PIM’s Annual Star Awards Banquet & Awards Ceremony

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Printing Industry Midwest (PIM), the not-for-profit trade organization representing the Midwest’s leading print service providers, welcomed around 250 print professionals to their 2023 Star Awards banquet and awards ceremony held on June 15, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. PIM’s Annual Star Awards is the Midwest region’s chance to celebrate our industry’s commitment to quality and creativity. Nine PIM member organizations nominated thirty-one of their magnificent print professionals for leadership awards. Thirteen PIM member organizations submitted around one-hundred projects to be evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges.

Since 1972, PIM has awarded industry leaders the PIM Graphic Arts Industry Leader award. Each year previous recipients select a new member from a list of prominent leaders in print to win this award. During the banquet, PIM was pleased to announce Susan Dripps, Executive & Co-Owner of family-owned Davies Printing Company of Rochester, MN, as PIM’s 2023 Graphic Arts Industry Leader of the Year.

Dripps’s father, John, started the company in 1972 when he was fifty years old and retired fifteen years later. The family continues to operate Davies Printing Company and celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in 2022. Dripps says, “I started working full time in 1983, and am still working full-time. My father once told me he never raised a quitter! My work gives me structure and motivation!” Dripps brought tears to everyone’s eyes during the banquet as she came up and spoke after receiving her award. Congratulations to Susan on this well-deserved honor. Your love of your work and your family is inspirational!

Other leadership awards presented at the 2023 Star Awards Banquet including:

AJ Nordhagen from Studio On Fire received the 2023 Creative Professional of the Year award

Jolene Simi from Nahan received the 2023 Customer Service Representative of the Year award

Greg Dooley from The John Roberts Company received the 2023 Financial Professional of the Year award

Dana Bloyer from NCCO received the 2023 Human Resource Professional of the Year award

Kim Suchy from Royal received the 2023 Manager of the Year award

Siri Prax from IWCO received the 2023 Marketing Professional of the Year award

IWCO's Operation Santa IT Team received the 2023 Outstanding Team of the Year award

Mary Pirin-Salinas from AWT Label & Package received the 2023 Production Professional of the Year award

Victoria Asche from RR Donnelly received the 2023 Young Professionals of the Year Award

To view a list of all the winning professionals of the year, visit www.pimw.org/pim-awards/. 

The announcement of the top Midwest printed projects for 2023 including:

Best of Show was awarded to the “The Handmade Path” produced by Bolger

Best of Show Runner Up was “Moonlight – 5 Year Anniversary Edition” produced by ENPOINTE

Best of Show Honorable Mention went to “Surly Darkness” produced by Studio on Fire

People’s Choice winner went to “The Handmade Path” produced by Bolger

To view a list of all the winning organizations, visit www.pimw.org/2023-star-award-winners/. 

Congratulations to all the organizations who nominated their fellow employees and the organizations who submitted their printed projects. Every year the Star Awards continues to showcase our members astonishing capabilities and accomplished employees. To learn more about PIM’s Star Awards, visit www.pimw.org/star-awards/. 

New this year, PIM awarded organizations for their achievement in PIM’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Accreditation program. This new PIM program was designed to create foundational changes in the recruiting, hiring and training practices of our industry. PIM has metrics and a process for accreditation that will help organizations continue to uphold and enforce a more diverse and inclusive environment. This program has four-star levels – Commitment, Aim, Momentum & Excellence – each organization must reach to achieve accreditation. There are currently fourteen organizations enrolled in this program. Five of these organizations have achieved accreditation and received their plaque at the banquet including:

NCCO who earned Star One – Commitment and Star Two – Aim

The John Roberts Company who earned Star One – Commitment and Star Two – Aim

Bolger who earned Star One – Commitment

CARDSource who earned Star One – Commitment

Nahan who earned Star One – Commitment

To learn more about PIM’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Accreditation program, visit www.pimw.org/diversity/. 

Another PIM program recognized at the banquet was PIM’s Great Green Printer program. This program has existed since the late 1990’s and has thirty organizations enrolled in the program. To be part of this program, the organizations must commit to complying with safety and environmental regulations and working on initiatives that go beyond compliance with those regulations. That is, projects that are not required by law and provide a benefit for the environment and safety of their employees. These organizations must also allow an outside auditor, like PIM, to verify participation in this program. To learn more about PIM’s Great Green Printer program, visit www.pimw.org/great-green-printer/.

PIM would like to express gratitude to the following sponsors who will help make the 2023 Star Awards a successful celebration: Lindenmeyr Munroe the 2023 Signature Star Awards Sponsor, Midland Paper (Beverage Sponsor), FUJIFILM (Appetizer Sponsor), Peters Revnew Kappenman & Anderson P.A. (Best in Show Award Sponsor), Bremer Bank (People’s Choice Award Sponsor), CGS ORIS I AMERICAS (Centerpiece & Décor Sponsor), Federated Insurance (Program Sponsor), EO Johnson (Creative Professional of the Year Award Sponsor), Case Paper (Customer Service Representative of the Year Award Sponsor), Anchor Paper (Outstanding Team of the Year Award Sponsor), Heidelberg USA (Production Professional of the Year Award Sponsor), Canon Solutions America (Young Professional of the Year Award Sponsor), LB Carlson (Financial Executive of the Year Award Sponsor), Kodak (Marketing Professional of the Year Award Sponsor), Gravie (Manager of the Year Award Sponsor), Daily Printing, Inc. (Printer of Certificates & Invitations), Standard Dynamics an EO Johnson Company (Printer of Programs) and Cornerstone Copy Center (Program Design).