Board Announcements

1. The Board of Directors of the Graphic Communications Alliance of West Michigan has taken action to suspend the activities of the Alliance as of the Spring of 2010. It is with regret that the board at it's regular meeting decided that the seminars and other educational events were attended by too few members to continue the efforts by the Committee Chair. The board thanks the Committee Chair who organized, planned and executed the events for the continuing education of all people involved in the graphic communications community. The Chairs worked tirelessly to provide exceptional subject mater and presenters in the fields of Work Force Development, Digital Imaging Technology, Production Technology and Environmental and Safety Issues.
2. In an effort to provide for future leadership and the training of future generations to serve in graphic communications, the Board has elected to give all remaining money in our treasury to the Printing and Digital Graphic Imaging Technology Program within the College of Engineering Technology at Ferris State University. This large sum will provide for a permanent endowment fund to provide an annual scholarship for a junior or senior in the program from West Michigan. Further, these funds from the Alliance will be added to funds already donated to Ferris by the family of a former professor in the Graphic Arts Department. The name of the annual scholarship is the “Thomas Bingman / Graphic Communications Alliance of West Michigan Scholarship Endowment”.
3. The above scholarship may be added to at any time by individuals or organizations that wish to enhance the funding of this annual award. Contact Pat Klarecki or Karen Lerew at Ferris for further information. On a related topic, the annual Benefit Golf Outing will continue as in years past. We are scheduled at Quail Ridge Golf Club on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. There will be a noon shotgun start followed by dinner and prizes. The Bingman/Alliance Scholarship will be the recipient for this years proceeds.
4. Thanks go to all the leaders of the Alliance over the decades of service to the graphic arts community. To those who had a vision to extend learning opportunities to the various disciplines, we have been well served and we are very grateful. I'd like to recognize the group that was responsible for so many successes in the past few years: Committee Chair; Beverly Block, George Denzinger, Karl Frederiksen, Pat Klarecki and Scott Sanders; Board Members; Fred Barr, Mark Bultema, Lisa Hammer and Chuck Schmitt.
5. There is considerable value in the Articles of Incorporation and our Non-Profit tax exempt status. The Alliance will continue to make all the proper State of Michigan and Federal filings so that a group may in the future organize with this documentation amended appropriately. A group with a communications, educational focus may contact Mark Bultema, 4221 Valley Hollow Dr NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525 for information.
6. The following is a list of Corporate Partners whose funding made our educational efforts possible (* = Founding Partner):

Access Business Group*
advantage Litho*
Braden Sutphin Inks
Central Michigan Paper*
Dickinson Press, Inc.*
Kodak Company
Foremost-Farmers Ins.*
Foremost Graphics
Grand Rapids Printing Ink*
Grandville Printing
Graphic Arts Service
Heidelberg USA
INX International
Mid-State Litho, Inc.*
Phase III Graphics*
Rogers Printing
Vertis Inc.
Wikoff Color Corp.
Wynalda Litho

Supporting Partners

Ferris State University, Graphic Arts Dept.*
Grand Rapids Community College*