Overwhelming support of the combination by members of both Associations sets the stage for the merger’s completion by July 1.

The members of Idealliance and Epicomm have voted overwhelmingly to approve the joining of their two industry associations, setting the stage for completion of the merger by July 1. Members who took part in separate virtual meetings this week offered their unequivocal support of the merger, some two weeks after the Idealliance Board of Directors and Epicomm Board of Trustees announced their approval of the plan.

“We are very gratified that our respective memberships agree wholeheartedly with our Boards and numerous industry observers that this merger will be highly beneficial to both associations’ members and to the industry at large,” says David J. Steinhardt, Idealliance President and Chief Executive Officer, who will serve in the same capacity in the new organization.

“The extremely positive response to this merger makes it clear that this new association is expected to return—and we know it will return—major dividends in terms of delivering enhanced member services and serving as a strong new voice in support of industry growth,” says Epicomm Board Chairman Tim Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Impact, Minneapolis, Minnesota, who will serve as Chairman of the new organization.

“Combining the strategic management information and industry trends analysis of Epicomm with the innovation in workflow processes and technology of Idealliance will create an association that is far more than a simple one-plus-one joining of complementary offerings,” notes Steinhardt. “It will offer industry companies across all segments a single powerhouse resource that recognizes the interdependent roles management excellence and workflow best practices play in the success of any graphic communications company.”

The merged organization will retain the name Idealliance and be headquartered in the current Epicomm headquarters at 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320, in Alexandria, Va. It will have more than 3,000 members, with about half coming from Epicomm and half from Idealliance. Fewer than 130 companies have dual memberships.

“Over the next four months, our two staffs will come together to coordinate and recalibrate our combined benefits and create a seamless resource that provides a comprehensive spectrum of benefits for all our members,” says Ken Garner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Epicomm, who will serve as Executive Vice President of the new association.

“From business and technical best practices and consulting to government advocacy, certification, training, and educational events, as a combined and unified association we will be better able to more fully serve the total industry supply chain. This includes marketers and publishers to providers of print, mailing, fulfillment, packaging, and content, as well as information delivery services,” notes Garner.

“Through our combined offerings, plus the new products and services we will be developing together, we’ll be working diligently to tailor our service offerings to the special needs of each industry segment and every size company, from the single owner-operated copy shop to the multinational corporation with customers and facilities around the globe,” he adds.

As noted above, Johnson will serve as Chairman of the new association. Idealliance Vice Chairman of the Board Dick Ryan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Publishers Press, Shepherdsville, Kentucky, will be Vice Chairman; Epicomm Secretary-Treasurer Wayne Marshall, Vice President-Sales and Marketing, EDWARDS, Des Moines, Iowa, will serve as Treasurer; and Idealliance Secretary Dino Pagliarello, Director, Product Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, Ramsey, New Jersey, will be Secretary.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Idealliance is a not-for-profit industry group that is a leader in information technology and graphic communications, and a catalyst for technological advancement across the total media production process, developing standards and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed information across the end-to-end digital media supply chain. Its members include content and media creators and their publishers, print and digital service providers, material suppliers, and technology partners.

Among its best known offerings are the G7© Expert/Professional Certification and G7© Master Qualification Programs, and print quality and workflow specifications; GRACoL©, SWOP©, Mail.dat©, and PRISM©.

Epicomm, the Association for Leaders in Print, Mail, Fulfillment, and Marketing Services, was formed in 2014 through the merger of three long-standing graphic communications industry trade associations: the Association of Marketing Service Providers (AMSP, founded in 1920), the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL, founded in 1933), and the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP, founded in 1975). Epicomm members include companies offering printing, mailing, marketing, and fulfillment services, as well as industry vendors and educators.

Epicomm provides research and trends analysis, management insight and guidance, advocacy, education, networking, and specialized consulting services. Among its best-known offerings are the annual Epicomm State of the Industry Report, multi-faceted postal issues advocacy, and strategic business development consulting services.