Webinar: 10 Attributes of High-Growth Companies

In a highly competitive industry, printers must focus on two things to succeed: efficiency and growth. The first delivers a better bottom line; the second produces a more robust top line. In this session, New Direction Partners experts share what they have found to be the 10 attributes of high growth printing companies, providing insight to owners and managers about how they can ensure high growth in their own businesses. This includes:

  • Ensuring the right sales and sales management strategies.
  • Putting in the time and effort to create and execute on actionable business plans.
  • Ensuring accountability within the organization for achievement of strategic and tactical goals.
  • The role of mergers and acquisitions.
  • … and more.

Who should attend?
CEO’s, owners, presidents, business development, marketing, sales and finance managers who are instrumental in developing and implementing the firm’s growth strategy

About the Presenters:

Al Reijmer and Jim Russell are partners in New Direction Partners (NDP), the leading provider of advisory services for printing and packaging firms seeking growth and opportunity through mergers and acquisitions. NDP assists its clients by giving them expert guidance and peace of mind at every stage of the process of buying or selling a printing or packaging company. Services include representing selling shareholders; acquisition searches; valuation; capital formation and financing; and strategic planning. NDP’s partners have participated in more than 300 mergers and acquisitions since 1979. Collectively they possess more than 200 years of industry experience with transactions in aggregate exceeding $2 billion. For information, email info@newdirectionpartners.com.

Proudly Presented by:

Date:
Thursday, May 20, 2021

Time:
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central

Cost:
FREE to GLGA members
$39 for not-yet members

A confirmation email with the connection information will be sent to you a few days before the webinar.

 

Webinar: Reimagining M&A Trends in These Unprecedented Times

In this educational session, New Direction Partners experts will present an update on current printing and packaging industry trends, and how the M&A market is shifting due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key result is an expectation that we will see more tuck-ins as we come out of this crisis, which has placed significant stress on many businesses in our industry. For many of these businesses, finding a buyer who is willing to do a tuck-in is much preferable to simply closing their doors.

During this session, you will:

  • Learn about the tuck-in process and various ways of configuring tuck-ins
  • Gain a general overview of the M&A environment in what is likely to be our new normal
  • Better understand if COVID-19 will impact your company valuation

About the Presenters:

Al Reijmer and Jim Russell are partners in New Direction Partners (NDP), the leading provider of advisory services for printing and packaging firms seeking growth and opportunity through mergers and acquisitions. NDP assists its clients by giving them expert guidance and peace of mind at every stage of the process of buying or selling a printing or packaging company. Services include representing selling shareholders; acquisition searches; valuation; capital formation and financing; and strategic planning. NDP’s partners have participated in more than 300 mergers and acquisitions since 1979. Collectively they possess more than 200 years of industry experience with transactions in aggregate exceeding $2 billion. For information, email info@newdirectionpartners.com.

Proudly Presented by:

Date:
Thursday, April 22, 2021

Time:
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central

Cost:
FREE to GLGA members
$39 for not-yet members

A confirmation email with the connection information will be sent to you a few days before the webinar.

 

Eighth Annual Chicagoland Printers Scholarship Golf Outing

Join your friends from the Great Lakes Graphics Association and the Graphic Communications Guild at White Pines Golf Club & Banquets in Bensenville, IL, for a day of golf, networking, refreshments and delicious food – Las Vegas style!

Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Location: White Pines Golf Club & Banquets, Bensenville, IL

Schedule: 

  • 10:30 a.m. Check-in begins.
  • 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Driving range open (Free for our golfers)
  • 11:00 a.m. Lunch served.
  • 12:30 p.m. Shotgun start. Scramble format.
  • Steak dinner and prizes follow golf.

Prizes:

Awards will be given for the Putting Contest and for Men and Women’s

  • Longest Drive
  • Longest Putt
  • Straightest Drive
  • Drive to the Green
  • Closest to the Pin

Raffle prize table with drawing to be held immediately after dinner. Grand prize $500.00 Southwest Airlines gift card.

Costs:

Golf packages (per person) include greens fees, golf cart, 2 beverage tickets, lunch, and dinner.

  • Golf package per person:  $185.00
  • Foursome:  $700.00
  • Dinner only per person: $60.00
  • Lunch only per person: $20.00

 

Attire:
Proper golf attire (shirt with sleeves) must be worn at all times. The club does not allow metal spikes to be worn on the golf course.

COVID-19 Safety:
The golf outing will follow COVID-19 safety precautions as recommended by the CDC at the time of the outing.

To Register:

You do not need to be a member of GLGA or GCG to register. Payment in full by credit card must be included with your reservation.

Online registration is now closed. A limited number of golfer spaces are still available. Please see Sharon Flick at the golf outing check-in desk Wednesday morning desk to register onsite. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon via email at sflick@glga.info.

About the Scholarship Program:

The proceeds from this golf outing support scholarships for deserving students in Illinois who are seeking continuing education in the graphic communications field. Since our inaugural golf outing in 2013, 86 scholarships totaling more than $144,500 have been awarded. For more information about the scholarship program, please click here

Your support is welcome to help assure the continuance of these scholarship programs. To become a sponsor, donate a door prize, or make a cash contribution to the scholarship fund, please contact Sharon Flick at (262) 201-4730, sflick@glga.info.

 

 

Webinar: Breaking Down the Employee Retention Credit

The Employee Retention Credit under the CARES Act encourages businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50 percent of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19.

Join Andrew Klemens and Ryan Peterson of BKD as they share insight on the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and what it means for employers. They will examine the extension and expansion of the ERC, compare its differences between 2020 and 2021, and review the criteria required to qualify for the credit.

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the recent ERC extension and expansion
  • Define how the ERC differed between 2020 and 2021
  • Discuss the criteria an organization must meet for ERC qualification

Who should Attend:
CEOs, General Managers, Accounting Professionals and other leaders responsible for tax preparation.

About the presenters:
Andrew Klemens provides consulting and tax preparation services for closely held corporations, partnerships and LLCs in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, food, graphic arts, health care and professional services. He consults on business entity selection and planning, corporate and LLC reorganizations and sale analyses involving sophisticated transactions and structures. His experience also includes income tax provision (ASC 740 and FIN 48) preparation and assisting corporation public filing requirements with quarterly tax reporting, multistate taxation, individual tax planning, employee benefits and representation before various taxing authorities, including the IRS, Illinois Department of Revenue and Illinois Department of Employment Security.
He has authored various articles for publications on new developments in changing tax laws and tax incentives, including the repair regulations and the use of interest charge domestic international sales corporations (IC-DISC). He is a frequent presenter on various advanced topics of flow-through taxation, with topics ranging from partnership allocations to fringe benefit planning for S corporations and partnerships. In addition, he is an annual participant in the tax assistance program serving low-income taxpayers in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Andrew is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and volunteers to write CPA exam questions for AICPA. He also is a member of the Illinois CPA Society Flow-Through Entities Committee.

Ryan Peterson is a director in BKD’s Chicago practice and provides outsourced accounting, consulting and advisory services for closely held organizations and their shareholders. His other areas of expertise include traditional accounting, payroll and sales taxation, financial statement preparation and small business accounting software package assistance. Ryan serves numerous clients in the healthcare, manufacturing, professional services and not-for-profit industries.
Ryan is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Illinois CPA Society. Ryan is certified with Intuit as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and also is a Certified Intacct Services Provider.

Proudly Presented by:

Date:
Thursday, March 25, 2021

Time:
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central

Cost:
FREE to GLGA Members
$39.00 for Not Yet-Members

A confirmation email with the connection information will be sent to you a few days before the webinar.

 

 

Webinar: Back to Normal May Not be Good Enough

The print market recovery has begun to show signs of life. While not everyone was affected equally early on, the rebound has also been inconsistent throughout the regions. We hear many looking forward to getting business back to normal—that may be in a while still, if at all. Many things have changed this last year. How and where folks work, how they shop and learn, and what they do for fun and recreation. How will those changes impact the client base you had pre-COVID and how have the changes that you’ve made to your business change what normal could look like?

When you examine your customer base, ask yourself which groups will prevail when the business climate fully resumes. When they do re-engage, will their needs and how they conduct business be different than before?

Your business also looks different than it did 12 months ago. You’ve spent time and resources to re-tool and re-imagine your offering, your workflow and your staff. The challenge for business owners will be to prepare for an operating environment that is, or will be, and not the one from their past.

During the webinar, you will learn:

  • We are in a transitioning landscape — understand a business world that is, not one from yesterday. While you’ll still make money spinning cylinders and generating clicks, how you get business continues to change.
  • Your current and future clients — identifying key opportunities in your markets, what is an “essential business,” new business development strategies and steps to take for customer growth, retention and inactive clients.
  • Your team — is everyone in the right roles today? Do they have the ability to learn and adapt to the challenges of today, and are you breaking down the internal silos and external obstacles that could hold you back?
  • From plan to process — leading, managing, coaching and keeping score using smart goals and setting expectations has never been more important. Set the bar too low and you might reach it, not high enough and you fail to reach your true potential.

Who should Attend:

  • CEO’s, Owners & Presidents
  • Current and future company leaders

About the Presenter:
Mike Philie is a business management consultant who works with companies in the Graphic Communications Industry. The PhilieGroup works with business owners, senior leadership, sales managers, and sales representatives who are not satisfied with the status quo and are looking for guidance in altering the trajectory of their results. He also leads interdisciplinary teams through the transition necessary for profitable growth within a changing, dynamic marketplace, and provides senior management with insights on internal and external issues impacting sales, profitability, and acquisition strategies paired with cultural integration. As a former printing company president and senior-level sales executive, Mike combines personal front-line experience with insight garnered from hundreds of industry clients to infuse his consulting and presentations with timely, real-world examples and proven, results-driving advice. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Printing Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Mike is a regular speaker and seminar leader at numerous industry conferences including Graph Expo, Print, National Postal Forum, PIA President’s Conference, Dscoop, Printing United and various manufacturer client events and Peer Groups. He has served on the faculty of NAPL’s Management Institute and Idealliance’s NexGen Leaders Group management leadership development programs as well as Idealliance’s CEO Roundtable for top industry executives. He also has co-launched the Graphic Arts CEO Forum – a two-year program to guide CEO’s that face the challenges of a changing industry www.gaceoforum.com. Also launching in March 2021 is the Graphic Communications Leadership Institute, a three-year program for emerging leaders. Explore at www.GCleadershipinstitute.com.

Date:
Thursday, March 11, 2021

Time:
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central

Cost:
FREE to GLGA Members
$39.00 for Not Yet-Members

Online registration is now closed. Reminder emails with the connection link were sent to all registrants with the subject line GLGA: Connection info for March 11 Back to Normal webinar. Please check in your spam or deleted items folders if you don’t recall seeing these emails. If you need assistance Thursday accessing the webinar, please contact Joe Lyman at jlyman@glga.info.