Hammer wins 2008 Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award

Printing Industries of America has elected James E. Hammer, president and CEO of Hammer Packaging in Rochester, New York, as the recipient of the 2008 Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award. Established in 1950, the Lewis Award named for Abraham Lewis, founder of Graphic Arts Monthly, and his sons Louis and Myron. The award honors a business leader who has gone far beyond standard obligations to become a significant force in shaping the business of producing printed communications.

Hammer is a fourth-generation business owner who has been the driving force in growing the $1 million company he took over from his father to the nearly $100 million enterprise it is today. His focus on technology, quality, innovation, and teamwork have aided in the success of Hammer Packaging.

Under Hammer's guidance, Hammer Packaging has celebrated a number of important 'firsts' in the industry. The company was the first packaging printer in North America to offer shrink sleeves with high-quality web offset printing and variable-sleeve technology. In addition, Hammer Packaging was one of the first printers to achieve ISO 9002 certification and ISO 9001: 2000.

To facilitate the development of new printing techniques and processes, Hammer created the position of director of innovation at Hammer Packaging.  His investments have resulted in an Innovation Department whose efforts have been able to offer a host of solutions, such as new substrates like BOPP HammerSyn, HammerShield co-extruded foam, new inks and coatings like HammerICE, and new prepress processes like stochastic printing.

Hammer is a strong supporter of education, and Hammer Packaging facilitates an educational exchange program with Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Print Media. Additionally, in order to meet the evolving needs of the packaging printing industry and to promote company and personal growth, Hammer Packaging employees are required to complete 16 hours of in-house and off-site training each year.

Hammer's efforts and initiatives have paid off in the form of many individual and company awards. He has been inducted into the Business Halls of Fame for both New York State and the city of Rochester; named Sheetfed Executive of the Year, an award jointly given by NAPL and Printing Industries of America; and received Printing Industries Alliance's Power of Communications Award for printing.

As an organization, Hammer Packaging received NAPL's Management Plus Awards annually from 2002-2007 and has been featured in articles in PackagePrinting and Labels & Labeling magazines. In 2008, the company received Best Workplace Honors from Printing Industries of America's Best Workplace in the Americas (BWA) program and has also been recognized by the BWA program in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007. Under Hammer's leadership, Hammer Packaging has been named a 'Top 100' company for the past seventeen years, which includes mentions in the Printing Impressions 400 list and Graphic Arts Monthly's Top 101 Printers.

The Lewis Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually at Printing Industries of America's Presidents Conference. This year's Presidents Conference will be held March 1-5 in Champions Gate, Florida.

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