Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Eleven industry leaders were formally inducted into the Ben Franklin Honor Society of Printing Industries of America at a black-tie induction and awards ceremony November 15, 2013, at Printing Industries’ Fall Administrative Meetings held in Chicago, Illinois.

Kenneth Bittner—Kenneth Bittner, President & CEO, Diversified Printers, Inc. LaMirada, CA,  began his career in printing while attending California Polytechnic State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Printing Technology and Management in 1970. He later earned his M.S. Degree in Printing Management & Labor Relations from South Dakota State University in 1971. Ken’s career began with Del Monte Corporation in the San Francisco area where he held various print management positions over a nine-year span. He later accepted positions with Jeffries Banknote in Los Angeles, where he gained valuable experience managing all facets of financial, securities, election, and commercial printing; American Standard Corporation’s Frye & Smith printing facility in Costa Mesa; World Color’s George Rice Division in Los Angeles; Wace-USA prepress network; and as president of American Lithographers (Jefferson-Smurfit Corporation). 

Ken’s involvement with his local affiliate includes active membership on its Education and Public Relations Committees. He has served as a director, part of its officer ranks, and ultimately chairman in 2011. He was named Outstanding Leader as the chairman of the association in 2011 and also recognized as PIASC Executive of the Year in 2013.

Roger Buck—Roger Buck, CDC, Marketing Director, The Flesh Company, St. Louis, MO, has given exceptional and commendable long-term service to the document supply segment of the printing industry. This includes his leadership roles in PSDA (Print Services Distributors Association), the predecessor forms industry associations, and especially his current service on the PERF (Print Education & Research Foundation) Board of Trustees.

Roger is a highly regarded leader of the forms industry. He started his career working for the local hot type newspaper while still in high school (his father was a pressman at the same firm). In 1971 he entered the business forms world, first in prepress and then managing a letterpress department. In 1983 he moved on to various marketing and sales positions. He also held the position of business development manager for Appleton Papers. He holds several patents and has taught a number of classes dealing with document solutions.

Prior to joining The Flesh Company, he had his own marketing consulting firm where he focused on helping digital printers grow their VDP businesses. During this time he also wrote a monthly column for the Southeast Kansas Business Journalcalled “Marketing Matters.” During the last 25 years, he has generously given of his time and knowledge to the business forms association and industry.

Don P. Duncan, Ph.D.—Don P. Duncan, Ph.D., Director of Research, Wilkoff Color Corporation, Fort Mill, SC, is a native of Texas and received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Texas State University. He then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry. He is the holder of two U.S. patents, the author of more than 30 technical papers, a frequent author in graphic arts industry trade journals, and a presenter in graphic arts related conferences.

He is the current president of both TAGA and RadTech, an association dedicated to the advancement of ultraviolet and electron beam technology for the printing industry, where he also serves as the co-chair of the Printing and Packaging Committee. He is an active member of FTS, TAPPI, ASTM, and the American Chemical Society. He also served on the board of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership.

Don is well known and respected in the industry, regarded as an invaluable resource, and willing to share his technical/chemical knowledge, as well as his time, for the benefit of the printing industry. It has been said that Don has a unique ability to process complex technical information and offer easy-to-understand explanations.

Norvin Hagan—Norvin Hagan, owner, Geographics, Atlanta, GA, began his career in the printing and graphic communications industry when he made a down payment on a bankrupt printing company in Atlanta. The company was renamed Geographics, and from that point forward, the company has flourished under Norvin’s leadership. It is now one of the largest privately owned integrated marketing solutions providers in Georgia.

Norvin has served Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) tirelessly over the years. He has served many terms on the PIAG Board of Directors as well as heading the PIAG Long Range Planning Committee and serving on the Health Guard Trust Board of Directors.

To many in the printing industry, as well as his community and beyond, Norvin Hagan is a mentor, friend, and respected colleague who continues to offer his talents. He was instrumental in the planning and construction of the association’s headquarters in 1990, and he continued to be engaged with growth opportunities for PIAG with the expansion of the Insurance Services Department. Today PIAG’s Insurance Services continues to provide cost-effective medical and business coverage for its members as well as a significant revenue source for the association. Norvin progressed through the PIAG chairs and was elected chairman of the Board in 1994. In 2002, he was presented with the association’s highest honor, the Benjamin Franklin Award, which recognized his selfless dedication to the industry. Called back into service in 2011 on the PIAG Executive Committee, Norvin was elected as the PIAG representative to the Board of Directors of Printing Industries of America where he currently serves.

John E. Jaymont—John Jaymont, Business Development Director, Southern Region of Printing Industries of Ohio • Northern Kentucky,  has had a distinguished career in the printing industry. For nearly 40 years, he has been involved in printing industry endeavors. In 1977 he was one of the founding members of Metroweb Corporation, a web publication printer located in Kentucky. John worked with the organization through 2000, where he held various positions and ultimately served as its president. After World Color/Quebecor purchased this 170-employee, award-winning and nationally recognized company, John stayed with the company as general manager, overseeing the installation of an additional full-size web press, two selective binders, the addition of new accounts, and the integration of business tools used by this large, publicly traded company.

He has been very active in National and local associations. He served on the Master Printers of America (MPA) Board of Directors for twelve years, three years on the Executive Committee, vice chairman for two years, and chairman-elect when Metroweb was sold. He also served on the Employee Recognition Committee for six years, including four years as its chairman. He was also a member of the steering committee for the Best Workplaces in the Americas program. Additional national service includes the Magazine Printers Sections, Web Offset Board of Directors, as well as a variety of its committees, the Best Workplaces in the Americas program, and the Labor Policy Committee.

Locally he has served on the Board of Trustees for Ohio Graphic Arts Health Fund and as the local representative for the Master Printers Section. He served on the Greater Cincinnati Printing Week Council for eleven years, including ten years as its chairman. He holds a BA from Penn State University, a BS from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Xavier University.

Laura Lawton-Forsyth—Laura Lawton-Forsyth, President,  Lawton Printing, Inc., and File E-Z Folder, both located in Spokane, WA, is the fourth generation to join the family business, working full-time beginning in January 1991 and becoming President in October 2001. Laura is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a BS in graphic communication and a concentration in printing management.

She has a long history of industry involvement. She is very active in her local affiliate, PPI Association, serving on its board since 2002 and ultimately as its chair in 2008. She has served on the Printing Industries National Board since 2002 and served as Chair of the Board in 2011–2012. She has also served on its Executive Committee since 2004. Additionally, she has served tirelessly on numerous committees, including R&D, Annual Planning, Finance, Marketing, and Government Affairs, just to name a few. She is also the current chair for the Young Print Professionals Group (YP).

Laura is the second generation in her family to be elected to the Ben Franklin Honor Society. Her father, Ray Lawton, was elected in 1996 to the Ash Khan Society, which later merged with the Society of Fellows and created the society in 2005.

Dennis E. Mason—Dennis E. Mason, Mason Consulting Inc., IL, has an extensive history in the industry. He has authored more than 200 bylined articles in industry trade magazines and has delivered more than 100 speeches and panel appearances at industry functions. He is also a sole or collaborating author of more than 20 industry publications for trade associations. He has served as associate editor of Graphic Communications World, GreensheetBIZ, and American Printer.Dennis holds a BS in electrical engineering (electronics) from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and earned an MBA from Butler University.

He has also served as a member of the Printing Industries of America and GAMIS boards of directors in 1987 and on the NPES (National Printing and Equipment and Supply Association) board from 1987 to 1990, where he was chairman of its Market Research Committee with a $100,000 annual budget to perform industry-wide research studies.

Edward W. McLamb—Edward McLamb The McLamb Group, Inc., Charlotte, NC, has been active on The Printing Industry of the Carolinas, Inc. (PICA) Board of Directors since 1983, when he was appointed assistant secretary/treasurer for the association. Moving through the ranks, he served as Chairman of the Board during the 1989–1990 fiscal year. Ed’s work has also impacted industry training through his oversight of the PICA/xpedx Graphics Management Institute—a top management program held periodically in the Carolinas.

When a chairman of PICA has completed his term on the Board, they become a lifetime trustee of the PICA Foundation. Ed’s tenure with the PICA Foundation began in 1990 and continues to this day. In April 1992, he was also appointed chairman of a newly created Scholarship Committee to oversee the process of organizing and managing the awarding of scholarships to the various graphics programs in the Carolinas. Since its inception, this committee has awarded more than half a million dollars in scholarship funding to students studying graphic communications at community college and university programs in the Carolinas, and it is also responsible for providing financial assistance to the North and South Carolina SkillsUSA (formerly VICA) participants when they travel to their national competition.

Ed’s passion and persistence for the Foundation have led him in the direction of fund-raising for scholarships—as he was instrumental in the creation of the PICA Foundation golf tournament, its inaugural event occurring this past April.

Mark Michelson—Mark Michelson, Editor-in-Chief, Printing Impressions Magazine, the most influential and widely read publication for commercial printers. He has served in that capacity since 1985. Michelson received the coveted Tom McMillan Award for graphic arts industry journalistic excellence in 2004 among other honors. Printing Impressions has also received numerous APEX Awards for Publication Excellence over the years.

He is responsible for establishing the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame, the annual Printing Impressions 400 ranking of the top printers, and the Gold Ink Awards printing contest. He has been instrumental in nominating Printing Industries of America officers and members for its Hall of Fame and various other recognitions supported or sponsored by Printing Impressions.

Representing Printing Impressions, he has supported numerous programs as Printing Industries of America’s media sponsor and has participated in nearly every major conference launched by the association.

Mark is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Richard Sevigny—Richard Sevigny, Owner, Chromatic, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, began his career in the printing industry with a sales position at UARCO Business Forms, and thus began his career in printing.

In 1978, looking for an ownership opportunity in printing, Richard and his wife quit their jobs and became owners of their first business. During the next twenty-five years, through hard work and dedication, the company has steadily grown into a strong and profitable business. In 2002 he also took a failing company and merged it with his business and continued to grow despite difficult times. Since this merger, the company has more than doubled in size, growing from $5 million to $12 million in sales volume.

Richard is well known for his support of the graphic arts industry, being an active member of PIASC’s Board of Directors over the years and serving as chairman in 1999–2000 as well as serving a term on Printing Industries of America National Board of Directors. He has also served as a board member of the Printing Industries Association Inc. of Southern California, the industry’s statewide government affairs office, Printing Industry Credit Union, and International Printing Museum. He was also named PIASC Executive of the Year in 2003.

Debbie Simpson—Debbie Simpson, President, Multi-Craft, Newport, KY, a family-owned and operated marketing support services organization with a focus on developing and executing marketing strategy through integrated multichannel campaigns–offset/digital - print, e-campaigns, mobile marketing,social media, direct mail, fulfillment, warehousing, and data enhancement—began her career in 1969 as a receptionist/bookkeeper with Multi-Craft. She spent 21 years in different roles within the company and became president in 1990. Multi-Craft continues to evolve under her leadership. In 2003 Debbie was named Printer of the Year and Leading Woman of Cincinnati. In 2006 she was Entrepreneur of the Year (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Award) as well as the first runner-up in 2009 for Mentor of the Year.

She has served her local affiliate as a council member and the chair of the PIEF Scholarship Committee and is a long standing member of the Printing Industries of America’s Association Relations Committee which fosters positive working relationships between its local affiliates and the National association. Debbie is involved in a countless number of other local and national organizations such as Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Gateway Foundation Board Member (Gateway Technical College), and Cincinnati State Technical College Advisory Council Member for Graphic Communications.

The Ben Franklin Honor Society of Printing Industries of America recognizes and honors industry leaders who have made lasting contributions to advancing the printing and graphic communications industries. This includes, but is not limited to, Printing Industries of America and its affiliates and the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF). Industry visionaries who have rendered outstanding or meritorious service to those associations or the industry are eligible for membership.