PARAMUS, N.J., JANUARY 12, 2005 – The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) has bestowed the highest honor in its Management Plus competition, The William K. Marrinan Hall of Fame Award, on Friesens Corporation, Altona, Manitoba. One of Canada’s leading independent companies, this employee-owned book manufacturer and printer has earned numerous honors in its nearly 100-year history, including 12 Management Plus awards. “Friesens’ impressive record of management excellence in every facet of the organization exemplifies all that the Management Plus program stands for and uniquely qualifies it for the Hall of Fame Award,” said Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL president and chief executive officer. “We congratulate them on this well-deserved honor.” David Friesen, chief executive officer of Friesens Corporation, will accept the award on behalf of the company at a special Management Plus Awards banquet on Feb. 17, 2005, during NAPL’s Top Management Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The annual NAPL Management Plus program is sponsored by Compass Capital Partners, MAN Roland, and American Printer magazine. (See related press release for a complete listing of 2004 Management Plus Award winners.) About Friesens Corporation: Friesens Corporation (www.friesens.com) grew from its roots as a small confectionary store founded in 1907 to become one of Canada’s leading independent companies, specializing in book manufacturing and printing. The operation, which had segued from selling confections to books with the purchase of a local bookstore, acquired its first small letterpress in 1933, using it to establish a local newspaper, the Red River Valley Echo, in 1941. A major plant expansion in 1958 laid the groundwork for rapid growth in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the school yearbook market. Friesens expanded into packaging with the purchase of a packaging plant in 1970s, followed by further expansion in the 1980s and 1990s into trade, picture, art, and children’s books, as well as textbooks, cookbooks, and calendars. The company has continually invested in plant expansion and equipment to become a technologically advanced and customer-focused book manufacturing operation. Now 100% employee-owned, the company began the transition from family- to employee-ownership in the early 1960s, when a profit-sharing plan was established and employees were invited to purchase shares in the company. Friesens prides itself on its commitment to its employees, its customers, and its community. The company contributes heavily to the local community in terms of employment, corporate donations, and sponsorships. For more information, visit www.friesens.com. About Management Plus: Unlike other graphic arts competitions in which printed pieces are judged, NAPL’s Management Plus program judges management excellence. Graphic arts companies are asked to conduct an analysis of specific areas of their operations. In that way, the program becomes a diagnostic tool that printing company leaders can use to judge their own management performance against accepted industry standards. Participants compete in one of six categories: five based on size and one for in-plant printers. Management Plus entrants are judged on how they perform against industry standards in nine key areas: internal control systems; financial performance; marketing/sales plan; business planning; human resources; environmental/safety concerns; quality control; community/industry affairs; and vendor relations. For more information about NAPL’s Management Plus program, contact Robin Schabacker, program coordinator, at (800) 642-6275, ext. 1307, or [email protected].