Industry updates
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PRINTING United Alliance announces 2026 honorees PRINTING United Alliance recognized industry leaders through the Ben Franklin Honor Society Class of 2026, The Academy Class of 2026, Joe Clarke Innovator Award & Swormstedt Best-in-Class Award.
The BFHS Class of 2026 included:
• Lane Hickey-Wiggins, Douglass Screen Printers, Inc. dba DPRINT
• Michael Magerl, Trabon
• Matthew Rhome, Sticker Mule
• John Seymour, Clemson University
• Chris Ulmer, Crystal Coast Graphics
The Academy Class of 2026 included:
• John MaGee, Avient Specialty Inks
• Kevin Kauth, SAATI Americas Corporation
• Michelle Moxley, The Ink Kitchen
In addition, the Alliance and The Academy honored Riley Hopkins as the recipient of the 2026 Joe Clarke Innovator Award.
Herb Glantz Glantz announced the passing of Herbert Theodore “Herb” Glantz, a longtime owner and leader of the family-owned sign supply company. Glantz died Aug. 26 in New York City at the age of 96. In a press announcement, the company said, “Over the course of his decades-long career with Glantz, Herb played an instrumental role in expanding the company and guiding it through significant growth. His leadership built on the foundation his grandfather and father, Edwin, established and positioned Glantz for the national presence it has today. As Glantz marks 120 years in business, Herb’s legacy remains an important part of the company’s story and the foundation upon which its future continues to be built.”
JDS Industries announces $3 million tariff giveback JDS Industries will give more than $3 million back to eligible customers whose purchases were impacted by tariffs. The decision represents a significant return of value to JDS customers across the awards and recognition, personalization, promotional products, decorated apparel, and sign supply industries. Rather than retain the tariff-related value, JDS made the decision to return it to the customers whose purchases were impacted. Eligible customers will receive their individual share through JDS account credits that can be applied toward future purchases.
Upcoming Events
Updates
Pukka joined brands from across the team sports industry for Team Insight’s Team Headwear Vendor Roundtable, where manufacturers discussed the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of team headwear.
Signarama announced it has marked significant achievements in Europe and North America: Signarama France was inducted into the Signarama Hall of Fame; Signarama awarded master franchise licenses in Germany and Portugal; and Signarama Canada will host its own national convention.
FASTSIGNS hosted its 16th annual Outside Sales Summit in Dallas, Texas. The three-day event brought together 668 FASTSIGNS attendees for sales education, networking, recognition, and professional development.
SpeedPro announced the opening of its SpeedPro Cape Fear location under the ownership of local Matt Sullivan.
Nazdar celebrated the opening of its Nazdar SourceOne Solutions Center in Shawnee, Kansas, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company’s campus.
Fully Promoted of Southern New Hampshire welcomed hundreds of loyal clients and local business leaders at its third annual client appreciation event at Bedford Event Center in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions launched a training and certification program for architectural window film installation. The inaugural workshop experience took place Oct. 21-23, hosted by Wensco at its corporate headquarters in Belmont, Michigan.
Howard Custom Transfers debuted HCT Assist, a decoration and fulfillment service created to help apparel businesses pursue opportunities that extend beyond their available production capacity.
S&S entered the next phase of its new brand rollout. The new identity includes an updated logo and the tagline, “Take Your Vision Further.”
New hires & promotions
Pat Noonan
SanMar
SanMar Corporation created a new chief operating officer role and appointed Pat Noonan to the position. Noonan is a 19-year veteran of SanMar and has served as chief product officer since 2017. His focus on customer satisfaction, innovation, and quality has shaped successful brand launches with Mercer+Mettle, and retail brands including Richardson, Carhartt, Brooks Brothers, and MiiR. He also played a central role in SanMar’s recent acquisition of BELLA+CANVAS. In his new role, Noonan will continue to lead the product organization and will now also oversee information technology, distribution, and enterprise resource planning.
Marco Nespolo & Rolf Stangl
Fedrigoni
Fedrigoni announced that Marco Nespolo is stepping down from his role as CEO and chairman of the board of directors of the group to pursue other opportunities. The board of directors has appointed Rolf Stangl as executive chairman. Stangl brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the global packaging industry, as well as extensive executive and board experience across both private equity-backed and publicly listed companies.
Trevor Gnesin & Clive Goldberg
Logomark
Following the announcement in March of this year that Private Equity firm Forge52 had acquired majority ownership of Logomark, founder and CEO Trevor Gnesin announced that the company’s long-time president, Clive Goldberg, has been named CEO. Gnesin will continue to serve as a board member and consultant to the business.
Andrew Plowman
General Formulations
General Formulations added Andrew Plowman to its growing sales team as regional sales manager covering the mid-Atlantic Region, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. Plowman joins GF with more than a decade of experience spanning engineering, manufacturing, product management, sales, and marketing within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Mark Grinspoon
L.A.T. Apparel
L.A.T. Apparel announced the addition of Mark Grinspoon to its sales organization as territory sales manager, Mid-Atlantic. Grinspoon joins L.A.T. Apparel with extensive experience in sales, territory management, and relationship development within the apparel industry. In his new role, Grinspoon will be responsible for managing and expanding customer relationships across the Mid-Atlantic territory, supporting customers with tailored solutions while driving continued growth for L.A.T. Apparel.
Chris Kelm & Dave Warns
Watchfire
Watchfire announced Chris Kelm has joined the company as vice president of on-premises sales. Kelm succeeds Dave Warns, who is stepping back after 14 years with Watchfire. Warns helped build the company’s on-premises sales organization and has been a tireless advocate for its dealers and customers.
Reports & studies
Girls Who Print released its 2026 Industry Insights Report, examining the experiences, priorities, and perspectives of women working across the global print and graphic communications industry.
S&S released its second annual Sustainability Report, and its first climate risk assessment aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. The company also obtained independent limited assurance over its greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Signarama released the findings of a national survey conducted by The Harris Poll, which shares new insights into how business signage shapes consumer perceptions and purchasing decisions.
A study commissioned by PPAI and conducted by Oxford Economics found that branded merchandise supports $170 billion in U.S. economics. The study measured the industry from end to end, including manufacturing and decoration, distribution, retail, e-commerce, fulfillment, marketing, and brand activation.
Nazdar celebrated the opening of its Nazdar SourceOne Solutions Center in Shawnee, Kansas, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company’s campus.
Fully Promoted of Southern New Hampshire welcomed hundreds of loyal clients and local business leaders at its third annual client appreciation event at Bedford Event Center in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions launched a training and certification program for architectural window film installation. The inaugural workshop experience took place Oct. 21-23, hosted by Wensco at its corporate headquarters in Belmont, Michigan.
Howard Custom Transfers debuted HCT Assist, a decoration and fulfillment service created to help apparel businesses pursue opportunities that extend beyond their available production capacity.
S&S entered the next phase of its new brand rollout. The new identity includes an updated logo and the tagline, “Take Your Vision Further.”
Mergers & acquisitions
JDS Industries, headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has acquired Small Balls, a supplier of products for ADA-compliant Braille signage.
iPROMOTEu announced that The Distributor Exchange (DX), a division of iPROMOTEu, has completed the acquisition of Flywheel Brands, a merchandising, print, and e-commerce platform.
SRG has taken over sales and distribution of the Kelvin Tools line of custom-branded promotional products throughout North America.
Durst Group announced that MPS Printing B.V., a Netherlands-based specialist in flexographic printing systems, will become part of the Durst Group on Jan. 1, 2027, through the acquisition of its holding company, and will operate under the name MPS – A Durst Group Company.
Hamed Dadgour is the new owner of Minuteman Press in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Dadgour purchased 47-year business Printing Plus from retiring owner Michael Torres, who owned the business for 35 years.
Awards & recognitions
FUJIFILM Business Innovation announced the winners of the Innovation Print Awards 2026 Global. A total of 42 award-winning entries were recognized for their creativity and technical excellence from among 442 submissions printed on FUJIFILM-branded production presses worldwide.
Abel Corral and Christine Corral, owners of a Minuteman Press franchise in Denver, Colorado, officially joined the Minuteman Press International President’s Club for achieving over $1 million in gross sales for the year ending 2025.
Giving back
Imperial renewed its partnership with Watson Links, a nonprofit golf mentoring organization founded by eight-time major champion Tom Watson. Imperial provides hats to Watson Links participants, giving junior golfers & mentors headwear to wear during their on-course experiences.
Pukka partnered with Surfers for Autism to provide hats for every participant and volunteer at the nonprofit’s 16th Annual Cocoa Beach Surf Festival, bringing custom headwear to an event centered on inclusion, community, and shared experiences. The festival welcomed well over 200 participants and hundreds of volunteers for a day of surfing and activities designed for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Image360 Calgary South is supporting the CIBC Run for the Cure for the second consecutive year, providing custom signage and graphics to help promote and bring the annual Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser to life in Calgary. Building on its involvement with the event last year, Image360 Calgary South expanded its support this year to include signage promoting registration in the weeks leading up to the run, as well as signage displayed throughout the event.
Durst Group announced that MPS Printing B.V., a Netherlands-based specialist in flexographic printing systems, will become part of the Durst Group on Jan. 1, 2027, through the acquisition of its holding company, and will operate under the name MPS – A Durst Group Company.
Hamed Dadgour is the new owner of Minuteman Press in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Dadgour purchased 47-year business Printing Plus from retiring owner Michael Torres, who owned the business for 35 years.
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