New U.S. trade association for small printing company owners

A group of 19 American owners of small-to-medium-sized print shops has founded the National Print Owners Association, Inc. (NPOA), a new trade association providing services and products specifically geared to what for years was called the Quick-Printing segment of the industry. Serving as the new association’s Acting Executive Director is John C. Stewart of Melbourne, Florida. 

Mr. Stewart is president of QP Consulting, Inc. and for years has published statistical studies in the printing and mailing industries (until recently including studies for the National Association of Quick Printers [NAQP]).  In recent months, on his blog and Website, Mr. Stewart has reported the absence of a trade association to serve the needs and interests of small commercial printers effectively, as well as concerns over the plummeting membership numbers, high dues and overhead, and top-down leadership of existing organizations.

Incorporated on December 3, NPOA was first launched on December 21 on the popular list server at PrintOwners.org, owned by Mike Stevens of WebSitesForPrinters.com, then via a 30,000-address e-mail campaign on January 2.

In an effort to keep fees low enough that even the smallest printers can afford to join, NPOA is charging $275 for annual dues after January 31, or $225 as an introductory offer for printers who join by the end of this month.  They have already launched their own discussion group on LinkedIn and have scheduled their first Owner’s Conference to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 19-21, 2013.

Are you interested in joining NPOA?  Do you have any predictions on how the new association will fare?

Update on 25 February 2012:

This morning, while completing an article on the start-up of NPOA for the March issue of PrintAction, I was impressed to discover on the new association's Website that their April conference has sold out at 110 registrations and their membership count now stands at 254--pretty fast work for an organization that only became legally incorporated less than three months ago.

http://www.printowners.org/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTnllmBGcWc
http://whattheythink.com/articles/61618-national-printowners-association-launched/
http://www.quickconsultant.com/

http://www.quickconsultant.com/quickconsultantcolumns.html
http://www.thequickconsultant.blogspot.ca/
https://www.box.com/shared/fn9e70jk0yyfe3yvgyc3

How AlphaGraphics reinvented itself in just 2 years to reverse declining sales

Recommended reading:  Carol Tice’s 14-September-2012 post on Forbes.com, entitled “How to Grow Your Business -- When Your Whole Industry is Dying”.  It describes how the 41-year-old printing franchise AlphaGraphics has successfully turned its declining financial position around in only two years by reinventing itself from simple print and copy shop to new-media marketing services provider.  According to Forbes, a typical AlphaGraphics store now brings in $1 million in annual revenue, in contrast to industry averages of $500,000-$900,000.

The AlphaGraphics Web site reports that:

-       The company originated in Tuscon, Arizona, but since 2001 they have been headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-       They were the first U.S. printing franchise to expand internationally, and

-       AlphaGraphics currently has 270+ independently owned and operated franchises located in the in the United States, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

They add that:  “AlphaGraphics has formed an alliance with Print Three of Canada, ensuring consistent, quality service for customers throughout North America.”  No further practical details on how the alliance operates appear on either franchise’s Web site.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/caroltice/2012/09/14/how-to-grow-your-business-in-a-dying-industry/

http://www.alphagraphics.com/about_us

http://www.printthree.com/news/10/108/AlphaGraphics-Inc-and-Print-Three-Franchising-Corporation-Announce-Strategic-Cross-Border-Marketing-Alliance/d,Press%20Releases/