In February 2012, the Printing Industries of America and the National Association for Printing Leadership announced the formation of a Unification Task Force to study an idea to combine the two U.S.-based associations, which are the two most-powerful dedicated printing associations in North America.
The Unification Task Force yesterday announced its recommendation to cease unification discussions and that the two groups have decided to remain independent. After studying issues like legal, financial, governance, membership structure, and programs, the Task Force concluded it was not possible to formulate a combined entity that accommodated the needs of both a direct and locally delivered structure.
“Our organizations have a great deal of respect for each other. The Task Force studied several approaches to unification as well as facilitated several months of good conversations about how to best serve our industry and our members,” read a joint statement from Laura Lawton-Forsyth and Darren Loken, co-chairs of the Unification Task Force. “Despite our best efforts, at this time, we feel it’s in their best interest for the two associations to remain independent but actively collaborate on key events and programs.”
The PIA and NAPL also announced plans to continue collaborating on programs and ongoing partnerships in the Graphic Arts Show Company, GAERF, as well as conferences like the Vision 3 Summit.
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