Norman Scharpf, Diane Romano Honored by IDEAlliance at PRIMEX '02

Longtime GCA President and two-term board chair recognized during Print Media Executive Conference

ALEXANDRIA, VA (March 20, 2002) - IDEAlliance (formerly GCA - Graphic Communications Association) honored two key individuals in the association's history during its annual PRIMEX (Print Media Executive Conference) event in Palm Beach, Florida.

Held at the Breakers Resort on February 6, 2002, the IDEAlliance event featured a tribute to Norman W. Scharpf, who retired from GCA in July 2001 after more than three decades as President and CEO of the association. Additionally, the David G. Jensen Memorial Award - IDEAlliance's highest award - was presented to former Chair Diane Romano, who served two key terms as chair just as the association was undergoing significant transformations in structure, leadership and focus.

Norman Scharpf served as President and CEO of the Graphic Communications Association from 1967 until the association changed its name to IDEAlliance in July 2001. The tribute recognized Scharpf's many contributions to the association and industry at large during his many years of service to the printing, publishing and communications industries. Howard D. Sullivan, Senior Vice President, Publication Sales, Perry Judd's Inc., emceed the tribute, which included a plaque and several mementos being presented jointly to Scharpf and his wife, Marianne.

Diane Romano currently holds the position of President of AGT·Seven, the Eastern Region and e-Business Division of Applied Graphics Technologies. Romano is only the 11th recipient of the David G. Jensen Memorial Award, which recognizes those who exhibit extraordinary dedication and vision to the industry. Ms. Romano served two terms as Chair of Graphic Communications Association, during which time the association moved toward independence from its parent company, the Printing Industries of America (PIA) on July 1, 2001. The spin-off from PIA was also marked by the association's name change from GCA to IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance).

About PRIMEX

The PRIMEX conference was originally created as the Printer-Publisher Symposium in 1972. The purpose of the event was, and remains, to bring executives involved in the production process together to look at the total industry, where it is going, and what opportunities technology and greater coordination throughout the process can bring. To widen its scope, the Printer-Publisher Symposium was changed to PRIMEX - Print Media Executive Conference - in 1995. With the new name and scope, PRIMEX has truly become the premier conference of its kind.

About IDEAlliance

IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices. IDEAlliance has been a leader in information technologies since 1966 (founded as Graphic Communications Association) having fostered the development and adoption of standards such as ADIS, GRACoL, ICE, JIFFI, Mail.dat, papiNet, PRISM, PROSE XML, SPACE XML, SGML, and XML. Learn more about IDEAlliance at www.idealliance.org.

Contact

David Steinhardt
703.837.1066
dsteinhardt@idealliance.org