L-r: Courtney Kinkade Bills, June Paris, Paula Westendorf

PEWAUKEE, WI — The Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) is proud to announce the recipients of its third annual Women in Print Excellence Award.

The Women in Print Excellence Awards supports GLGA’s ongoing quest to recognize the contributions of women in the Midwest print, graphic arts, finishing and print packaging community as well as those women who support the print industry in a vendor or supplier capacity.

Any woman working directly in print or in a vendor role supporting print who was in good standing with her company in Illinois, Indiana or Wisconsin was eligible to be nominated. The nominations were reviewed by a panel of female print professionals outside of the Midwest, who selected one recipient per state.

Honored as the recipient for the State of Illinois is Paula Westendorf, Planning and Imposition Supervisor at Kingery Printing Company, Effingham, Illinois.

Honored as the recipient for the State of Indiana is Courtney Kinkade Bills, CEO of Tactive, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Honored as the recipient for the State of Wisconsin is June Paris, President, Midstar Printing and Marketing Services in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Selection criteria included
Passion for print and anything resembling print.
Experience in a print organization or in a vendor/supplier who supports print.
Community Advocacy – how does she support and/or advocate for print away from work (designing sports flyers, volunteering in service organizations, supporting sustainability, etc.)
Mentoring – how does she provide a platform for other women to grow and develop, formally or informally, or how does she support another woman who works in her organization.

This year’s class of superb nominees is the largest since the award program began. They represent a wide spectrum of roles in which women make contributions to print:

Rosemarie Breske Garvey, President, Blooming Color
Amanda Eberle, Mailing Postal Specialist, Royle Printing
Donna Esser, President, Special Editions
Carol “Becky” Garrison, CEO, Becky’s Die Cutting, Inc.
Lisa Hargitt, Sales Professional, Midland Paper & Packaging
Chris Hart, Director of Print Production, MTI Direct
Marilyn Jones, President, Consolidated Printing
Sharon Luka, CEO, Ignite Graphics Group
Wendy Miles Robbins, President and Owner, Miles Printing
Michelle Nelis, Vice President, Hohner Stitching Products
Tashina Peplinski, VP of Operations, Graphic Edge Printing
Susan Pinter, Director Mailing Systems, Arandell Corporation
Dana Pond, Strategic Accounts Sales Manager, Freedom Graphic Systems
Stefanie Querry, Customer Service Manager, CE Printed Products
Tammy Rechner, President/CEO, Crossmark Graphics
Christie Renfroe, Vice President, Riverside Graphics Corp.
Sue Rescigno, President, Rescigno's Mailing Solutions
Kim Schulz-Hayden, Marketing Director/Account Rep, World Arts

“We are honored to present the Women in Print Excellence Awards for a third year," said Joseph Lyman, president of GLGA. “I am proud that the Women in Print awards program helps to recognize the progress the printing industry is making to fully represent its community. Congratulations to the winners in each state and all the nominees.”

The recipients and nominees will be honored at GLGA’s simultaneous Graphics Excellence Awards Celebrations on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Hoffman Estates, IL, and Milwaukee, WI.

For more information about the Women in Print Excellence Award, visit www.glga.info. 

About the Great Lakes Graphics Association:

The Great Lakes Graphics Association is the trade association dedicated to representing the graphic arts industry throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin through education, promotion, and public affairs. It represents approximately 13 percent of the total print market in the United States with its three-state region, accounting for combined annual shipments of nearly $19 billion. Founded in 1886, GLGA celebrated its 135 year anniversary in 2021 and continues to be the oldest print trade association in North America.