Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Timothy Keran, CEO and owner of Western Graphics, is the inaugural recipient of Printing Industries of America’s Managing for Improvement Award. The award is bestowed upon a manager in the printing industry who has demonstrated the ability to create real and lasting improvement for his or her company.

Keran was selected by the judges from among a variety of nominations received nationwide. His nominator lauded his success at creating a culture that has inspired Western Graphics employees to share their knowledge and creativity. In the last five years, the company has completed more than 2,000 employee-initiated projects and demonstrated striking improvements in rework, lost-time accidents, and sales per employee.

Keran’s innovative practices in collaborative goal setting and communication is reflected within each department’s visible scorecards, daily stand-up “huddles,” and weekly performance review meetings. At monthly all-staff meetings he reviews finances, shares team-by-team results, and recognizes employees. Supervisors hold quarterly coaching conversations with each employee. Keran also instituted a profit sharing plan that rewards employees for improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Western Graphics is a 50-employee commercial printing company in St. Paul, Minnesota, that provides front-end document creation, offset and digital printing, wide-format displays, and fulfillment and distribution services. It is a six-time recipient of Printing Industries of America’s Best Workplace in the Americas Award.

Keran will receive his award at the 2013 Continuous Improvement Conference, April 7–10, in Indianapolis, Indiana. More information about the conference is available at www.printing.org/ciconference.