Packaging NewsSustainable Packaging

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership appoints five new members to 2014 board of directors

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), a non-profit organization providing sustainability certification in the graphic communications industry, announces the appointment of five new board members to the SGP Board of Directors. The new board members are as follows: Lori Ashford (Robbie Fantastic Plastics), Marshall Atkinson (Visual Impressions, Inc.), Tim Bolton (Hexacomb),Dave Gens (RPI), and Jonathan Graham (Hewlett-Packard). Marshall, Dave, and Lori will be joining the board as SGP Certified Printers, while Tim and Jonathan are currently Patrons of SGP.

"I'm by no means an expert on sustainability at this point, but joining the board will help me better understand the importance of using sustainable practices throughout the production process," says Lori Ashford. "I grew up with SGP by attending the early sessions when it was being developed and inputting information through Doreen Monteleone, FTA and SGP Board Member, and Al Marquardt from Kimberly Clark, who is a large customer of ours. I couldn't be more excited to join the board and become fully engaged in the daily activities at SGP." Lori has 24 years of printing and packaging experience, and led Robbie Fantastic Plastics (robbieflexibles.com) to become the third flexographic facility and seventh overall SGP Certified Printer in 2009. She has been with Robbie for over 18 years and currently leads the quality and continuous process improvement team which oversees all of the quality systems and lab, environmental food packaging safety compliance, and works on improving all aspects of business performance through lean activities and continuous improvement projects.

"I'm extremely happy and honored to be elected to the SGP Board of Directors," states Marshall Atkinson, "It's extremely exciting to be able to represent the decorated apparel industry with this wonderful organization. I know first-hand from championing two companies through the certification process, what it means, and how a robust sustainability program strengthens a company, while building new opportunities for growth. Marshall is the Chief Operating Officer of Visual Impressions, Inc. (visualimp.com) and Ink to the People (inktothepeople.com), Milwaukee, WI. He writes and speaks regularly on sustainability, efficiency, strategic planning, and apparel decorating operations.

Tim Bolton, Director of Business Development for the Hexacomb Corporation (hexacomb.com), has over 15 years in the packaging industry. Tim's proven track record of building high performing teams and establishing strong strategic partnerships will be invaluable to the continued success and growth of SGP. Hexacomb is a Platinum SGP Patron.

"I am delighted to be elected to the board of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. Sustainable business practice is ethically important and critical to the health of our planet, and I look forward to working with SGP to support this mission. Sustainability is also a key factor in opening doors to new market opportunities, and it also has proven to be important in the ability to attract, retain and motivate employees." says Dave Gens, executive VP at RPI, and newly elected SGP board member. Dave has held senior executive positions at some of Seattle's fastest growing companies such as Ivey Imaging, Zango Global Seafoods, and The TAS Group. He has more than 20 years of experience in the high tech and manufacturing industries. He joined RPI in 2010 and brought with him his unwavering, bottom-linedriven focus on sustainable growth. RPI (rpiprint.com) is a SGP Certified Printer of personalized photo merchandise and corporate collateral with facilities in Atlanta, Seattle and the Netherlands.

"There is no better organization than SGP to help take our industry into the future where sustainability and regulations play a large role in our print lifecycle, says Graham."I am proud to represent HP on the SGP board and fully support the SGP certification process as a emerging worldwide standard." Jonathan Graham has more than 20 years of marketing & communication experience. Currently as worldwide WW Business Development Manager at Hewlett-Packard, Graham oversees environmental marketing & communications, customer business development, software and media/supplies partner programs & teams. Graham worked for other high-profile companies including Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Iomega, Bentley Systems and Intergraph. Graham has a Masters in Service Journalism from the University of Mississippi and post graduate studies in Advertising & Public Relations. Graham resides in Germany and is citizen of the USA.

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is a non-profit organization that certifies printing facilities' sustainability best practices, including and beyond regulatory compliance. SGP strives for assuring a sustainability-driven supply chain to the print buying community through strategic partnerships with SGP Certified Printer facilities and SGP Patrons.

SGP's 2014 Board of Directors include the following: