Fredric Thornley, Co-owner and Vice President of General Printers, passed away on January 8 after a battle with cancer. He was 63.

Thornley was born in 1947 in Owen Sound, Ontario, and moved to Oshawa when he was 19. He resided in that city ever since and spent 45 years at General Printers, working his way up to Co-owner and Vice President. He was also an active member in the Oshawa community, including membership in its Chamber of Commerce and involvement in the Kinsmen Club of Oshawa and K40 club.

Fred Thornley is survived by his wife of 43 years, Diane, and his daughters Kristine and Michelle as well as four grandchildren.

Relatives and friends will be received at McIntosh-Anderson-Kellam Funeral Home, 152 King St. E., Oshawa (905-433-5558) on Monday January 10, 2011 from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm.

A funeral service is being held today at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 135 Wilson Rd. S., Oshawa, at 2:00 pm. with visitation at the church 1 hour prior to service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation in Fred’s name to The Oshawa Hospital Foundation, R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre. A guest book for condolences an be found here.

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), yesterday, released the annual listing of its top 50 private sector print suppliers for the fiscal year 2010 (see listing below).

For the second consecutive year, News Printing Co. (NPC) of Claysburg, Pennsylvania, leads the group of suppliers. NPC was awarded $23 million (all dollar amounts in U.S. figures) in GPO printing in FY2010, compared to $29 million in FY2009 and $35 million in FY2008 when it finished second to Monarch Litho of California.
 


More than 1,700 print suppliers obtained GPO work during FY2010. The value of all GPO work awarded to them during this period was $358 million compared to $425 million awarded in FY2009 and $421 million awarded in FY2008. Work done by the top 50 suppliers was valued at $223 million compared to $270 million during FY2009 and $287 million awarded in FY2008.


In other news, on December 30, 2010, Bob Tapella announced his resignation as Public Printer of the United States, which is the title afforded to the leader of the GPO. He had led the 150-year-old agency since being nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007. Deputy Public Printer Paul Erickson was named as the Acting Public Printer.



Top 50 Print Suppliers for Federal Fiscal Year 2010

Rank (2009 Rank) / Company / $ Volume

1 (1)     NPC, Inc.; Claysburg, PA — $23,768,211
2 (2)     RR Donnelley; Chicago, IL — $21,390,739
3 (5)     Sourcelink; Miamisburg, OH — $16,676,512
4 (4)     Gateway Press; Louisville, KY — $14,985,846
5 (3)     Monarch Litho; Montebello, CA — $12,815,111
6 (6)     Cenveo; Stamford, CT — $11,674,944
7 (12)   Gray Graphics; Capitol Heights, MD — $6,816,745
8 (8)     PA Hutchison; Mayfield, PA — $6,388,172
9 (10)   McDonald & Eudy Printers; Temple Hills, MD — $5,628,081
10 (11)  Intelligencer Printing; Lancaster, PA — $5,479,541

11 (24)  Standard Register; Dayton, OH — $4,907,715
12 (9)    Enterprise Group; Discovery Bay, CA — $4,835,754
13 (21)  Fry Communications; Mechanicsburg, PA — 4,672,358
14 (-)    National Envelope; Uniondale, NY — $4,432,239
15 (20)  Colonial Press Int'l.; Miami, FL — $4,163,849
16 (16)  Quintessential Color Group; Upper Marlboro, MD — $3,593,021
17 (14)  V.G. Reed & Sons; Louisville, KY — $3,294,332
18 (22)  United Book Press; Baltimore, MD — $3,174,639+
19 (25)  Consolidated Graphics; Houston, TX — $2,939,812
20 (32)  Signature Graphics; Portland, OR — $2,892,373
21 (27)  Universal Printing; DeSoto, TX — $2,807,218
22 (35)  Coastal Mailing; Salinas, CA — $2,641,279
23 (19)  Digital-Ink; Wormleysburg, PA — $2,582,724
24 (43)  OPSEC; Lancaster, PA — $2,469,704+
25 (31)  District Creative Printing; Upper Marlboro, MD — $2,411,297+
26 (44)  Printing Resources; Cleveland, OH — $2,260,797+
27 (28)  Envision; Wichita, KS — $2,201,852+
28 (45)  American Multimedia; Burlington, NC — 2,191,749
29 (-)    Art Litho; Baltimore, MD — $2,140,086
30 (30)  Printwell Acquisitions; Taylor, MI — $2,053,901
31 (40)  V.N. Products; Foot Hill Ranch, CA — $2,047,791
32 (26)  Alcom Printing Group; Harleysville, PA — $1,981,058+
33 (23)  Pearson Custom Publishing; Boston, MA — $1,971,729
34 (-)    KD8 Enterprises; Centerville, UT — $1,937,897
35 (-)    Mission Information Resources; Lancaster, NH — $1,921,346
36 (18)  Data Integrators; Woodbridge, VA — $1,904,477
37 (36)  Balmar Printing; Gaithersburg, MD — $1,890,133
38 (-)    TPS Enterprises; Newton, IL — $1,798,210+
39 (-)    S & W Manufacturing; Florence, SC — $1,793,566
40 (48)  Litho Press; San Antonio, TX — $1,689,149
41 (-)    Production Press; Jacksonville, IL — $1,666,696
42 (34)  West Shore Printing; Mechanicsburg, PA — $1,666,457
43 (-)    Todd Allan Printing; Beltsville, MD — $1,664,442+
44 (33)  Crabar Business Systems; Dayton, OH — $1,656,295
45 (7)    Freedom Graphic Systems; Milton, WI — $1,624,594
46 (46)  BKR Printing; Salt Lake City, UT — $1,624,464
47 (38)  Precision Printing; Moberly, MO — $1,563,479
48 (49)  Bosworth Printing; Stoughton, MA — $1,508,850
49 (-)    Coverbind Corp.; Wilmington, NC — $1,508,194
50 (41)  Sir Speedy Printing; Mission Viejo, CA — $1,507,016

Canadian printing industry veteran Michael Cook passed away suddenly on November 21 at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. He was 53 years old.

Cook most recently worked as Sales Manager with Buntin Reid/Domtar Paper in Mississauga, Ontario. Buntin Reid is one of the largest paper distributors serving the Canadian printing industry.

Cook was born in Stevenage, England, but moved to Toronto at a young age and attended St. Michael's College School where he was a valued member of the football team. Following his post-secondary education, Cook joined the printing and paper industry. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Transcontinental’s Isabelle Marcoux, VP of Corporate Development, has been recognized on the 2010 listing of Canada's Most Powerful Women, Top 100 Awards, in the Corporate Executives category.

The Top 100 Awards program is organized by the Women's Executive Network, which was developed in 1997 to focus on the advancement and recognition of executive-minded women in the workplace. Marcoux joins a community of 522 women across Canada who have received this recognition.

"It is a great honour for me to be included in this group of outstanding women. This recognition is testimony to the passion I bring to my work as well as to the causes that I believe in,” stated Marcoux. “Such a prestigious reward encourages me to keep striving to really make a difference."

Marcoux has been Vice Chair of the Board of Transcontinental since 2007 and VP of Corporate Development since 2004. From 1997 to 2004, she was Director, Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as Director, Legal Affairs and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Before joining Transcontinental, she was a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

She also sits on many high-profile boards within Canada’s corporate and arts communities, including Power Corporation of Canada, Rogers Communications, George Weston Ltd. and Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

As part of her social contributions, Marcoux is a member of the board of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Chair of the Education Committee of the Museum. She has been actively involved in a number of fundraising campaigns for organizations like Foundation for the Youth, Montreal Children's Hospital and the United Way.

"Isabelle Marcoux plays a key role in the transformation of Transcontinental,” stated François Olivier, President and CEO of Transcontinental. “She has led the growth by acquisitions of Transcontinental in the last decade. Whether she is formulating innovative business strategies for our corporation or establishing solid relations with our partners and customers, she is exceptional for her unwavering commitment to excellence.”

David Odell, former President and CEO of The DATA Group of Companies, passed away on November 10 after a battle with cancer. He was 62 years old.

Odell, a veteran of the printing industry in Canada, was also formerly President of the Yorkville Group, Empress Graphics and a number of divisions within Maclean Hunter and Southam Inc.

"David was a remarkable individual who had a profound impact on our company and who deeply influenced many of our employees, both professionally and personally," said Michael Suksi, who was President and Chief Executive Officer in October of this year. "He will be deeply missed by all of us at The DATA Group."  

Odell served as President and CEO of DATA Group between May 2000 and October 2010, during which time it acquired long-time competitor Relizon Canada in 2006. Also within the industry, Odell was a perennial supporter of Eva's Phoenix, which provides help for at-risk youth and training for careers in graphic communications.

Odell is survived by wife Cynthia, his two step-children Geoff and Jillian as well as his father, Gordon Odell.

A funeral service will be held at the Jerrett Funeral Home in Toronto on Friday November 19 at 1:00 pm. Details and notes of remembrance can be left on the Jerrett Funeral Home site.

Don Atkins, former partner of Benwell Atkins Printers and a long-time leader within Vancouver's printing community, passed away on November 8 at the age of 78.

Tracing its roots back to 1926, Benwell Atkins began as a small Vancouver-based mailing company and eventually became one of the most-prominent commercial printing operations on the West Coast. Today, the facility is owned by RR Donnelley, which is often described as the largest printing company in the world.

Born in 1932, Atkins lived his entire life in Vancouver and, in addition to his entrepreneurial success in the printing industry, was a strong supporter of several of the city's organizations and institutions like the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, YMCA and SA&D Publishers.

Based on his printing interests, Atkins was also a member of the Alcuin Society, which is a voluntary association of people who care about the past, present and future of fine books.

According to a statement from Presstek Inc., the Higher Court Dusseldorf, Germany, has upheld a Regional Court decision finding Israeli manufacturer VIM Technologies in violation of Presstek’s German patent (No. DE 693 29 365 T2).

As such, the Court has ordered VIM and defendant Reinsch Handel to immediately cease and desist from selling any of the infringing VIM products in Germany. VIM has also been ordered to provide to Presstek detailed information on all sales of the infringing products in Germany for a 6-year period.


The technology at issue between the two companies, for several years now, involve the VIM DP-R28 and DP-R36 lithographic printing plates. In a separate proceeding, the Patent Court in Munich Germany has found that the patent that Presstek has asserted against VIM in the infringement case to be valid and enforceable.



According to Presstek, the judgments of the Higher Court Dusseldorf and the Patent Court are final, as the time to file appeals has expired. Presstek continues to state it plans to pursue the enforcement of its patents against other distributors of VIM products throughout Europe where distributors are selling VIM products in violation of Presstek’s patent rights.

A statement from the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice announced John Eichner entered a guilty plea, over his actions in a $2-million embezzlement scheme, before a U.S. District Judge in New Jersey.

Eichner, based on criminal actions he committed as Chief Financial Officer of Harold M. Pitman Company, entered his plea guilty on November 9th to wire fraud and tax evasion in connection with the scheme.

According to the FBI statement, Eichner admitted that from 2003 through 2009, he embezzled money from Pitman Company by falsifying expense reimbursement forms. Specifically, Eichner said that he submitted numerous requests for reimbursement for personal expenses, including lodging at luxury hotels and resorts, meals at high-end restaurants, clothing, and jewelry from retailers such as Nordstrom, Coach, and Tiffany and Co.

In March 2010, Pitman hired a new CFO in Donald Stires. Then in July 2010, Agfa Graphics announced its pending purchase of Pitman, which has been subsequently completed.

The FBI statement also makes note that Eichner caused wire transfers to be sent from Pitman Company accounts to pay for additional personal expenses he incurred, including a $30,000 wire to pay for cases of wine that he had purchased from Sotheby’s. In all, Eichner embezzled more than $2 million, and purposefully failed to report the illicit proceeds of his scheme to the IRS.

The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the aggregate gain or loss. The charge of tax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Judge Simandle continued Eichner’s release on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for February 24, 2011.

Patricia Jean Auty, former President and owner of Auty Printing, passed away in late October after a groundbreaking career in Canadian printing. 

Ms. Auty was thrown into the printing business when her husband, Fred Auty, died in 1970. She had been working as a teacher, but decided to walk away from that career to run the family business.  

At that time, outside of Mona Allworth, there were very few women who owned and operated a Canadian printing company. Ms. Auty served as a role model for many of the women who own printing companies today. 

In the early years of her ownership, Brian Auty, remembers how his mother was often forced to recruit her brother Don to help in business negotiations, because men on the other side of the table simply refused to deal with a woman. He remembers this scenario playing out in both complex deals for property and even for simply tasks like ordering phone lines. 

"It’s almost laughable today, but it was pioneers like Jean that took the heat early on in getting women recognized as capable leaders," recalls Brian Auty, who worked closely with his mother in the family business before her retirement in 1992. He later merged Auty Printing with Mississauga-based RP Graphics, where Brian continues to serve as part-owner and Chief Technology Officer. 

Ms. Auty was recognized for her business achievements by becoming the first woman to be inducted into the Promotional Products Association Hall of Fame in 1988. She was a tireless industry supporter, volunteering for committees and finally the first female President of the association in 1980. She was also very active in the CPIA and SGIA. 

Patricia Jean Auty was 83.

Forbes magazine has published its annual list of most powerful women in the world across a spectrum of professions.

Michelle Obama was named most powerful woman, rising 40 places to capture the title this year. Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods was second, followed by Oprah Winfrey, in third place. Xerox Chief Executive Ursula Burns (picture right) placed 20th on the list this year, down six positions from last year.

HP's Ann Livermore (HP Enterprise Business) and Cathie Lesjak (HP CFO and most recently interim CEO) fell off the list this year after placing 31st and 32nd, respectively, on the 2009 list. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina placed 51st this year in her new life as a politician in California.

Other names of note on the list are Lady Gaga (#7), Beyonce Knowles (#9), Sarah Palin (#16), Angelina Jolie (#21) and Queen Elizabeth II (#41).

To determine the rankings for each year, Forbes weighs the dollar component (company revenues, national budgets or earnings) and in equal part a "buzz" factor, determined by internet traffic.

Norman Esch, who was a leader within Canada's printing industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, passed away in Toronto on August 25, at the age of 92.

Through his work with historic Canadian companies like Graphic Lithoplate, Rota-tone and Phipps Reproduction, Esch played a major role in shaping the direction of Toronto's printing market. He founded Graphic Litho-Plate and owned Roto-tone Gravure, along with many other smaller companies.

In the Toronto printing market specifically, he was best-known as a highly competitive and successful salesperson.

Beyond his printing interests, Esch was an avid fisherman who traveled to some of the world’s great fishing destinations: Campbell River in British Columbia, the Tamar River in Devon, England, and the Miramichi River in New Brunswick.

He was also a philanthropist who donated generously to many charities including Trinity St. Paul’s Church in Toronto and created The Esch Foundation. Esch passed away peacefully last Wednesday at Sunnybrook Hospital, surrounded by his family.

Condolences and memories can be posted at Humphreymiles.com.

British Columbia's printing industry lost one of its long-standing members with the passing of 82-year-old Dell Fraser, who worked with some of the region's leading printers and eventually ran his own shop, Dells Printing.

Fraser started his career at Hazeldine Press, owned at the time by Archie Hazeldine, before moving to Richmond to work with Smith Lithograph, which was eventually renamed Smith Grant Mann. While at Smith Grant Mann, owned by Dave Forrest Sr., Fraser met his future wife who was working in the company's bindery department.

For a few years, Fraser ran his own company, Dells Printing, before taking a position with the UBC Print Shop as a cutter, letterpress and offset operator. He ended his long printing career with Murphy's Stationary.

Fraser, who retired 22 years ago, was always heavily involved with the province's printing community, as one of the longest-serving members in the British Columbia Printing Industries Association. Today, his son, Blair Fraser, looks over the operations of West Coast Reproduction Centres.

The Canadian printing industry lost one of its long-standing members on July 16 with the passing of Douglas Alexander Dempsey, at the age of 79.

Born and raised in Willowdale, Ontario, Dempsey began working in his family's general store, Dempsey Brothers, until he found his passion for print. The Dempsey Brothers store today is a historical landmark in the Greater Toronto Area. (View wikimapia of Dempsey Brothers historical building.)

Doug Dempsey spent 55 years as a printer in Canada and was very active within the Printing Industries of America association. Dempsey's dedication to the industry culminated with his founding of The Delta Printing Group in Scarborough, Ontario.

Delta Printing was purchased in 2003 by Solisco Printers, which is now one of Canada's largest private printing operations. At the time of the purchase, Delta Printing had annual sales of just over $15 million.

Service information:

Visitation takes place on Thursday, July 22, 2010 from 7 to 9 pm, as well as on Friday, July 23, from 2 to 4 pm at the R.S. Kane Funeral Home (6150 Yonge Street, at Goulding, south of Steeles).

A Memorial Service is to be held on Saturday, July 24, at 1:30 pm in the Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations be made to the Rotary Foundation (The Rotary Club of Willowdale, c/o Bayview Golf & Country Club, 25 Fairway Heights Drive, Thornhill, ON L3T 3X1).

Condolences are welcomed at www.rskane.ca.

CANADA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PRINTER 2010:
GROUP J CANDIDATES

	TRADE PRINTING Gulam Jaffer    PA50 2010 #10 ranking President & CEO West Star Printing Toronto, ON From a 150,000-square-foot plant, Jaffer arguably runs the most-influential trade printing company in Greater Toronto, which is no small feat. His Star Web operation holds three heatset web presses (48-, 24-, and 16-page), while the sheetfed-based West Star operation runs three 40-inch perfectors (8-, 10, and 12-colours), amid smaller presses. Jaffer can truly claim the ability to print on anything, from an onion skin to the heaviest folding-carton board. Related links: Production equipment details
	PACKAGING Mary-Jean Irving President & CEO Master Packaging Borden, PEI Founding the company in 1996, Irving leads a corrugate and folding-carton operation employing over 340 people in two plants in PEI and one in New Brunswick. Related link: Production expansion 2010
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING Edward Kouwenhoven President Generation Printing Vancouver, BC With his brother Rob, Kouwenhoven founded Generation in 1998 to focus on the craft of ink on paper with four offset presses, including two forties.
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING Damian McDonald VP and GM Ampersand Printing Guelph, ON A two-time CIPPI winner, McDonald is one of Canada’s most-advanced printers, while also running 100 percent of Ampersand’s 40-inch work at 10-micron Staccato. Related link: CIPPI Award winner   2007, 2008 and 2009
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING Glen Warren Owner Warren’s Waterless Printing Toronto, ON As Canada’s only dedicated waterless printer, Warren has built one of the most environmentally progressive plants in North America, with ISO 14001, OEL and Eco Logo. Related links: Ontario Environmental Leaders program

GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D | GROUP E | GROUP F | GROUP G | GROUP H | GROUP I | GROUP J

CANADA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PRINTER 2010:
GROUP I CANDIDATES

	QUICK PRINTING Jamie O’Born    PA50 2010 #9 ranking President The Printing House Toronto, ON O’Born was named TPH’s youngest top-performing manager across Canada at just 22 years of age, which is the same age that her father was when he began the company – in 1961. In 1989, she launched a subsidiary called TPH Image House, which kept the company in front of the desktop-publishing revolution. Today, O’Born oversees TPH’s 70-plus printing branches across Canada, employing some 450 people. O’Born has been on the Board of Junior Achievement Canada since 2008. Related links: International Women’s Forum   Member Institute for Entrepreneurship program   Nominated by KPMG Junior Achievement of Canada   Board director since 2008 SickKids Foundation   SickKids Leader TPH Charitable Office   Established in 1983 Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies   Past recipient
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING David Allan President & CEO Rhino Print Solutions Calgary, AB A 3-time Benny Award winner, Allan has led substantial growth in recent years out of multiple commercial printing plants (Calgary, Richmond) and sales offices. Related links: Premier Print Awards  Multiple past winner (The Bennys) EPCOR CENTRE   Corporate Patrons of the Arts BC Business Entrepeneur of the Year   Runner up, 2006 (Turnaround category) G7 Master Printer   IDEAlliance designation
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING François Chartrand President Imprimerie L’Empreinte St. Laurent, QC With back-to-back Grand Gutenberg Awards in Canada’s top printing competition, Chartrand has positioned L’Empreinte as one of the country’s highest-quality printers. Related link: Gala Gutenberg   Grand Gutenberg winner in 2008 and 2009 L'Empreinte project portfolio
	TRADE PRINTING Dave Harb President Trade Secret Printing Toronto, ON Established in 2000, Harb is on an aggressive trade-printing path with a 10-colour perfector and 24-page Goss web, new toner and inkjet, in a 103,000-square-foot plant. Related link: Production details
	COMMERCIAL PRINTING Dean McElhinney General Manager Unicom Graphics Calgary, AB As CPIA Chairman of the Board, McElhinney holds one of the most-important positions in terms of effecting the average commercial printer in Canada. Related link: CPIA   Current board chairman

GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D | GROUP E | GROUP F | GROUP G | GROUP H | GROUP I | GROUP J