PARAMUS, NJ, June 18, 2001 – Hans Peetz-Larsen, CEO of Heidelberg Americas, has been named as the recipient of the prestigious Walter E. Soderstrom Award, it was announced today by The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL). Presentation of the award will be made at the annual dinner meeting of NAPL’s Soderstrom Society, at The Mid-America Club in Chicago on Saturday, September 8th. Named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, one of the founders of NAPL, the annual award has been given since 1961 to a distinguished individual who has contributed significantly to the development and progress of the printing industry. The recipient is selected by fellow members of the Soderstrom Society, an honors organization that provides industry leaders with the opportunity to exchange ideas, suggest improved practices and recognize the contributions of their peers, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants and educators. "Hans Peetz-Larsen has been an outstanding partner to the industry for many years," says I. Gregg Van Wert, NAPL’s president and CEO. "He is renowned for his exceptional devotion to customer service, and he is an active participant in associations and initiatives that have a positive impact on the industry overall." President and CEO of Heidelberg Americas and Chairman of Heidelberg USA, Inc., Hans Peetz-Larsen is responsible for a national network of technical centers and offices that supply American printers with Heidelberg Prepress, Press and Postpress solutions. He also oversees the operations of Heidelberg Mexico, Heidelberg Canada and the Heidelberg organizations in South America. Mr. Peetz-Larsen became president of Heidelberg USA in January 1993, when Heidelberg Eastern and Heidelberg West merged to form one of the country’s leading graphic arts equipment suppliers. Prior to that, he was president of Heidelberg Eastern for many years. A leading member of the North American graphic arts community, Mr. Peetz-Larsen was born in Denmark and moved to the United States in 1974. He is on the Board of Directors of both the Printing Industry of America (PIA) and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF). Previously, he served on the Board of the NPA (National Printing Equipment Association), which he helped to reposition as NPES (The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies). About the Soderstrom Society The Walter E. Soderstrom Society is an honors organization for leaders from the world of printing who have contributed to the advancement of the graphic arts, either through NAPL or through other industry activities and programs. New members are inducted at the Society’s annual dinner meeting, a highlight of which is the presentation of the Soderstrom Award. The award itself was established to honor the lifetime achievements of Walter E. Soderstrom, an eminent lithographer who was one of the founders of the National Association of Photo-Lithographers in 1933, and served as executive secretary. As the organization grew to embrace all graphic arts processes, its name was changed to the National Association of Printers and Lithographers, the forerunner of today’s National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL).