Promoting the industry ~ Focused on Members Success
Recently, I was in the company of some long time
friends enjoying the obligatory libation following an afternoon of what
some would call golf, when one of them said “Does everyone here
realize that of 16 of us at this table, only one of us produces a
tangible product”. We were
all momentarily puzzled until some of us realized that he was referring
to me and the printed products that my company produces.
The rest of the group were all lawyers, doctors, real estate
appraisers, insurance salesmen, etc.,i.e., “service industry”
professionals.
That observation on the part of my friend spurred a
lot of conversation around the table about the quantum shift in the
economy of the
Well, it hasn’t happened, and it won’t happen.
There is no substitute for holding that piece of paper in your
hands as you read the words, or enjoy the art.
A computer monitor lacks that tactile sensation that seems to be
a need that people will always have.
I’ve read that recent studies prove once again that print
outsells all other media by a large margin and many ad agencies and
marketing departments are redirecting their budgets in our direction.
As Mark Twain so famously said and could be applied to our
industry many times over thousands of years, “The rumors of my recent
demise have been grossly overstated”.
My point in all this is to ask you to stop and reflect on the heritage you have and hold in the printing industry. I know it’s hard to see it that way when you’re putting out fires and wearing many hats all day, everyday, but it is truly a noble profession, and one that deserves our best efforts to promote it and pass it along to future generations who just don’t “get it”. We’re no longer a “heavy industry”. We’re on the cutting edge of technology and innovation today, and we need to tell that story. Chances are that some older person took an interest in your learning about printing, as I know my father and grandfather did for me, and I hope you will take the time somehow to pass that knowledge and that pride in your profession on to a younger person who will one day also realize what a noble profession ours truly can be.
I hope to see you all at Pawley's Island in
November. Call the PICA office today and sign up. I promise you won't
regret it!
Chairman, PICA Board of Directors
Commercial Printing Company
(919) 832-2828