2008 HOF — A Year to Remember

October 2008 By Erik Cagle
Senior Editor

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IT WOULD be safe to say that Jim Mayes is having the type of year that most printing executives would dream about, and it’s not due to a huge influx in the bottom line for his company, ColorCraft of Virginia.

Not that the Sterling, VA-based commercial printer is floundering, either. On the contrary; Mayes’ involvement in some of the industry’s most relevant issues has landed him in some impressive company. In early March, he met with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as a member of the Printing Industries of Virginia (PIVA) educational task force to discuss workforce development and attracting employees to the printing industry.

Then, on March 26, the ColorCraft CEO played host to President Bush, who toured the printing operation in support of the economic stimulus package he had signed into law the previous month. Bush visited ColorCraft to underscore the business benefits of the package, namely bonus depreciation on new equipment purchased and installed prior to the end of the year. Mayes and Co. had recently added new gear in the pressroom.

“That was a real treat,” says Mayes, 64, of the big visit. “He came in and shook hands with every employee...it was a memorable experience for me to welcome the president of the United States to my company.”

Add one more item of interest to Mayes’ year in review: 2008 inductee into the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame. In fact, it’s been such a good year for him that a fellow inductee, IWCO Direct’s Jim Andersen, cites Mayes as being a driving influence behind his decision to choose printing as a career.

As Frank Sinatra once crooned, it was a very good year. And, judging by the people who know Mayes well, the honors are all well earned.

“Jim is a consummate professional and a very generous man,” notes Mike Marcian, president of Corporate Press in Landover, MD. “He has always been willing to give of his time to the industry. Jim sets a standard for integrity that all people should strive to meet. He always takes the high road.”

Born on a farm in northern Virginia during World War II, Mayes spent much of his childhood in the Washington, DC, area. Reared with a strong Episcopalian ethos, he never missed a Sunday at church before graduating from high school. He had his first taste of printing as an elective in junior high school, operating handfed windmill presses.

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