EDSF, the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, announced it’s 2010 Board of Directors. Among EDSF’s leadership roster of highly respected and well-known industry CEOs, presidents and top executives are several new Directors, including: Jon Cannon of FedEx Office; Jennifer Matt; Kathleen McHugh of Presstek; Mark Kilgore of BÖWE BELL + HOWELL; Francis McMahon of HP; Darnell Ghidotti of AlphaGraphics; and Sandra Zoratti of InfoPrint Solutions Company.

Brenda Kai, EDSF’s executive director, said, “With innovative and passionate industry leaders like those on our Board of Directors, EDSF will surely succeed in its mission of enhancing the value of document communication by fostering education and leading-edge research, and building a community of support to benefit document creators, users and the future workforce of our industry. We thank them for their time and valuable contributions.”

EDSF 2010 Board of Directors:

Chair
Richard Lowe, president and COO, Franchise Services, Inc.

Executive Vice Chair
Carl Gerhardt, president and CEO, Allegra Network LLC

Secretary/Treasurer
Fred Rosenzweig, president, EFI

Vice Chair for Education
Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Member-at-Large
Malkon “Mal” Baboyian, president, Production Printing Systems, Océ North America, Inc.

Executive Director
Brenda Kai, executive director, EDSF

Directors
Eric Armour, president, Global Business Group, Xerox Corporation
Jon Cannon, senior vice president, Global Operations, FedEx Office
Darnell Ghidotti, vice president business solutions, AlphaGraphics
Trevor Haworth, CEO, CGS Publishing Technologies International GmbH
Jeff Hayes, president, InfoTrends
Mark Kilgore, executive vice president, BÖWE BELL + HOWELL
John Mancini, president, AIIM International
Jennifer Matt
Kathleen McHugh, vice president and chief marketing officer, Presstek
Francis McMahon, director of marketing, U. S. Graphic Arts Business, Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard Company
René Müller, president and CEO, GMC Software
Tawnya Starr, president, PrinterPresence
Sandra Zoratti, vice president, Global Solutions Marketing, InfoPrint Solutions Company

EDSF volunteer Dan Adler, president and founder of DA Digital, has been a leader in the global digital printing and direct marketing industry for over 20 years. He is an entrepreneur who has built profitable service businesses based on the intersection of digital hardware and laser technology, software (many generations and applications), direct marketing response requirements and the increased use of versioning and personalized communication in all media.

Twenty years ago, he implemented the first PC-based high-speed laser printing production application with variable data. At that time, he designed and created direct mail laser printing campaigns for several real estate giants including Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and ERA. These campaigns became replicable international industry standards. In the late 80s, Adler delivered comprehensive hardware and software testing on next generation digital printing devices for Xerox Corporation.
In 1991, Adlerco-founded Lexinet, a direct mail production company specializing in unique and profitable digital print production utilizing Web ordering and online design. He created one of the first true 4-color variable print direct mail applications. He also implemented advanced web applications supporting digital color printing and continues to push the limits of technology to deliver effective, profitable results.
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By Brenda Kai, Executive Director, EDSF

We know that everyone is very busy this time of the year and has more than a few things to do. However, we would like you to take just a minute to think about a very important search. . .the search for the “next you.”

Think about that for a few seconds. You are successful, creative and influential, but where will the “next you” come from? That person who will lead the industry you love and work hard to keep the stock price in your 401K up; where are they? At EDSF, we know that the answer lies in young minds, all over the world, that are just beginning their journey to the place you now occupy. They are the ones that will ultimately be your legacy – the “next you.”

But many of them need help to realize their ambitions.

Over the last several weeks, during EDSF’s “The Future Is Bright” Awareness Campaign, you’ve been introduced to several EDSF Board members, met the volunteers that support the scholarship program and The EDSF Report, heard about the new Adopt -A-Scholar and Holiday giving programs, and met many of the wonderful students that received support.

We hope that in becoming more familiar with EDSF that you will want to become involved in making a bright future for these students needing financial assistance. Please remember that EDSF is not a membership-based organization, but relies on generous contributions from corporations and individuals to fund the scholarship programs.

The truth is, it really is all about “you.” The current “you” that provides your generous support to EDSF and the “next you” that needs all of us to help them reach their dream. Every gift, whatever the size, is valuable. Please visit www.edsf.org to make a tax deductible donation online.

By Brenda Kai, executive director, EDSF

The need for scholarships, especially those that support students hoping to build a career in our industry, has never been greater. A chance to have a college education is perhaps the greatest gift that deserving students receive. However, the costs of a college education today continue to escalate while financial resources decline.

Privately funded Memorial Scholarships can provide many opportunities for students with limited resources, and are an excellent way to perpetually honor co-workers, friends or family members.

With EDSF — the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries — each memorial fund is maintained in a separate investment account and routinely reviewed and managed by the EDSF Scholarship Trustees, who are members of the Board of Directors. Today, EDSF scholarships are making a big difference in the lives of international students studying communications, graphic arts and document management.

EDSF donors may establish the criteria for their scholarship, which will be used in awarding the scholarships. Common criteria includes:

College Degree/Major
Geographic location
University being attended
Community Involvement

In addition to establishing an EDSF Memorial Scholarship, gifts in honor of or in memory of an individual or group may be made to any existing EDSF scholarship fund or to the general fund. As a registered 501(c)3, all donations are tax deductible.

Find out how you can make a difference.

For a listing of EDSF Memorial Scholarships, or for information about establishing or donating to a memorial scholarship fund, please visit the Web site at www.edsf.org or contact Brenda Kai at .

EDSF Scholar of the Day

Alexandra Hartman, Clemson University
EDSF Board of Directors Scholarship 2009
EDSF Board of Directors Scholarship 2008

“This scholarship helps me remain a student as every year it gets harder to pay the tuition. Thank you so much for allowing me to continue my education.”

Andy and Julie Plata are well-known pioneers in the document and high volume transaction output (HVTO) industry. Over the past quarter-century, the Plata’s have contributed greatly to its continuing evolution. Andy was the third president (now called chairman) of Xplor International, where he traveled extensively to help establish chapters in Canada, Europe and Australia. Julie was the developer of the Laser Training Institute and a consultant to Kodak during the development of its initial high-volume products. Both Andy and Julie have served as advisors to many of the major HVTO companies; and the couple’s business achievements have been lauded in the business and technology press.

Today, the Platas, owners and publishers of OutputLinks and Graphic Communications World, talk about their involvement with EDSF, the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries. Visit EDSF at www.EDSF.org.

DN:
How long have you been involved with EDSF?

A&JP:
Eight years. We attended the Foundation’s Inaugural dinner and started funding scholarships in 2002.

DN:
How many scholarships have you funded to date, and what type of scholarships are they?

A&JP:
The first scholarship we established was an endowment to fund in perpetuity the John Lopiano Endowed Scholarship. To date, we have funded approximately 30+ annual scholarships including an annual $5,000 scholarship honoring the 50+ OutputLinks Women of Distinction. Other scholarships honor Lifetime Achievements, Stewardship and Sustainability contributions by industry leaders. By partnering with EDSF to manage our scholarships, we do what we enjoy, fund the scholarships, while EDSF manages the day to day work and selection process to make it all work smoothly.

DN:
With the difficult economy and contributions to non-profits in a significant decline, your support for scholarships has increased. Can you share your philosophy on this?

A&JP:
Yes, these are challenging times and a recent report in the WSJ indicates a dramatic decline in charitable giving with one of the hardest hit being education. We see stewardship as an opportunity to be of service and, when times are tough, the need for stewardship is greater than ever. We have have steadily increased our donations and will continue to do so despite the economy. It may mean we have to work harder to find the available funds, but if those of us in business are being hammered by the economy, just imagine what those who are trying to complete an education must be going through. Hence, we simply feel that financial support for education is more important than ever before.

DN:
Have you met any of the scholarship students?

A&JP:
Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to meet many of the scholarship recipients and they are wonderful people. Their great and enthusiastic aspirations inspire us. Funding an EDSF Scholarship is a super opportunity to play a small role in helping them achieve their dreams. They are so appreciative of the financial support they received from our industry. They are the spark our industry needs to prosper. Every young person needs to know that others believe in them.

DN:
What message would you like to share about EDSF?

A&JP:
We all know the need is out there. We all know we need to keep new blood coming into our industry. We all know it is an exciting time in our industry and a great place to start a career. So, let’s all do what we all know – allocate the finds to fill the pipeline of s new generation of output professionals. EDSF makes it easy.

EDSF has several new programs: Adopt-a-Scholar and the Holiday Giving program that provide new ways to contribute at whatever level is comfortable for you or your company. All the donations are tax deductible and can go directly to supporting much needed scholarship funding. To learn more, visit www.edsf.org.

EDSF Scholar of the Day

Carolina Modenessy, New York University -
John Lopiano Scholarship 2008
EDSF Board of Directors Scholarship 2007

“The scholarship that EDSF has awarded me is such a wonderful help for my academic and future professional careers. I am very excited about fulfilling my career goals as a graphic designer/manager and, with help from organizations like EDSF, I can continue to reach for my dreams. Thank you!”

Tawnya Starr first learned about the power of the Web when she experienced phenomenal sales growth after launching a Web site for her printing company in New Mexico. In 2000, she joined PrinterPresence as president.

Starr has dedicated her career to educating the printing industry on all matters related to the Web and Web-to-print applications. She is recognized as an expert on Web marketing and how it enables companies of any size to save time and money while attracting and keeping customers. Starr is a published columnist and author, and in 2005 she received the prestigious Industry Award of Distinction from PrintImage International for her service as a consultant and educator to the industry. She has conducted hundreds of seminars and has been featured as a speaker at dozens of national and international print conventions.
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By Brenda Kai, executive director, EDSF

There is a popular holiday story in which a character named Scrooge is visited by three ghosts. Scrooge asks one of the ghosts, “Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only?”

Can we change the future? A certain Ebenezer Scrooge asked this question and, to his everlasting relief, he found that good deeds and giving could, indeed, change the future. Giving has its rewards not only in the present but in the future – just ask any of EDSF’s scholarship recipients how much your contributions mean to them and their college education. EDSF is the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, and its scholarship program is benefiting hundreds of students worldwide.
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By Brenda Kai, executive director, EDSF

The future is bright for students studying and preparing for careers in the document management and graphic communications industry, and EDSF scholarships are making a big difference. EDSF is the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, and its scholarship program is benefiting hundreds of students worldwide. Today, EDSF offers donors the opportunity to establish three basic types of scholarships, which support our industry’s future workforce. The three types of scholarships that donors may establish are
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EDSF, the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, could not be effective without the outstanding leadership of its Board of Directors. During EDSF’s “The Future is Bright” Awareness Campaign, you will hear from four leading industry executives about their support of EDSF’s mission.

Today, WhatTheyThink is talking to Carl Gerhardt, president and CEO of Allegra Network, LLC, a proud supporter of EDSF and its mission to ensure that the document management and graphic communications industry has the talent it needs to survive, grow and excel.
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EDSF’s “The Future is Bright” Awareness Campaign continues with a salute to its volunteers. For the next several weeks, you will meet the wonderful people that are vital to EDSF’s many programs.

This week, we talk with Bruce Murray, chair of the EDSF Scholarship Selection Committee, who answers questions about the EDSF scholarship program and introduces the other committee members.

Murray has 30 years of experience in marketing, communications and sales, including over 15 years in the electronic document management industry. Murray has been with Systemware, Inc., a leading electronic document management software firm, for the past 13 years, most recently as a market specialist. He holds an MBA in marketing from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA, from where he graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
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By Brenda Kai, EDSF executive director

If you have ever been to a NASCAR race or watched one on TV, it seems that nothing in NASCAR is without a sponsor. Cars are covered in logos and stickers, drivers have patches from shoulder to shoulder, and every race is brought to you by one company or another.

For companies shelling out $350,000 – $500,000 for each race, calculating the return on their investment becomes critical but complicated (some companies will count the number of seconds their logo is clearly visible on the screen, and then multiply that time by the going ad rate to get an idea of how far their NASCAR dollars are getting them).

Just like NASCAR, EDSF, the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, needs sponsors to invest in helping students stay on course with their education, however, unlike NASCAR, it’s easy to track the returns.
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Each year the Electronic Document Systems Foundation sponsors research grants to give students an opportunity to conduct research on subjects of interest to the document management and graphic communications industry. Students work in collaboration with professors and EDSF-appointed mentors.

If you are interested in the EDSF Research Grant Program visit the EDSF’s Website and download a Research Grant Application Packet. While you’re at the site, check out the current research and a list of past academic research white papers.

The grant application deadline for this year is November 25, 2008.

If you know a student studying within the document management and graphic communications industry make sure they know about this program.

OutputLinks reports on a new education program that has been certified by Xplor International for Electronic Document Professional (EDP) continuing educational credit.

The program on Document Production Best Practiceswill be offered for the first time in the US in Boston, New York and Washington, DC on the week of June 23, 2008. The course will cover concepts, technologies, and practices associated with automated transaction document production.

The course will by administered by acadami and taught by Bill Broddy edp, William J. McCalpin edp, and Michael Turton edp.

More information on Document Production Best Practices is available on acadami’s Website.