various community groups and industry organizations. Named NAQP Printer of the Year in 2009, he was cited as "a role model for future generations of printers."
 
Named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, among the founders of NAPL, the Soderstrom Society is an honors organization that recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and educators. Fourteen industry leaders will be inducted as new members of the Soderstrom Society this year:

• Thomas Auffenberg, President/Owner, Midtown Printing Company, St. Louis, Mo.
• Ronald Baumgartner, President, The Papers, Inc., Milford, Ind.
• Hank Brandtjen III, President, Brandtjen and Kluge, Inc., St. Croix Falls, Wis.
• Randolph Camp, President, Burman Printing/Walton Media, Monroe, Ga.
• Kevin Cross, President/Owner, Compuset Canada, Inc., Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
• Michael Fox, President, Screen (USA), Rolling Meadows, Ill.
• Michael Graff, President/Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Alexander, Inc., Clifton, N.J.
• Scott Heeter, President/Owner, Heeter Direct, Canonsburg, Pa.
• Michael Kellogg, Chief Executive Officer/Owner, Century Direct, Long Island City, N.Y.
• Richard Kirschenbaum, President, KM Media Group, Clifton, N.J.
• Barb Pellow, Group Director, InfoTrends, Inc., Weymouth, Mass.
• Michael Stief, President and Chief Executive Officer, Intelligencer Printing Co., Lancaster, Pa.
• Scott Vaughn, Chief Executive Officer, The Standard Group, Reading, Pa.
• Cindy Woods, President/Owner, The CMO Team, Marietta, Ga.

"We are happy to welcome this very impressive group of industry leaders as new members of NAPL's Soderstrom Society as we begin the Society's second half-century," said Truncale. "Each has made significant contributions to the graphic communications industry and possesses a notable record of industry service."  

Tickets for the 2011 Soderstrom Society Dinner are $170 per person and $300 per couple. To register, please contact Kristen Hartman: [email protected]; (678) 594-0048, ext. 104.