2013 FTA President’s Award Recognizes John Crammer

John Crammer 2013 FTA President's Award

Flexographic Technical Association, over its 55-year lifespan, has consistently grown and prospered as the direct result of a volunteer base representing committed individuals who see the value in dedicating their time and talent for the collective good of the flexographic business community. As is natural in this sort of environment, the names of the true industry leaders seem to show up more frequently in association with new projects and initiatives as they are formed and organized.

Leaders don’t wait to be asked; they don’t take their commitments lightly; they formulate ideas and see themselves involved in areas that will best utilize their talents. Over the years, the FTA President’s Award has been bestowed annually on individuals who understand this philosophy of leadership and who commit themselves to taking on the responsibility of being an industry driver.

John Crammer, Best Label, has been selected as the sole recipient of the 2013 FTA President’s Award, as a direct result of his ongoing strong commitment to the goals and objectives of the Association and Foundation. A vocal proponent of education and importance of elevating skill sets at all levels within the flexographic business community, John set an example for others to follow. He first investigated, then invested in the FFTA FIRST Operator Certification Program, earning recognition as a FIRST Certified Implementation Specialist. From there, he and a group of his managers set about embarking on the next level FIRST Company Certification as the very first business to achieve this designation.

As a means of demonstrating everything that the company had learned and accomplished through its certification initiative, John stepped up John Crammer 2013 FTA President's Award at Best Labeland volunteered to take on the responsibility of producing what has become a tradition within the FFTA…the FLEXO Magazine Cover Project. The key elements demonstrated through the production of the December 2012 issue’s cover all tie back to the “printing by the numbers” philosophy espoused by FIRST. Not only did he offer his company’s resources—in addition to a number of other project team members doing so—John also determined that an excellent means of documenting and promoting the entire experience would be to produce a video detailing the process and post it on FLEXO Magazine’s web page so that everyone in the industry could view the team in action.

John has found it important to actively participate in sharing what he and his company have learned. Presenting on FFTA and affiliated organization meetings agendas, he has addressed topics that pertain to the value of FIRST to his company’s bottom line, the importance of process control and the utilization of technology to successfully achieve business objectives. As a speaker on the 2011 Printing Industries of America Color Management Conference program and in the FIRST Session—in addition to co-chairing the Emerging Trends Session—at the 2013 Forum, John has never been shy about stepping up and helping others learn from his experiences.

In representing the narrow web printing community within the FTA/FFTA organizational structure, John recently assumed the definitive roleJohn Crammer 2013 FTA President's Award at Best Label 2 of organizational leader as he joined the FTA Board of Directors and FFTA Board of Trustees in March of last year. He took on this responsibility while also serving as the 1st vice chairman—which is soon to transition to chairman—on the Board of Directors of the Visual Media Alliance (VMA) in Northern California. In this role, John is very actively assisting both organizations in developing opportunities where VMA and FTA/FFTA can collaborate in areas that will provide mutual benefits to our respective memberships’ products and services offering.

John is a serious “can do” leader who’s not afraid to plow new ground and commit his personal and company resources for the common good of the flexographic business community. For this admirable quality, he is well deserving of the 2013 FTA President’s Award… Congratulations John. Thank you for all that you do!