Business News

SGIA Honors Larry Graefen with 2009 Parmele Award

Wednesday 14. October 2009 - The Association's highest honor celebrates industry professionals

SGIA announced the winner of the esteemed Howard Parmele Award last week during the 2009 SGIA Expo in New Orleans. Larry Graefen, President of Harbor Graphics Corporation (a Vomela Specialties Company) in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was selected for his vast industry achievements.

“Larry began his career in the specialty graphics industry in 1972 and later co-founded an imaging business specializing in fleet graphics,” said Carl Baldwin, SGIA’s Immediate Past Board Chairman, who presented the award during the Thursday Night Dinner Party. “He helped to advance the industry by adopting UV curing in 1985 and by embracing digital printing in 1992.”

Grafen has been a member of the Association for more than 25 years, and in addition to this year’s Parmele Award, he was honored with SGIA’s prestigious Key Award in 2002, recognizing his exemplary leadership and dedication to the Association. He also has been heavily involved with SGIA’s activities, including serving as the 2001 Chairman of the SGIA Board of Directors, Chairman of SPIRE and has participated on many other SGIA committees.

“Over the years, Larry has been instrumental in moving the specialty imaging industry forward,” said Michael Robertson, SGIA’s President and CEO. “The SGIA community has greatly benefited from his longtime industry contributions and loyalty to the Association.”

The Howard Parmele Award celebrates industry professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the specialty imaging industry over an extended length of time. See the complete list of past Parmele Award winners in the SGIA Who’s Who membership directory.