Paramus, N.J. - The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) announces the expansion of its Management Plus Awards Program with the addition of a new "Masters" category that will enable previously "retired" William K. Marrinan Management Plus Hall of Fame Award winners to compete for a new management distinction in one of the industry's most prestigious competitions.
 
"In the past, companies that were selected as members of the Management Plus Hall of Fame were no longer eligible to enter the competition again, but their executive staffs and employees continued to excel in their business management practices," explains NAPL President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph P. Truncale. "We thought it only right to give them an opportunity to continue to gain the acknowledgement they so richly deserve for their ongoing management excellence," he continues, "and our new 'Masters' category will enable them to compete each year for 'best-of-the-best' recognition."
 
Companies taking part in the NAPL Management Plus Awards Program submit an NAPL Best Practices Assessment as part of their entry. In turn, they receive a detailed outside evaluation of their management strengths and weaknesses and become eligible for NAPL Management Plus Gold, Silver, or Merit Awards. Each year, one company is also honored with the Hall of Fame Award for consistent excellence in the program, including having garnered at least five previous NAPL Management Plus awards.
 
Electronic Entry

The new Masters competition is only one of the changes in the Management Plus program for 2011. In addition, entries may now be completed electronically, using templates available on the NAPL website, www.napl.org; and the competition entry deadline has been moved to May 1, so that entrants may assemble and provide a full calendar year of data for the awards competition.
 
The annual Management Plus awards ceremony, previously part of NAPL's Top Management Conference, will be made at NAPL's Best in Business Conference in November. NAPL's Management Plus Awards program is sponsored by manroland.
 
"We believe these changes will not only make it easier for companies to enter the program, but will also give entrants additional time to pull together the previous year's data and offer a more complete picture of their 12-month activities," says NAPL Chief Operating Officer William F. Woods, Jr.
           
"The NAPL Management Plus Best Practices Assessment is a self-administered review of a series of critical management disciplines," Woods continues, "and our new electronic entry and evaluation tools will enable us to provide faster and more extensive feedback to those performing the assessment, helping them identify practices in which they excel, and uncover areas that may need improvement, even if they decide not to enter the awards competition.
 
"But by entering the competition," he adds, "companies can set the bar for their management expectations and give their employees a visible benchmark and an opportunity for industry recognition."
            
Comprehensive Diagnostic

The comprehensive NAPL Management Plus Best Practices Assessment diagnostic tool asks company executives to answer questions about their strategic planning, sales, marketing, finance, operations, human resources, leadership, and community/industry relations. Based on an analytical evaluation of management competencies, NAPL industry experts can help company leaders pinpoint areas of opportunity and develop a plan for maximizing their effectiveness.
 
For three decades, hundreds of companies have taken advantage of the assessment, a free benefit for all NAPL corporate members, and more than 150 businesses have won NAPL Management Plus Awards. "We hope these new enhancements to our Management Plus program will encourage even more companies to take part in both the assessment process and the awards competition," adds Woods.