ALEXANDRIA, VA (August 28, 2002) - Ray Roper, President of Printing Industries of America (PIA), has been named the Graphic Arts Leaders of the Americas (GALA) North American Award recipient for 2003 by the Printing Association of Florida, Inc. (PAF). "Ray Roper has been selected for this award in recognition of his vast contribution to the advancement of the graphic arts," stated Mike Streibig, President of PAF. "This is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of our industry. I can think of no more deserving a candidate than the man who has presided over the world’s largest graphic arts trade association for the past 15 years." Roper will receive his award before hundreds of industry leaders and guests at the 20th annual GALA Award Banquet and Reception, Friday, January 24th, 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida, during Graphics of the Americas 2003. (Graphics of the Americas is the nation’s second largest annual printing and converting trade show and exposition, with over 600 exhibitors filling more than half a million square feet and more than 25,000 domestic and international attendees.) GALA recipients are chosen for their leadership in areas of management, technology, business, and quality, as well as their contributions to the graphic arts industry, their community, and society in general. Roper has served in the field of association management since 1969. He has served as the Chief Staff Executive of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Society of American Florists and the Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Realtors. In 1987 he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Printing Industries of America. He serves as Secretary of the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation, a charitable trust, which awards grants for graphic arts education and research. Roper also serves on the Industry Advisory Committee of the Rochester Institute of Technology, North America’s foremost institution of higher education in graphic arts. Roper currently serves as Chairman of the Paper Industry Association Council, which is composed of about twenty trade associations whose members either produce paper or use paper in the manufacture of products. The Council is the forum through which these associations exchange views and develop consensus on major issues facing paper related industries. Roper has also twice chaired the Inter-Association Council on Paper and the Environment, an organization composed of associations from the printing, publishing and paper industries. The Inter-Association Council serves as a key information source on environmental issues for it’s members. Roper has represented the industry at the international level. He has been a member of The Organizing Committee of Comprint International since 1991. Comprint International is a conference of top printing and publishing executives from throughout the world, held every four years. Roper is currently working with other industry leaders from throughout the world on the development of a global organization for the printing industry, The World Print and Communications Forum. Roper has been recognized for his leadership of the association profession over the years. In 1976, he was awarded the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. Roper was named to the original class of Fellows by the American Society of Association Executives in 1986, in recognition of his contributions to the field of association management. In 1991, the American Society of Association Executives awarded him its highest award, the Key Award, in recognition of his professional achievements. In 1995, he was named Association Executive of the Year by Association Trends Magazine. Roper has been involved in civic and philanthropic activities throughout his career. He has served as a consultant to local, state and federal government agencies. He has held leadership positions in the Boy Scouts of America, the United Way, The Rotary and The Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and has served on the college’s Board of Governors. He also attended the Graduate School of Marketing at the University of Illinois.