Robert Keane, Vistaprint’s president and CEO, will receive the Industry Influencer Award from PINE, at the association’s annual Industry Awards Gala, set for Thursday, April 4^th at the Marriott Boston/Newton hotel.

The Influencer Award honors the contributions of an individual whose vision and energy have impacted our industry in a profound and permanent manner.  

Vistaprint was founded by Keane in 1995 from a business plan he originally created in business school, that recognized an unfulfilled customer need to provide small businesses with print tools to market their business. In 1999, the company developed breakthroughs in both internet-based graphic design tools and in production methods of low volume printing.  Vistaprint is now a global company that has empowered more than 15 million micro businesses and consumers, employs over 4,400 people, operates more than 25 localized websites globally and ships to more than 130 countries around the world. Vistaprint's broad range of products and services are easy to access online, 24 hours a day at www.vistaprint.com. Keane earned his B.A. in Economics from Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., and his M.B.A. from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

The Industry Influencer Award has been sponsored by Heidelberg since its inception in 2003, and will be presented by Marty Moran, East Regional Vice President of Heidelberg.

Awards of Excellence presented

In addition, the winners of PINE’s Awards of Excellence print competition will be recognized at the gala. Pinnacle awards will be presented to the winning companies. This year the number of companies participating and the number of entries submitted increased by 50%. The Pinnacle signifies that the winning entry was the very best entry in a particular category. All entries that earn Pinnacle designations will be entered in the 2013 Premier Print Awards competition, the largest international competitive print awards program, hosted by Printing Industries of America. 

In addition to the Pinnacles the second place Awards of Recognition and third place Awards of Merit will be announced. The highly anticipated Best of Show winner will be announced at the end of the evening. Gala attendees will be asked to vote for their favorite piece to select the People’s Choice Award during the two-hour Supplier Reception that precedes the 7 p.m. banquet.

Supplier Reception

Winning entries of the Awards of Excellence competition will be on display during a two-hour Supplier Reception beginning at 5 p.m. Anyone interested in purchasing tabletop exhibit space for the reception may do so by contacting Christine Hagopian at 508-804-4152 or by email at [email protected]. Exhibit tables cost $500. We thank Heidelberg, Océ and Xerox for being major sponsors for the evening’s celebration. 

Schedule and ticket information

Individual Gala tickets cost $75. Tables of 8 are available for $560. Visit www.pine.org for more information and to register.