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Ekstein receives 2018 Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award

Jeff Ekstein, a third-generation owner of 65-year-old Willow Printing Group, has been named the Printing Industries of America (PIA) 2018 Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

As President and CEO of the Concord, Ontario-based company, Ekstein has led Willow Printing Group through a number of strategic acquisitions as well as business model evolutions with his “strong drive and entrepreneurial spirit,” PIA explains.

Established in 1950, the Lewis Award pays homage to business leaders who have made major, long-term contributions to the graphic arts industry and have been a significant force in shaping the business of printed communications. The award was presented on November 9 at the Ben Franklin Honor Society Award Dinner during the Fall Administrative Meeting of Printing Industries of America in Grapevine, Texas.

Ekstein has served PIA for more than a decade, initially as a director and advancing to the officers’ ranks in 2011, and ultimately Chairman of the Board in 2013. Additionally, he has served on countless committees and task forces. He was the Education Committee chairman from 2009 to 2011, and is currently a PIA Finance Committee member and serves as a judge for the Premier Print Awards.

In 2016, Ekstein was named PrintAction’s Community Leader of the Year as part of the annual Canadian Printing Awards. Prior to that, he was named one of PrintAction’s Top 20 Most Influential Printers in 2010.

In addition to his involvement in PIA, he has served as Co-Chair of CPISC (Canadian Printing Industries Sector Council) as well as Past Chair, Government Affairs Committee Chair, and long-time Director of CPIA (Canadian Printing Industries Association). In 2007, Ekstein was awarded the CPIA Distinguished Service Award for excellence, achievement, and dedication to the printing industry. He is the current Chair of the Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund (CPISTF).