Ron Inkley receives PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award

Ron Inkley

Ron Inkley

On behalf of his father, Ron Inkley, Mat Inkley (left) accepts the PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award from PMA Executive Director Jim Esp. Photo by John Swainston.

The Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA), a PMA member association,

honored Ron Inkley with the PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award at the Wynn Las Vegas XS Nightclub at Encore. The award was received by Inkley’s son, Mat, on behalf of Ron, who was unable to attend.

The PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose vision and body of work have guided and helped shape the future of digital imaging. Inkley is only the fourth individual to receive this honor since the establishment of the award, joining Graham Nash, Mac Holbert, and George E. Smith.

Inkley opened his first photo specialty store in 1947, and built that business to more than twenty stores in four states. He has served the industry in many positions over the past 5 decades, including as President of PMA from 1972-1973 and many years as President of the Photographic Research Organization (PRO). He is a recipient of both the PMA Distinguished Service Award and the PMA Hall of Fame Award – the Association’s highest honor.

Most recently, he and his son Mat opened a new business, The Imaging Depot.

Jim Esp, Executive Director of PMA, who presented the award at a ceremony held Jan. 7, 2013, said, “On behalf of DIMA, it is an honor to give Ron Inkley this much-deserved recognition of a lifetime dedicated to growing and serving the imaging industry.”

PMA honors Don Spring Jr. with Hall of Fame Award

2013 PMA Hall of Fame Award winner Don Spring Jr.

2013 PMA Hall of Fame Award winner Don Spring Jr.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Don Spring Jr. for close to 20 years, so it is with real delight that I announce he will be receiving the 2013 Hall of Fame Award — PMA’s highest honor — at PMA@CES in January.

Here’s the official announcement:

PMA has named Don Spring Jr. of Cavalcade Color Lab in Huntsville, Ontario, the recipient of the 2013 PMA Hall of Fame Award. PMA is recognizing Spring for his many years of service to PMA and to the imaging industry as a whole.

Spring has served PMA in many capacities and roles. From 1997-2000, he was the PMA National Chairperson for Canada. He joined the PMA Board of Directors as a Trustee-at-Large in 2000, became Vice President of PMA in 2001, and took the helm as President in 2003. He continued his service for many years following his presidency as a trustee, and is currently once again Trustee-at-Large. He has served on various PMA committees, including the Mini Lab Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee. Spring became a PMA Life Member in 2004, and received the PMA Distinguished Service Award in 2010.

“In his service to PMA, Spring follows in the footsteps of his father, Don Spring Sr., who had a 40-year career with Kodak and then spent 15 years as Director of Canadian Activities for PMA,” said PMA Executive Director Jim Esp.  “Don Spring Jr.’s contribution to PMA and our members over several decades in the industry has been truly invaluable. It is an honor to present this award to Don for his unwavering dedication to growing the imaging industry.”

Spring, who started Cavalcade Color Lab with his brother, Bill, in the 1970s, has also served the imaging industry in other capacities. He was a founding member of the buying group Foto Source Canada, now with over 150 locations across the nation. Previously Chairman of the Board, Spring is now President of Foto Source Canada. He was also Chairman of the Buck Rogers Photo Finishing Group; is a member of both Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) and the Photographic Research Organization (PRO); and is a CITA Canadian Retailer of the Year Award recipient.

Spring will be presented with the PMA Hall of Fame Award on Jan. 8, 2013, during 2013 PMA@CES, Jan 8-11, 2013, at the LVH (formerly known as the Las Vegas Hilton) in Las Vegas, Nev.

Congratulations, Don!

E-commerce veteran Peter Tahmin appointed to MailPix Board of Advisors

MailPix mail logo

Peter Tahmin, former vice president at Ritz Camera & Image and co-founder of the Ritz Interactive e-commerce network is the latest addtion to the Board of Advisors at MailPix, a new onlineprovider of  photo cards, photo books, prints, enlargements and other tangible photo products.

Tahmin brings 15 years of e-commerce experience and a lifetime of imaging industry experience to MailPix, which was launched in July by PMA Past President Fred Lerner, co-founder and former president and CEO of Ritz Interactive and former president and CEO of Kodak Processing Labs Inc.

“I’m thrilled about my new advisory role, and I look forward to helping Lerner and MailPix.com chart a smooth course for growth and success,” says Tahmin. “It has the potential to be a truly a unique site – one that will leverage the power of the Web and social networking to families by ‘Turning Images into Memories’ at an extremely affordable price.”

Tahmin joins other industry veterans on the MailPix Board of Advisors, including James Joaquin, former president and CEO of Ofoto; Ted McGrath, former president of Fuji Photo Film USA and general manager, Consumer Imaging Division, Eastman Kodak Co.; and Gary Pageau, principal of InfoCircle and former publisher and head of content development and strategic initiatives at PMA.

Shutterfly names Brian Regan Chief Financial Officer

Brian_Regan

Brian Regan is the new Chief Financial Officer at Shutterfly, following the January departure of Mark Rubash. Regan will begin his role at Shutterfly on Aug. 20, 2012. He will be responsible for managing all financial activities, including strategic planning, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, customer insights and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, accounting and legal.

Regan joins Shutterfly from Wize Commerce / Nextag, where he served as chief financial officer of the global digital marketing and online commerce leader. Previously, he was executive vice president and chief financial officer at Ticketmaster Entertainment, where Regan led global financial operations for the world’s leading live entertainment ticketing and artist management company in 20 global markets, generating approximately $1.5 billion in revenue and more than $250 million in EBITDA. At Ticketmaster, Regan provided operational, strategic and financial leadership to the senior executive team across all business units as a public company until its merger with Live Nation Entertainment.

 

Lexmark Canada names Todd Hamblin president

Todd Hamblin has taken the helm of Lexmark International. In his new role as president, Hamblin will be responsible for developing and implementing business strategies to further drive Lexmark Canada towards profitable growth in the enterprise, government and SMB market segments.

Previously, Hamblin was a vice president and general manager of worldwide sales and marketing for Lexmark’s former Imaging Services Division (ISD), responsible for strategy, brand development and worldwide sales growth. Before that he served as the company’s vice president and general manager of North America for ISD.

CG Pro Prints announces winners of “canvas success strategies” contest

CG Pro Prints recently challenged pro photographers to enter a contest for the most creative ideas to increase sales with canvas prints. The CG Pro Prints Contest ran on Facebook from July 5-July 11, 2012, and offered prizes of up to $250 for free canvas wraps.

The First Place winner, Danielle Mavrick said she simply asks the client which image is his or her favorite, then prints it as a sample. “Once I show it to them… they always want it. Works perfectly!” she said.

Second Place went to Janine Thurston, who fills in sales lulls by emailing clients with special offers to print photos from past sessions on canvas. “Adding a couple thousand in canvas print sales during a slower period has allowed us to keep a very even stream of cash-flow, and clients have LOVED them,” said Thurston.

Benjamin L. Corey, the Third Place winner, gives a canvas to the bride and groom from wedding shoots to display at the wedding reception, a tactic that he said generates buzz about his business.

Familiar names among management team at new online photo printing site MailPix.com

MailPix mail logo

MailPix launched last week with an array of imaging services, taking on the biggest players in the online photo industry. After extensive testing, the site is now open for customer orders.

At the helm is CEO Fred H. Lerner, a veteran within the photo specialty and e-commerce industries, who is passionate about introducing more people to the importance of “Turning Images into Memories.” That’s why his team includes veterans of the online-imaging and photo-retail industries, including James Joaquin, founder of Ofoto, and Ted McGrath Jr., former president of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. and former general manager of Kodak’s Consumer Imaging Division

Coupled with the education-focused MailPixblog.com and Facebook, Twitter and Google+ presence, the company is dedicated to teaching consumers to get the most out of photography, while saving money on photo print from wallets up to 20-by-30-inch enlargements, as well as collages, greeting cards, canvas prints, photo books, photo T-shirts, ornaments and more. MailPix also offers a lifetime free storage service and photo contests.

“Sharing images on Facebook and on Twitter is a great way to enjoy photos,” says Lerner. “Preserving those images as long-term memories, however, means printing them. Prints never need electricity, can always be seen, and resist file-format changes. With MailPix, it’s easier and more affordable than ever to make long-lasting prints, books and gifts.”

Commemorating the MailPix launch, Lerner announced a Grand Opening Special of 100 4-by-6-inch prints for US$2 until Aug. 15.

“This initial services suite is just the beginning of MailPix,” he says. “MailPix will soon make it easier than ever to liberate consumer images from social media sites, like Facebook (FB) and Google+ (GOOG), and from smartphones. Once free, those images can live forever as photo books, canvases and prints.”

Lerner was previously the co-founder, president and CEO of Ritz Interactive Inc., Irvine, Calif. During his long photo industry career, he was president and CEO, Kodak Processing Labs Inc., a division of Eastman Kodak Co.‘s Qualex Inc., after selling Lerner Photo Inc., Irvine, Calif., to Qualex. He was international president of the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) International from 2005-06. Lerner currently serves as a board member of the International Photographic Council (IPC), a non-governmental body of the United Nations, where he is a Hall of Fame recipient.

In addition to James Joaquin and Ted McGrath, the MailPix board of advisors includes Gary Pageau, former Publisher and head of Content Development and Strategic Initiatives at Photo Marketing Association International (PMAI); William A. Roskin, board member of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and former Executive Vice President of Viacom.; Oscar B. (Bud) Marx III, chairman of Amerigon and  former President & General Manager, Ford of Mexico and CFO of Ford, Europe; Bruce Charles, a founder of the law firm, Charles, Kane & Dye; and Gary Kramer, the founder and a co-managing partner of Kramer & Olsen Accountancy.

 

KAPCO plant manager Larry Davis retires

Larry Davis

Kent Adhesive Products Co.(KAPCO) wishes Plant Manager Larry Davis well in his new position—retiree. Davis announced his retirement, effective July 6, in May.

He was with KAPCO for 10 years, and has been plant manager since 2004. He has decades of experience in the field.

 

Frank Hallam Day wins Oskar Barnack Award 2012

First prize in this year’s highly prestigious photography competition, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2012, will go to U.S.photographer Frank Hallam Day. For his award-winning portfolio, entitled ‘Alumascapes,’ he will receive a Leica M9-P camera and a lens worth approximately €10,000, as well as a cash prize of €5,000. The second winner in the competition is Piotr Zbierski from Poland. His portfolio, ‘Pass by Me,’ will be bestowed the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2012’ and a Leica M9-P with lens. The prizes will be presented on July 3, 2012 at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie photographic festival in Arles, in the south of France.

IPC presents Professional Photographer Leadership Awards

Gathered at the 14th Annual IPC Awards Luncheon, May 17, 2012, at the United Nations, New York City
(back row, l to r) James Chung, IPC president; James Cavanaugh, ASMP; Michael Grecco, APA, Chip Somodevilla, WHNPA; Jennifer Hudson, WPPI; Bernd Gassner, FEP; Ralph Romaguera, PSPA; Andy Marcus, luncheon chair. (front row, l to r) Yunghi Kim, NPPA; Louis Tonsmeire, PPA.   Photograph © 2012 Diane Berkenfeld

The International Photographic Council (IPC), New York, N.Y., presented eight IPC Professional Photographer Leadership Awards during the 14th Annual IPC Pro Award Luncheon, at the United Nations in New York City, May 17.

Award Luncheon Chair Andy Marcus, president of Fred Marcus Photography, delivered an insightful presentation on “The World of Professional Photography,” addressing some of the pressures and challenges facing pro shooters today. IPC Vice President Alice Miller, president of Plum Communications, interviewed the honorees to determine what drives their passion for photography, how their businesses have adapted to change, and what they consider their “must have” photography products.

For the first time, IPC recognized two international editors-in-chief for their support, honoring them with IPC Distinguished Service Awards. IPC President James Chung presented Machiko Ouchi, Pen News Weekly, Japan, with her award. As Pakistan’s Muzammil Izhar Siddiqui, Foto Line, Karachi, was unable to attend, his award was forwarded to him.

The Leadership Awards, presented by IPC each May in support of “May, International Professional Photographers Month,” salute professionals around the globe. This year, eight professional photography organizations designated honorees: American Photographic Artists (APA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Federation of European Photographers (FEP), National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA), White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA), and Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI).

The 2012 IPC Professional Photographer Leadership Award recipients are:

  • American Photographic Artists (APA):  Michael Grecco
  • American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP): James Cavanaugh 
  • Federation of European Photographers (FEP): Bernd Gassner 
  • National Press Photographers Association (NPPA): Yunghi Ki
  • Professional Photographers of America (PPA): Louis Tonsmeire
  • Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA): Ralph Romaguera
  • White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA): Chip Somodevilla
  • Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI): Jennifer Hudson