Association Formed for Small Commercial, Quick Printers

MELBOURNE, FL—In a month from its initial launch, the newly formed National Print Owners Association (NPOA) has reportedly attracted more than 120 members and is in the process of finalizing plans for its first national conference. The new association is the result of several months of discussions by a group of 19 long-time printing business owners who felt that existing associations were not adequately serving the specific needs of the small commercial printing industry segment.

According to its mission statement, NPOA "is dedicated to delivering products and services that enhance the growth and profitability of its members through advocacy, educational programs, publications, research and the sharing of technical information."

"NPOA offers a viable alternative to those printers who are currently members of other trade associations, but are dissatisfied with the return on their investment," said NPOA Executive Director John Stewart. "This new association also seeks to attract many other printers who have chosen not to join any association because none have appeared, so far, to satisfy their needs."

The association has three classifications of membership—regular, associate and educational members—each with its own dues structure. Membership, dues and application information are available at the NPOA Website, www.printowners.org.

"While our plans are ambitious, our dues are exceedingly low and attractive to firms of all sizes," notes Stewart.

Also on the site is a list of founding members with commentary on their reasons for forming the association and their visions for its future.

NPOA's first slate of officers consists of: president, Jace Prejean of Bayou Printing & Graphics in Houma, LA; vice president, Barry Martin of Copyquik in Hagerstown, MD; secretary, Dennis Trump of Trump Direct in Decatur, IL; treasurer, John Henry of Mitchell's Printing & Mailing in Oswego, NY; and communications director, Brian O'Day of ePrint in Portland, OR.

The inaugural NPOA conference will be held April 18–21, at the Holiday Inn Downtown-Superdome in New Orleans. Fastsigns International CEO Catherine Monson will deliver the opening keynote.