For the most part, those days have passed. Many of the old printing ink production clubs have gone defunct, the victims of changing times as ink companies have closed their doors or consolidated, and people just don’t seem to have as much time to be away from family and work as much as in the past.

However, the Chicago Printing Ink Production Club (CPIPC) is still going strong. In July, approximately 200 attendees gathered at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago, IL. The club’s annual holiday and awards dinner, where it presents the Ink Maker of the Year, Supplier of the Year and President’s awards, draws more than 200 people regularly. In addition, the CPIPC holds six educational meetings annually, gathering speakers to discuss the latest trends, and also offers sponsorships.

“I have been a member for more than 25 years,” said Kim Terrulli of Kustom Group, who is this year’s CPIPC president. “The CPIPC gives me, as well as others, the opportunity to meet new people in the industry, as well as see colleagues whom I may only see once a year or even once every couple of years.”

“The CPIPC provides a valuable service to the Chicago graphic arts, ink and chemical community and even the entire Midwest region, in that industry professionals from a variety of specialties can gather to meet one another, network, build and strengthen relationships,” said Jim Rickert of Wikoff Color, who served as president in 2011. “The presentations given each month offer a great way to stay current on industry trends and learn of new technologies.”

With a dedicated core of leaders in place, including a group of past presidents who remain active in the group, the CPIPC is poised to continue serving the ink and allied industries for many decades to come.

The History of the CPIPC

For more than 40 years, the CPIPC has been the go-to place for Chicago’s ink industry and suppliers to meet informally. The club came into being in October 1970, and held its first meeting in 1971.

Dean Roeing was part of the founding group of members, and would serve as president as well in 1989. He remains active today, serving as the chair of the club’s Education Committee.

“The club started in 1971, with Bill Jackson of Bowers Printing Ink as president,” Mr. Roeing recalled. “The object of this club was to be a non-profit organization devoted to the study of practical and technical information, and experience the advancement of printing ink technology. The goal remains the same to this day.”

“Overall, the intentions of the club have and always will be dedicated to the members and the educational support of the ink industry,” added Kane Henneke of Chromaflo Technologies, who served as CPIPC’s president in 2012. “This includes peers young and old. As technology constantly changes and companies come and go, it takes a family like the CPIPC to be a focal point for networking and learning.”

Mr. Roeing noted that the club grew rapidly in its early years.

“The club would meet at what is now known as the Rose Garden Cafe, in Elk Grove Village, IL,” Mr. Roeing said. “In those days, we would have 65 members in attendance for a meeting. The first Christmas party was held at the Rose Garden Cafe, but that got too small, so we had to move on. I do know that when we moved to the Starlight Room in 1989, we had 550 people in attendance for the party.”

Over the years, the printing ink industry has been hit by the decline of parts of the printing industry and the general economy, and the CPIPC also felt the impact. Luigi Ribaudo of Sun Chemical, who served as CPIPC’s president in 2007, noted that the club has rebounded nicely from its low point in 2007.

“Since 2007, our membership has grown form roughly 85 members to 113 members now,” Mr. Ribaudo said. “Since 2007, the annual CPIPC Christmas party has grown from having 100 to 110 attendees to an average of 200 attendees. Having said that, considering that events such as these used to get 350 to 400 people or so, it might not seem like much. However, when we consider the state of the industry and company consolidations, this is actually a great sign that the industry is still vibrant and engaged.”

Serving the Industry and the Community

With an eye on its mission to provide practical and technical information, the club decided the time was right in 1993 to develop its own education curriculum. Lou Nava of North American Printing Ink Company, who served as CPIPC’s president in 1987, worked with the College of DuPage to develop a course for printing ink professionals.

“In 1993, Lou Nava sat down with the faculty of the College of DuPage (COD), and worked out a class called Paper and Ink. This later became Basic Ink Formulations,” Mr. Roeing said.

“Lou Nava had the class set up to bring in guest speakers from industry for different subjects, using the Printing Ink Handbook as the text for the class,” Mr Roeing added. “This idea was used to the very end of the program at COD. The class was scheduled for the spring of 1993. Five days before the class was to begin, Lou Nava passed away, never seeing his dream come true. So, as back-up-man, I found myself conducting the class for the next 18 years.”

Mr. Roeing noted that the club had a very good relationship with COD for those 18 years, but COD decided to cancel the graphic arts program as of May 2013.

“The administration felt that the program was not a viable educational pathway according to state and national statistics,” Mr. Roeing said. “So, when one door closes, another door opens. The club has now set up scholarships with both Triton and Harper colleges for their graphic arts programs. The recession has reduced the number of students drastically. When the recession is over, I am sure the club will have a class up and running at one, if not both, colleges.”

“Last year the CPIPC put up money for four scholarships for this class, but with the loss of the COD class, the board looked for alternative educational programs to support,” Mr. Terrulli added. “Both Triton and Harper are local junior colleges that have graphic arts programs. Dean Roeing is working with each of those colleges regarding donating CPIPC scholarships to a couple of deserving students.”

The club’s scholarship efforts extend past local colleges; in 2012, the CPIPC gave out two scholarships for the NPIRI Summer Course and sent four members to the National Printing Ink Research Institute’s (NPIRI) Annual Technical Conference.

“With the NPIRI Technical Conference being in Chicago, we decided to offer four scholarships to people to come to the conference,” said John Sergeant of Modern Printing Colors, who served as CPIPC’s president in 2010. “One of our club’s missions is to provide education, and this is a great opportunity.”

“It was the need for learning and the desire to increase giving back that leads us to expand our scholarship reach,” said Mr. Henneke. “Additional scholarships to great organizations like NPIRI and local colleges like Triton College enabled us to give back but also reach out to the youngest in our industry. It’s individuals like these who will be our future.”

CPIPC’s community service goes beyond the ink industry. Luigi Ribaudo of Sun Chemical, who served as CPIPC’s president in 2007, noted that the club has expanded its volunteer work outside of the ink industry.

“For the first time ever, the club donated food, clothing and toiletries items to the Oak Park, IL, First Ascension Parish Feed the Hungry program in August 2012,” Mr. Ribaudo said. “The CPIPC paid for the entire venue, and several of our Board members were also able to volunteer their time and put in a full Saturday setting up for the event and helping out in the kitchen. This will be an ongoing part of the CPIPC’s way to give back to our community, and we are looking forward to doing this again in 2013 and onward.”

The Future of the CPIPC

It is clear that the CPIPC has the support of its membership and its leadership.

This year’s leadership team includes Mr. Terrulli as president; vice president Dave Vogelsang of Calumet Specialty; treasurer Kris Johansen of Toyo Ink America; secretary Mike Stoltz of Flint Group; sergeant at arms Brian Chwierut of Sun Chemical; and Mr. Henneke, who serves as president pro-tem.

Committee chairs include Mr. Ribaudo (Christmas Party and Membership); John Jilek Jr. and Dan DeLegge of Inksolutions (Golf Outing); Mr. Roeing (Education); Tim Cox of Lubrizol (Scholarships); Amy Radostits of Radchem Products (Awards); Vlad Tomovich of Chromatic Technologies (Webmaster); and Mr. Sergeant (Advisor).

With its leadership in place and the dedication of its members to the club, it is certain that the CPIPC will continue to play an integral role in the industry in the coming years

“I believe that the industry and our members want the club to succeed and continue to exist,” Mr. Ribaudo said. “We are all so busy running 100 miles per hour that we hardly have time to get out any more and say hi to our colleagues and friends. Our monthly meetings provide an opportunity in a relaxed environment to stop and take a breath and say hi to our colleagues and friends, while providing an opportunity for our members to stay on top of what is going on in our industry in a more relaxed environment.”

Mr. Henneke speaks of the CPIPC as a “family,” which explains how the club continues to thrive.

“The family of individuals we have are some of the best individuals I have run across in this industry,” Mr. Henneke said. “It takes dedication not only in time to excel in a non-profit, but you can tell the efforts of these individuals come from the heart.”