Chicago, IL – The Printing Industry of Illinois/Indiana (PII) held its 84th Annual Meeting and 9th Annual Pinnacle Print Awards Gala on May 17, 2011 at Café La Café, Des Plaines, IL. Over 160 members and guests welcomed Michael R. Keene, Chairman of the Board of the Printing Industries of America, surprised PII member Hal Slager, Trico, Chicago and enthusiastically received information about the industry's new Choose Print multi-media campaign.  

The evening began with networking and viewing of the top winning pieces in PII's Pinnacles Competition. Following dinner, Master of Ceremonies Bill Gibson, Burton and Mayer Chicago, Tinley Park, IL initiated the program. The 84th Annual Meeting of the association was called to order by Chairman Joe Novak, BFC, Batavia, IL. The membership elected the Officers and Directors for 2011-2012, including Bill Barta, Rider Dickerson, Bellwood, IL as Chairman, Steve VanderVeen, ABS Graphics, Addison, IL as Executive Vice Chairman and Mark Turk, International Label and Printing, Elk Grove Village, IL as Senior Vice Chairman.

The audience heard remarks from Michael R. Keene of The John Roberts Company, Minneapolis, MN and current Chairman of the Board of Printing Industries of America. Hal Slager, Trico, Chicago was recognized for his many years of service to the PII Board of Directors and Finance Committee as well as his service as Treasurer of Printing Industries of America.   

The Pinnacle Print Awards presentations followed, with awards for Best of Division and Best of Category, culminating in the presentations of Best of Illinois by Derek Gordon, Komori to the JohnsByrne Company, Niles, IL for its entry in the Soft-Cover Books category Redken 'Gold Rush' Look Book and Best of Indiana by Cathy Austill, Xerox to Quality Printing, Anderson, IN for its entry in the Booklet or Brochure Series category MPRI.   

The highly anticipated 2011 Pinnacle Print Awards Competition Best of Show Award was presented by Glenn Barton, Unisource to the JohnsByrne Company, Niles, IL. Keeping with Pinnacle tradition, the company received a custom, framed award that included the winning print project.  
During the Awards presentation, PII President and CEO Joanne Rock introduced the Association's Choose Print branded multi-media campaign designed to spread the word about the sustainability and marketing effectiveness of print on paper (www.chooseprint.org).

The evening concluded with extended networking.
 
The Pinnacle Print Awards competition recognizes outstanding craftsmanship in the creation and production of printed materials in Illinois and Indiana.   

PII is the trade association for graphic arts firms located in Illinois and Indiana. For more information about PII and its members, please visit www.pii.org.