Columbia, Maryland - Printing company executives from across the Mid-Atlantic region will be headed to Virginia Beach next week to share ideas and explore the opportunities and challenges facing their rapidly evolving industry. 

Hosted by the region’s leading trade association, Printing and Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA), the gathering will bring printing company owners, senior executives and sales and marketing leaders to hear the latest ideas, best practices and emerging innovations in the industry.  PGAMA Chairman Rusty Coolidge, CEO, Chroma Graphics notes, "This conference does a great job of identifying where real opportunities may be, what the current pitfalls are, and what is simply hype."

The printing industry employs over 847,000 people and generates a whopping $147 billion dollars in shipments annually.  With more printing shops in America than McDonald’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants combined the industry continues to serve the vital information, communication and visual media demands of today’s consumer and business marketplace.

Attendees will gain valuable face time with key players in the graphic communications industry while savvy CEOs who have steered their businesses to success will share best practices, analysis and practical insights needed to make the right business decision. 

Attendees will hear from industry executives and thought leaders including; 

Michael Makin, president of the Printing Industries of America, the world’s largest graphic arts association;

John Foley, Jr., CEO of InterLink One and Grow Socially, the Boston-based leading social media advisory for printing companies;

Bill Woods, a former Atlanta based printer turned family business advisor who grew his printing company from sales of $250,000 to over $25 million;

Charles Marshall, author of Shattering The Glass Slipper and a noted humorist and motivational speaker on the issues of the day.

Also speaking will be Fred Gouldin of the Richmond-based law firm Christian and Barton; Ashlie T. Bagwell, of Alexander and Cleaver based in Annapolis; Tom Ervin, Senior Vice President of the Ervin Snyder Group at Morgan Stanley, and human resources expert Jim Kyger, an assistant vice president at Printing Industries of America in Washington, D.C.

"Printing company owners and executives from across the region have so much to share and learn from each other," said Kerry Stackpole, PGAMA president.  "I know PGAMA members from Virginia, D.C., Maryland and beyond look forward to learning best practices from their colleagues in Virginia Beach."

The PGAMA Management Conference will be held August 1-3, 2013 at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  More information is available at www.PGAMA.com or by calling 877-319-0906