Rose Flanagan Honored with Association's Award of Distinction, Robert Galaher & Bob Rosser Recognized for Industry Service

Alexandria, Va. – Idealliance, the global association for the Visual Communications and Media Industry, honored mailing industry leaders Rose Flanagan, Robert Galaher, and Bob Rosser in awards ceremonies during its annual Postal Exchange Summit, February 8-9, in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Flanagan was presented with the Donald A. Mumma Award—the association's highest award of distinction in the mail preparation and processing arena. Galaher and Rosser both received Idealliance Circle of Excellence honors.

"We were pleased and honored to present these awards to individuals who have been so dedicated and given so generously of their time and talents over many years to move the mail supply chain forward and strengthen cooperation between members of the mailing industry and the U.S. Postal Service," says Idealliance President and Chief Executive Officer David Steinhardt.

Rose Flanagan, Manager of Postal Strategies & Logistics for Data-Mail, serves as Idealliance Postal Operations & Technologies Council Past Co-Chair, Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) Leader for Marketing Mail, and Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom) Chairman.

"Through her nearly four decades in the mailing industry and her volunteer work, Rose has made countless contributions to the creation of a more efficient mail supply chain and to fostering industry-USPS cooperation and communication. In the past year she has led efforts with the Postal Service on marketing mail," says Peter Furka, Classification Specialist, U.S. Postal Service and 2017 Mumma Award Honoree. The award is named for the late Donald A. Mumma, a USPS mailing requirements manager who was instrumental in launching the collaborative and work-sharing approach between Idealliance and the Postal Service. The award has been given continuously since 1985 with 34 past recipients.

The Idealliance Circle of Excellence Awards have been given annually by the association's Board of Directors since 2005 in recognition of extraordinary contributions to advancing best practices across the creation, production, and distribution of graphic and visual communication.

"This year's recipients, Bob Galaher and Bob Rosser, exemplify the kind of commitment to the work of the mailing industry that has enabled it to make significant progress as new technologies have been introduced and new marketplace demands encountered," said Steinhardt while making the award presentation. "We are grateful to them—and the 44 past Circle Award honorees—for their tremendous service on behalf of Idealliance to advance our industry with innovation and inspiration."

Robert Galaher is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Presort Mailers (NAPM) and previously served as Executive Manager and Manager of Business Mail Acceptance Operations with the U.S. Postal Service. In 2010 he was honored with the Mumma Award. He is recognized in 2018 for his partnering between NAPM and Idealliance and his balanced and thoughtful insights to create a more collaborative relationship with the Postal Service.

Director of Postal Affairs, Products, and Services at IWCO Direct, Bob Rosser is a member of the Board of PostCom and Chair of its Postal Operations Committee, and serves as an MTAC representative. He is recognized for his inspiration and guidance in the development of the 2018-2020 Mail Supply Chain Strategic Plan. "Bob was the godfather for our 2018-2020 Mail Supply Chain Strategic Plan cross-industry and cross-association initiative with the ultimate goal to put the supply chain and its range of partners as a critical factor working with the Postal Service," said Steinhardt in presenting the award.

The 2018 Postal Exchange Conference drew a record number of attendees in more than 10 years. They actively engaged during the two-day program in thought-leader roundtable discussions among U.S. Postal Service executives and industry representatives, including mail owners, mailing service providers, and mailing logistics, transportation, and software companies. Among the roundtable topics: USPS pricing and costing, the future of direct marketing, USPS future technology and engineering, Intelligent Mail operation, and USPS payment and acceptance.

"At last year's Postal Exchange Summit we began to discuss a strategic plan the industry could present to the Postal Service for its consideration, one that would touch on our concerns and how we can work together to address them," says Steinhardt. "This year we were able to present our attendees with a review of the completed 2018-2020 Mail Supply Chain Strategic Plan, which outlines key strategic goals and actions for working towards the long-term vitality of mail. Based on what I saw and heard in this year's roundtable conversations, I am excited about the new actions we can accomplish in the months ahead.

"The 2018 conference discussions clearly displayed the commitment and desire of both members of the industry and the USPS to work together cooperatively to make the delivery of information and goods as seamless and cost-effective as possible," he continues. "Everyone at this year's conference was impressed by a spirit of collaboration that was palpable throughout the event and that will help Idealliance and its partners work with the Postal Service to advance programs and initiatives that will have a positive impact on everyone who depends on the mail for communications and commerce."