Joe Davis Wins Print CEO of the Year!

We can't say enough about our CEO, Joe Davis, but it's always nice when the rest of the world realizes what an outstanding leader he is. Mr. Davis was recently honored as Print CEO of the Year by WhatTheyThink and Manroland for his "inspirational leadership and success."

We aren't sure if it's the incredible growth the company has seen (Mr. Davis has grown CGX from a single print facility to over 70 facilities in just 25 years, and our company has reached over $1 billion in revenues), his Leadership Development Program (in his acceptance speech, he said this is his proudest achievement), or the company's successful acquisition program (which is the company's core growth strategy), but whatever it is, 2,500 of Davis' peers seem to agree that he is worthy of such an honor. To learn more about the Print CEO of the Year award, click here.

Introducing emerge Magazine

Every year, we invite our top customers to emerge, our annual conference for clients that highlights print, technology and marketing innovation. The event features breakout sessions, showcases major developments from print suppliers and manufacturers, and shares best practices from some of the biggest names in business: Merck, Aviva, Tyco, Adobe and more.

While we've gotten rave reviews about emerge over the years, one of the things we've discovered is the need to continue education and knowledge transfer among our clients in-between the annual conferences. As a result we recently launched a bi-monthly magazine (also called emerge).

Our goal for emerge, both conference and magazine, is simple: to explore new perspectives and solutions so that we, our customers, suppliers and the entire industry can improve our respective businesses. We want your input, comments, thoughts and musings, and we've also put together an online digital subscription version for you to conveniently view anytime, anywhere.

Frederic Printing's InfoPrint 5000

Part of what makes CGX such a strong company is the relationships we hold with our suppliers. Our customers tell us what they need, we translate that need to our suppliers, and they provide us with the appropriate technology. This gives us the ability to package this technology into a complete solution that makes our customers' lives easier and their marketing efforts more effective.

Frederic Printing, a CGX company in Aurora, Colorado, recently partnered with InfoPrint to install the InfoPrint 5000, which improves our ability to create print-on-demand textbooks, direct mail pieces, election ballots, and other high-volume variably-printed collateral. For more info on the InfoPrint, check out Chris Greene's guest post on the InfoPrint blog.

Joe Davis Selected as Print CEO of the Year Finalist

Joe Davis, CEO of Consolidated Graphics, was just announced as a finalist for the WhatTheyThink.com Print CEO of the Year award. While no surprise to us, it's always nice to be recognized by such a premier online resource for all things print-related.

Mr. Davis was selected from a prestigious group of thirty nominations for the first annual Print CEO of the Year award. Criteria for judging includes a demonstration of "inspirational and innovative leadership," metrics like revenue and profit growth, corporate transformation initiatives, and/or environmental leadership, and other qualifications that the nominator deems important.

We're not sure if it's his support for innovation shown through groundbreaking events like emerge, his commitment to young talent displayed through the Leadership Development Program that he founded, or the solid CGX financial performance, but whatever it is, we are in full agreement that Mr. Davis is worthy of such an honor.

Awards will be presented at the second annual Print CEO Forum scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd in Chicago, Illinois, and the winner will be selected by a group of industry peers. “We assembled a panel of 10 industry experts to narrow the list down to the top five,” said Randy Davidson, president of WhatTheyThink. “Hundreds of Print CEOs from around the globe will be invited to submit their votes to determine who will be named the Print CEO of the Year. All 5 finalists will receive a unique award crafted by a talented artist. It was a tough choice for our industry experts since all 30 nominees were highly qualified. Our congratulations to all 30 nominees, and especially to the final five.”

The five finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

* Joe Davis, Consolidated Graphics, Houston, Texas

* Robert Keane, Vistaprint, Lexington, Mass.

* John Lacagnina, ColorCentric Corp., Rochester, N.Y.

* Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics, Sussex, Wis.

* Adam Slutsky, Mimeo, New York, N.Y.

Congratulations to all!

CDS Publications Receives Prestigious ISO Certification

CDS Publications, a Consolidated Graphics company located in Medford, Oregon, has completed its ISO certification process, which it has maintained since 1994. ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards, and governs national standards of 163 countries. The organization forms a bridge between the public and private sectors, ensuring that companies meet the requirements of both business and society at large.

CDS renews its certification every three years, after receiving approval from a 3rd party auditor on specific processes, initiatives, and standards that have been determined as best practices for the print and manufacturing industry.

"The ISO 9001:2008 certification is a signal to our customers that we are protecting the data they send us, producing their work with the utmost quality, and staying ahead of the curve when it comes to our internal processes," said Steve Brown, President of CDS. "While not required by the industry, it's an important step in assuring our customers that we will deliver not only a superior product, but a superior experience."

The Dukes of Digital: CGX is highlighted in August's Printing Impressions magazine

Consolidated Graphics made the cover of Printing Impressions magazine this month and was featured in the prestigious trade publication. It was a group effort, showcasing the work of the entire executive team and the significant progress that the company has made since its inception under the leadership of CEO Joe Davis.

Here are just a few of my favorite excerpts from the article, but be sure to check out the complete story, as it provides a solid snapshot of who CGX is and where the company is heading:

On emerge:

• It is at the intersection of people and technology that you will find the kingdom of Consolidated Graphics, and emerge was just one way in which the company is 
building on its empire.
• "One recurring theme I hear is that marketers and procurement people are starting to think more creatively about what they can do," Grohs says. "It's kind of a perfect storm, because we have all of this technology, digital equipment and the recession all hitting the industry at the same time. And, it seems that no one else is trying to take the lead and show people what can really be done. Our event was fresh, innovative and educational."

On sales and recruiting:

• Saying that people are the most important asset at a printing company reeks of trite indulgence. But not for a firm that invests in a Leadership Development Program, an initiative that seeks out the brightest and hardest-working young men and women from American campuses nationwide to mold them into future CGX executives.
• According to Michael Barton, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, "If anything, our expectations have increased because we realize that, as CGX grows, we'll need a large pool of talented people ready to assume the leadership roles that will become available.
• Its sales force is constantly raising the bar in terms of cross-selling opportunities, with more than $100 million per year in such sales. Being able to sell the full capabilities of CGX—like its legendary stout balance sheet—is a given for its sales force.

On technology:

• Davis points out that the 220 machines which grace the CGX network make it the largest fleet of digital presses in the United States.
• Jon Biro, executive vice president, chief financial and accounting officer, notes that investments over the past two years have enabled the company to nurture what he calls the "world's largest digital platform."

On acquisitions:

• "Our acquisition strategy isn't directly tied to geography or acquiring new capabilities," Cohen notes. "We look for the best companies, with the best leadership and the best customers, no matter where they happen to be. 
• CGX's M&A platform is as robust as any, buoyed by ready access to capital and ready to stretch into a 27th state, though geography is not a requisite.

On innovation and progress:

• For a major printing conglomerate, it boasts many of the traits shown by companies a mere fraction of CGX's size.
• "It doesn't matter how big we get," Davis remarks. "The day we start thinking like a big company is the day we're going to die. We've got to stay nimble, stay flexible. We can't get caught up in big company bureaucracy. If we do that, we're going to lose what makes us so 
special."

2010 Annual Shareholders' Meeting Recap

The 2010 Annual Shareholders' Meeting just came to a close, and was a huge success. In a less than ideal economic climate, CGX has managed to strengthen its key differentiators (a strong balance sheet, a thriving training program, and state-of-the-art technology platform) to once again come out ahead.

The event attracted over 300 people with an assortment of ties to the printing company, and featured presentations from CEO Joe Davis, CFO Jon Biro, and EVP of Sales and Marketing Aaron Grohs, all of whom touched on the importance of technology in printing and a continued focus on recruiting top talent.

Each guest received a copy of the annual report (complete with QR codes and a digital version), the new Emerge publication, and a Printing Impressions cover story scheduled to release next week. There is no doubt that CGX is continuing to invest in its future, and has solid growth prospects, both organic and acquisition-based.

Following are a few photos from the event, which was a solid kickoff to the National Associates' Meeting, which will be held tomorrow through Saturday. For more images, visit our Flickr page.