May 11, 2007 -- Final touches to the new Harry V. Quadracci Printing Education and Technology Center on the campus of Waukesha County (Wis.) Technical College (WCTC) were made the last week of March and the doors to the center are now open. The 23,600-square-foot center — built as a wing of the existing Harry V. Quadracci Printing and Graphics Center, one of the nation’s leading printing education facilities — represents a major step toward realizing the vision to make southeastern Wisconsin the "Silicon Valley" of the printing industry. The center is intended to be a national hub for technical education and technological innovation in printing and graphic arts where printers and industry vendors can showcase technology and gather for special events. Construction on the center began last April after the Windhover Foundation donated $1 million toward the cost of the new $4 million facility. The staff of the Printing Industries of Wisconsin (PIW), the Wisconsin affiliate of the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), moved into its new offices in the technology center at the end of March. The PIW represents more than 170 Wisconsin printing companies, including Quad/Graphics. "It’s very exciting," said Niall Power, PIW President. "We’ve been working on the two Quadracci buildings here for 10 years, and now we see the culmination of all of our efforts. It’s finally here." Plans for the first building, the Harry V. Quadracci Printing and Graphics Center, which houses WCTC’s printing and graphic arts programs and classrooms, date back to 1997 when Mr. Power took over leadership of PIW. A formal grand opening ceremony for the new center is being planned in June.