Curt Kreisler, owner of Gold Star Printers in North Miami Beach, FL, has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the NAQP Printer of the Year Award. The award is given to a printer who has demonstrated the ability to operate a successful, profitable, and customer responsive business, who has demonstrated creativity and vision in embracing new technologies, products, and services, and who has exhibited commitment and service to community groups and industry organizations.

Kreisler entered the industry with the purchase of Gold Star Printing in 1988. Since that time he has acquired two other printing companies and grown his business to 15 employees and projected sales of some $2.6 million. His latest acquisition involved the printing operation of an individual who wanted to move more into the marketing arena and shed the printing side of his business. Not only did Kreisler purchase the printing operation, but he also bought a share of the marketing firm, which now provides Gold Star with a steady customer for printed marketing materials. The arrangement also provides him with the ability to offer his customers complete marketing campaigns. An early adopter of DTP technology and computer-to-plate, Kreisler also has built a substantial fulfillment business and is growing his firm's variable data capabilities.

He says his business philosophy is fairly simple—do what you say you are going to do. Citing examples of how rare such consistent dependability is in our everyday lives, Kreisler believes that this basic approach has been responsible for building his business over the years. While he does market Gold Star's capabilities, he says the majority of his new business comes from referrals.

Industry Commitment

Kreisler was involved with other associations before taking on any leadership positions in NAQP. He has been on PIA's national board, was active in the Printing Industry of South Florida, and was involved in the consolidation of that association with the Printing Industry of Florida and the Graphic Arts Association of Central Florida to form the Printing Association of Florida. He also is the head of the trade show council for the Graphics of the Americas show and is active in the local chamber of commerce and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He first joined NAQP in 1990, but says he shied away from any leadership positions for the first few years due to his commitments to PAF. After leaving the PAF board, he increased his involvement in NAQP, first chairing the 1998 Owners Conference in Chicago, then moving to positions on the NAQP Board of Directors, and finally serving as chairman of the board. He was an early advocate of NAQP's merger with NAPL and credits his experience with the merger of the Florida associations with giving him insight into the benefits of combining the two.

Kreisler's approach to the printing business was perhaps best summed up in a 2002 interview with Quick Printing. "This is a very simple business: You go to work. You treat people the way you want to be treated. You do what you say you're going to do. It is a very fair industry. It's not a get rich scheme in any sense, but over time it can be a very rewarding industry to be part of."

Rod Bristol: Honorary Lifetime Member

Long-time quick printer and NAQP supporter Rod Bristol, former owner of Sudden Printing in Seattle, WA, has been selected to receive the NAQP Honorary Lifetime Member Award. The honor goes to someone who has made long term contributions to NAQP, helped expand or improve the association's programs and services, and who has demonstrated leadership and innovation in communicating the image of NAQP to the printing industry.

Bristol bought Sudden Printing in 1984 after working in the banking industry. The company had 13 retail locations with a central production facility. Over the years, he grew the company to 19 locations with revenues of $5 million. He recently sold the last Sudden Printing location and now works as vice president of business development for Steve LeFever's Business Resource Services (BRS).