John Jilek Sr., president-again of Inksolutions, LLC, is a tireless contributor to the ink industry, serving as a volunteer whenever he is called upon by the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) as well as local associations.
 
In recognition of his 40 years of service to the ink industry, the Metro New York Printing Ink Association (MNYPIA) presented Jilek with the club’s Anthony Mauriello Man of the Year Award. The dinner was held May 21, 2015 at the Iberia Peninsula Restaurant in Newark, NJ; his son, John Jilek Jr., Inksolutions’ VP of sales and marketing, served as emcee for the awards ceremony.
 
For a slideshow from the awards dinner, please click here.

The award is named in memory of Anthony Mauriello, who passed away in 20145. Mauriello was a longtime ink industry leader who was a founding board member of the MNYPIA; his widow, Susan, and two sons, Dr. Anthony Mauriello Jr. and Father Matthew Mauriello, attended the dinner as well.
 
“This is an incredible honor to receive this award, which is named after Tony,” Jilek said.
 
Dale Pritchett, Ink World’s publisher and an MNYPIA leader, spoke of Mauriello’s impact on his life. “Tony was such a good friend. He was a mentor to me both in business and on a personal level,” Pritchett said.
 
Joining the Industry
 
Jilek grew up in Cleveland, OH, and graduated from Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in marketing in 1975. Soon after, he joined Day-Glo Color Corp., also in Cleveland; once he completed a two-year extensive training program, he moved to Chicago to work with “specifies” promoting Day-Glo concepts. By 1979, Jilek moved into sales.
 
In 1982, Jilek joined Lawter International, where he would serve in positions of increasing responsibility for the next 17 years. He began as fluorescent product manager, and became the Dyall wax compound product manager two years later. In 1985, Jilek was promoted to European general manager responsible for Lawter’s European operations in Antwerp, Belgium.
 
By 1989, he returned to the company’s headquarters in Chicago as VP sales, North America, and he took on the sales of South America and the Pacific Rim in 1994 and 1995. During his time in the Pacific Rim, he oversaw the construction of plants in China and Singapore, and by 1998, Jilek was named Lawter’s president and COO.
 
In 1999, Jilek left Lawter to become president of Ink Systems. Two years later, he started his own varnish company, Inksolutions, in Elk Grove, IL, where he serves to this day.
 
A member of NAPIM’s Board of Directors, Jilek was presented with the prestigious NAPIM Pioneer Award in 2012 in honor of his service to the industry.
 
Thoughts on Receiving the Anthony Mauriello Man of the Year Award
 
Although he is a longtime Chicago resident, Jilek is honored to receive the Anthony Mauriello Man of the Year Award from the MNYPIA.
 
“The East Coast means a lot to me,” he said. “My first sales call was on the East Coast, with Joe Mele. I’ve gotten calls from friends all over the world, with people saying they are proud of me.”
 
Many of Jilek’s friends were on hand to honor him.
 
“I first met JJ when he was named Lawter’s VP of sales, and he took the time to see me when I was on a sales call,” Pritchett said. “Our friendship means an awful lot to me. I am in awe of how much he does for the good of the industry.”
 
Dan Roupas, who worked with Jilek at Lawter and Inksolutions, said that Jilek is a natural leader.
 
“JJ always told me to be a leader, not a follower, and I’ll always be grateful to him,” Roupas said.
 
NAPIM executive director Brad Bergey spoke of Jilek’s loyalty to the industry as well as his compassion.
 
“I’ve known JJ for more than 25 years,” Bergey said. “People talk about the importance of compassion, and JJ has that virtue. He is a very serious, compassionate, loyal person. I’m honored to have him as a friend.”
 
Jilek concluded his comments by talking about the future of the industry.
 
“I’ve been a very lucky guy,” Jilek said. “We all bitch about the industry, but it’s a damn good industry. Litho printing isn’t going away. We need to believe in the industry. The industry took care of me and my family, and we need to keep it going.”