An Issue Filled with Spirit
TV and print media will flood us this month with "one-year later" stories about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and for good reason: perspective improves when powerful events are reviewed. Some of these stories will rekindle painful memories; others will lift spirits. Print Solutions has a Sept. 11 story, too. It's unique, yet typical of our coverage of the printing industry. It's a profile of a company--how it reacted to a crisis and rose above it.
What kind of crisis? When the jetliners hit the Twin Towers, parts of the towers became projectiles that were blown into--and sometimes clean through--nearby buildings. 90 West St. was one of those buildings. It was badly burned and damaged, and two people died there. Today, 90 West St. is covered in a black shroud on the south end of Ground Zero, and whether it can be repaired remains in doubt. 90 West St. was the headquarters of New York distributorship Vanguard Direct, and its employees tell fascinating stories about escaping danger that day--and more. Their ordeal is reported by Managing Editor Darin Painter in "After the Ashes: The Perseverance of Vanguard Direct," beginning on page 68. Most telling about Vanguard's past year is what the firm did after Sept. 11--how it made deliveries to customers the next day, how employees sacrificed for the betterment of the company, and how the firm never lost its identity despite losing its home. When Lower Manhattan became a pile of metal, Vanguard showed precious mettle--and the company thrives today in its new location five miles north. We thank Robert O'Connell, president of Vanguard and a DMIA Board member, who provided Print Solutions with access to employees as well as photographs taken from 90 West St. after the attacks.
The theme of spirit also permeates two other major features in this issue. The first is Painter's profile of DMIA's Incoming President Gail O'Roke, CDC ("The Queen of Perspective," beginning on page 40). O'Roke, CEO of Hayward, Calif.-based distributorship The Independent Business Group, has climbed to the top of her company, and next month she'll become the leader of an industry association. Refreshingly self-effacing, O'Roke conducts herself and her business--with customers and competitors alike--in the spirit of honesty and forthrightness.
Katherine House's story, the second of a two-part series on changes among medical group purchasing organizations ("The Medical Market Under a
Microscope," beginning on page 92), reflects the true spirit of service journalism--giving readers the detailed information they need to accomplish their goals. House, a former managing editor and an award-winning writer for this magazine, is now a freelance writer in Iowa City, Iowa. She turned in an exceedingly well-researched report on six large buying groups. Her story will help anyone whose eye is trained on the medical vertical market.
Brad Holt
Vice President, Publications and New Media
Five More Awards
The DMIA Publications/New Media staff has won five Awards of Excellence in different categories of the 14th Annual Apex Publications Excellence competition, which is sponsored by Communications Concepts Inc., a publishing consulting firm. The contest drew 5,863 entries.
Here's the rundown on our winners:
* Roxanne Rash, art director and production manager, won in the Best Redesigns category for Print Solutions.
* Darin Painter, managing editor, won in the Personality Profiles category for "Nothing for Granted," his September 2001 profile of DMIA President Mark Trumper.
* Kara Carpenter, assistant managing editor, won in the News Writing category for "Brave New World," her December 2001 story on targeting the financial market.
* Rita Tiefert, assistant editor, won in the Feature Writing category for "What the Doctor Ordered," her November 2001 story on targeting the medical market.
*Christine Kenny, new media specialist, and Print Solutions editors won in the E-Mail Newsletters category for DMIA's E-Weekly.
The Publications/New Media staff has won 74 awards over 13 consecutive years, including a record eight awards this year.
