For two-thirds of a century, Flexographic Technical Association has brought together individuals from around the world to “promote, develop and maintain the advancement of flexographic printing.”
That phrase is as old as the Association, appearing on the first page of its Articles of Incorporation as well as its bylaws. Undoubtedly, the tens of thousands of individuals who have, at one point in their careers, called themselves an FTA member would agree that it acts as a succinct mission statement of sorts.
And out of that group, and over that stretch of time, the FTA President’s Award has been given to just 81 of them.
Despite its name, the Award recognizes individuals who FTA staff, collectively, seek to acknowledge for their wide-ranging and profound contributions to the Association. They are the equivalent of “household names” at our physical and virtual offices. They appear regularly on stage as a presenter or chair of FORUM or Fall Technical Conference, as a judge of an awards competition, on the rosters of committees, as an author in FLEXO Magazine, among the thousands of flexographers with FIRST Individual Certification, leading a webinar, conversing in the aisles of INFOFLEX—generally speaking, “promoting, developing and maintaining the advancement of flexographic printing.”
It is my great pleasure to recognize two highly regarded members for their contributions and dedicated service as the 82nd and 83rd recipients of the FTA President’s Award.
The first recipient of this year’s FTA President’s Award is Alix Guyot. Since joining the industry shortly after graduating from California Polytechnic State University in 2009, Alix has earned a reputation for her willingness to assist the Association from different angles.
Appearing on the FORUM stage, most recently this year in the FQC session and last year as part of “The Great Plate Debate,” Alix has provided technical and objective insights on topics such as color proofing, plate stability and process control. Proven as a presenter and panelist, and very familiar with FTA conferences from the attendee point of view, Alix also assists in creating must-attend events as a session co-chair—again, as recently as this year with the “Consumable Trends” session.
Alix’s work as an integral part of the Excellence in Flexography Awards competition, while not as visible, has been equally important. The competition’s ability to evaluate print samples’ degree of difficulty and level of execution relies entirely on its judges. Here, across separate competitions where Alix was a judge, she has studied thousands of entries and braved multiple blizzards in the Northeast to travel to and from the site of the judging.
Asked to join the committee responsible for overseeing and executing the annual competition, Alix immediately accepted. Notably, her work during the 2021 Excellence in Flexography Awards—when judging was done virtually—helped to overcome challenging circumstances and maintain the competition’s commitment to empirical print sample evaluation. Now, as chair of that committee, Alix works hand-in-hand with FTA staff to usher the Excellence in Flexography Awards forward and into an exciting future.
Proudly repping her FIRST Implementation Specialist Certification in her LinkedIn profile, a repeat contributor to FLEXO Magazine, helping to grow the Women of Flexo, and a mainstay on the INFOFLEX show floor.
I can recall on more than one occasion, in an internal staff meeting, discussing which FTA members we want to “recruit” for some kind of project and hearing the suggestion “What about Alix Guyot?” One of two things happens after that: An immediate, “Alix will definitely help out!” or a pause until someone asks, “Have we been asking Alix to do too much?” I don’t know if we’ll ever find the answer to that question. Alix has made FTA and the experience of being an FTA member better.
The second recipient of this year’s FTA President’s Award is Hank Welter. Hank’s decades of experience and affability are invaluable assets, ones FTA has benefitted from repeatedly and at all levels.
At the highest level, the FTA Board of Directors and FFTA Board of Trustees ensure the Association and its Foundation provide a comprehensive range of benefits to FTA members, reflect changes and advancements seen in the flexographic industry, and in general are operationally sound. Hank’s six years as a Board member, coming just after the Great Recession, were a period of re-emergence for FTA. His insights and guidance as FTA Vice Chair, Printer/Converters during that time were critical to keeping in tune with industry trends and identifying emerging market segments.
Hank has shared his expertise on the FORUM and Fall Technical Conference stage on more than one occasion. He lent his leadership skills as FORUM 2019 co-chair and chair of Virtual FORUM 2020. And just last year at FORUM & INFOFLEX 2023, Hank was one half of the session co-chair team responsible for “Find ‘em, Train ‘em, Keep ‘em: 21st Century Flexographer,” a two-hour mix of presentations and panel discussions that tackled maybe the greatest challenge facing the flexographic industry: Finding, developing and retaining skilled employees.
When it comes to training, Hank has practiced what he preaches as an advocate for FIRST Individual Certification, championing the program and vouching for its curriculum. Owing to his reputation as “an FTA type of guy,” Hank is currently lending his wisdom to a subcommittee tasked with evaluating the Association’s membership structure and how to best reflect the makeup of businesses in the industry.
FTA’s staff and I have spent quite a bit of time in the last few years studying the effects of the pandemic on our members’ needs, the industry as a whole and how we function as an organization. I remember the first few online meetings we had with the FORUM 2020 planning team, working out how the conference could be held virtually. Internally, we knew it wasn’t a question of if we could, but how. Hank’s levelheadedness and determination as FORUM chair, willingness to try new things and commitment in the face of so much uncertainty, continue to stand out to this day.