Teldon expands to Victoria
VANCOUVER—Teldon Print Media has opened an office across the Strait of Georgia in Victoria in order to fill a need the company has identified on Vanvouver Island for a high-quality, full-service commercial printer. The new office will primarily be a sales office, but on-site proofing equipment is being added for flexibility and efficiency. In April of this year, Teldon bought three Vancouver area print companies: Clarke Printing, Intermedia Press and Rainbow Press.
Jack Hazeldine Retires
VANCOUVER—Jack Hazeldine, currently of Hemlock Printers, is retiring from printing after a career spanning several decades. He leaves at the end of the October. Hazeldine is the former owner of Hazeldine Press.
September 26, 2003
Warren Wilkins named Printer of the Year
TORONTO—Warren Wilkins, the CEO and co-founder of Webcom, has been named Printer of the Year by Graphic Monthly magazine. In a cover story in the upcoming October issue, the 75-year-old printer is cited for his innovative use of technology, his toughness, and his strong support for the CPIA. Webcom is one of Canada’s most successful book printers, with annual sales of about $75 million, 400 employees and an international reputation. The company was spawned in 1977 from another printer he co-founded, Web Offset Publications. He has served as chair of both the CPIA and PIA in the U.S.
Kwik Kopy gets a new look
RICHMOND HILL, ONT.—Your local Kwik Kopy Printing is now known as the Kwik Kopy Design & Print Centre. The redesign was completed last month at the chain’s 70 locations across Canada, with new signage, interiors and a Web site. “We wanted our branding to include an understanding of everything that we do at the centres,” says Anita Garner, marketing manager for Kwik Kopy Printing Canada Corporation. All but two of the outlets are franchise operations; the two corporate locations are for sale, Garner adds. The redesign follows a similar move at the Kwik Kopy chain in Australia. Canada is part of the international network, with locations also in the U.S., U.K. and Israel.
NexPress not a press when it comes to labour negotiations
MILWAUKEE, Wis.—An office of the U.S. National Labour Relations Board based here has ruled that Heidelberg/Kodak’s NexPress digital press cannot be considered a lithographic press for collective bargaining purposes. The union at a local print shop that had recently purchased a NexPress argued that NexPress operators should be included under the shop’s existing labour agreement. But the NRLB, siding with the printing company, ruled that the operators should not be included in the lithographic craft unit because the new machine is not a lithographic press.
The ruling was made last month and concerned the Delzer Lithographic Company. The PIA’s Graphic Arts Employers committee will be making a special presentation about this case, among other issues, at Graph Expo in Chicago on Monday Sept. 29.
September 22, 2003
Former printer honoured as Entrepreneur of the Year
HALFAX—Harry Steele, former owner of several printing assets in the Maritimes, has received the Ernst & Young 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year, Atlantic Lifetime Achievement award. Steele, consolidated several printing assets in the eastern provinces, including Robinson-Blackmore and Print Atlantic, into Newfoundland Capital Corp. He then sold those assets to Optipress, and exited printing altogether in favour of the radio industry. The Ernst & Young award is given to those individuals who set themselves apart as leaders and mentors in the business community.
Communicorp delisted from TSE
TORONTO—The common shares of Communicorp Corporation will be suspended from trading on Monday, October 6 for failure to meet the continued requirement of the Toronto Stock Exchange, according to a release from the TSE. The company seems to have hit a rough patch, as a number of directors have recently announced their resignation from the Board of Directors, leaving the company without a quorum of directors. There are currently 12,439 common shares outstanding of Communicorp stock.
September 12, 2003
Ryerson honoured by Xplor
TORONTO—Ryerson’s Graphic Communications Management program has received the Innovation in Higher Education Award from the Electronic Document Systems Foundation. EDSF is a non-profit organization dedicated to print and digital communication founded by Xplor International. The award is in recognition of the program’s inventive approach to document education and training. “We are honoured to receive this distinction, which places us among the best graphic communications programs in the world,” says Mary Black, chair, Graphic Communications Management. The award will be handed out on October 26-29 during the Xplor 2003 conference.
Transcontinental printing revenue up
MONTREAL—Transcontinental is crediting its rapid and successful integration of acquisitions from 2002 for its increased revenue. In the third quarter, ended July 31, 2003, printing revenues rose to $434.8 million from $408.8 million in 2002. Revenue for the nine months ended July 31, climbed to $1.37 billion from $1.28 billion in 2002.
CPIA announces new executive
OTTAWA—The CPIA elected its 2003 executive at its annual convention at the end of August. Blair Fraser, of West Coast Reproduction Centres in Vancouver, takes over as chairman; Jeff Eckstein, of Willow Printing Group in Concord, remains chair of the government affairs committee and assumes the position of vice chairman; Ward Griffin, of Lowe-Martin in Ottawa, remains treasurer; Curwin Friesen, of Friesens Corp. in Altona, Man., is director at large; and Bob Kadis, of Bowne of Canada in Toronto, is immediate past chairman.
September 2, 2003
Hemlock, Metropolitan win big at Bennies
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Hemlock Printers and Metropolitan Fine Printers, both of B.C., each won two Best of Category prizes at the Premier Print Awards, also known as the Bennies. Hemlock received its Bennie in the book jackets and folders (four or more colours) categories and Metropolitan in the newsletters (four or more colours) and consumer promotional campaign categories. Other Canadian Best of Category winners include C.J. Graphics, Compuset Canada, Friesens Corp., General Printers, Integria, Schawk Canada and Transcontinental O’Keefe. They each received one Best of Category award.
Michael Vijuk dies
ELMHURST, IL—Michael Vijuk, founder of Vijuk Equipment Inc., passed away last week, just three weeks before his 90th birthday. Although based in the U.S., Vijuk got his start in Canada. He arrived in Windsor, Ont., in 1952 and opened a bindery business, gradually gaining a solid reputation as a bookbinding consultant in North America. In 1967, he formed Vijuk Equipment with son Joseph and in 1981, he invented the MV-81 Ribbon-style outsert attachment. In 1982, he relocated the company to its present-day location in Elmhurst. Although he retired from the presidency and assumed chairmanship of the board in 1997, Vijuk continued to visit his plant almost daily until recently.
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