ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA (April 1, 2002) – Over 250 printing and graphic arts executives and their guests attended Printing Industries of America’s, Inc. (PIA) Annual Presidents Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, March 13-17. Attendees had opportunities to focus on the future of their companies by attending two pre-conference programs, fifteen breakout sessions, and six roundtables, in addition to three general sessions. Timothy Burton, President, Burton & Mayer, Brookfield, WI, said, "this program’s content was excellent. The mix of information and networking made this one very strong program." A conference favorite was author, radio and television personality, Milton L. Creagh. He received a rousing applause at the opening program with "First Things First…The Leader’s Choice." Creagh opened his session by reminding everyone of our first priority…our family. With startling examples, facts and statistics, he illustrated how personal and family issues will always enter the workforce. He challenged leaders to educate employees and themselves about the perils of today’s society. He described the problems of the lack of work ethic, drug and alcohol abuse, and deteriorating family values that can enter the workplace in subtle and direct ways. Paying attention to the big issues can reduce absenteeism and turnover, leading to lower healthcare costs and higher productivity. The variety of conference topics set the stage for peer-to-peer networking and open discussions. These topics included: the recession and its ramifications to staying in business, the reduction in prices that customers are willing to pay, workflow, CTP, cashflow, digital printing, digital asset management, sales compensation programs, dealing with multi-generations in the workforce, and much more. Jerry Haapanen, President, Haapenen-Burkett, IL said, "this is the best program. You can’t get this kind of information for people like myself all at once. My one-on-one session with Howie Fenton alone was worth the cost of the program" Conference sponsors included: Heidelberg, Sun Chemical/Kohl & Madden, Printeralliance, United Insurance Company, Utica National Insurance Group, Printcafe, Zeborg, Inc., Xerox Corporation, Independent Printers Worldwide/Unisource Worldwide.