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Paramus, N.J. - 4/7/2009 - NAPL (www.napl.org), the management association representing companies in the printing and graphic communications industry, has bestowed the highest honor in its 2008 Management Plus competition, The William K. Marrinan Hall of Fame Award, on Wordsprint, Wytheville, VA. The Hall of Fame honor is awarded after a company has won numerous Management Plus awards over a period of years. Wordsprint has consistently earned Management Plus awards each year since 1993, including four Gold awards.

Wordsprint was cited for its superior financial record, its emphasis on employee participation in management, and its consistency in producing quality printing. “Being selected as one of the industry’s best managed companies is a tremendous honor,” stated Wordsprint President Bill Gilmer, “and our entire staff deservedly shares in the credit.” Gilmer continued, “Management Plus is such a terrific tool for assessment, for strategy, for real change. It’s made a huge difference in our business.”

Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL President and Chief Executive Officer praised the company stating, "Wordsprint epitomizes the highest level of management excellence recognized by our Management Plus program. We applaud and congratulate Bill Gilmer and everyone at Wordsprint for making management excellence a company-wide, ongoing initiative. This is a much-deserved honor."

Gilmer accepted the award along with Chief Financial Officer Kathy Matheny and Marketing Director Kim Haga at a special banquet on March 17th, during the NAPL Top Management Conference in Tucson, Arizona. The annual NAPL Management Plus program is sponsored by American Printer magazine, Compass Capital Partners, Ltd., and manroland. 

About Wordsprint:  Wordsprint employs 26 people in its two facilities in Wytheville and Christiansburg, VA, and specializes in design, print and mail services for area businesses and organizations. Proud of the strong roots they’ve built in their community, Wordsprint takes pride in being a complete source for all business communications needs. By being on the leading edge of technology, Wordsprint understands that an investment in technology saves money by improving efficiencies. The diversely skilled, fast-moving team of professionals continues to learn from each other and meet whatever challenges their clients may face.

About NAPL’s Management Plus Program:  Unlike other graphic arts competitions in which pieces are judged, NAPL's Management Plus program judges management excellence. Graphic communications companies are asked to conduct an analysis of specific areas of their operations. In that way, the program becomes a diagnostic tool that printing company leaders can use to judge their own management performance against accepted industry standards.

Participants compete in one of six categories:  five based on size and one for in-plant printers.  Management Plus entrants are judged on how they perform against industry standards in nine key areas:  internal control systems; financial performance; marketing/sales plan; business planning; human resources; environmental/safety concerns; quality control; community/industry affairs; and vendor relations.

For more information about NAPL's Management Plus program, contact Robin Schabacker, Program Coordinator, at (800) 642-6275, ext. 6307, or http://rschabacker@napl.org.  

About NAPL:  NAPL is a not-for-profit business management association representing companies in the $120+ billion commercial printing and graphic communications industry in North America. NAPL’s comprehensive slate of business-building solutions provides company leaders with the management tools they need to make informed business decisions in an ever-changing market environment.  The association also handles administration of NAQP, the National Association of Quick Printers, which specializes in the unique concerns of small printers nationwide, and the industry’s Research and Engineering Council, which is dedicated to manufacturing technology and productivity improvement issues. For more information on NAPL or its affiliated associations visit www.napl.org or call (800) 642-6275.  

About American Printer:  American Printer is one of the printing industry’s leading national magazines for graphic arts managers.  American Printer is published monthly and has over 71,000 subscribers.      

About manroland: manroland AG is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of printing systems and the world’s market leader in web offset. The group has production facilities in Offenbach, Mainhausen, Augsburg and Plauen in Germany. It employs almost 8,700 people, has annual sales of almost 1.7 billion Euro with an export share of almost 80 percent, and books new orders to a value of 1.4 billion Euro (2008).  

About Compass Capital Partners: Compass Capital Partners, Ltd. is a leader in providing investment banking and financial services to the printing industry.   

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