Print Takes the Hill: Industry Leaders Press Congress for Action
The following article was originally published by In-plant Impressions. To read more of their content, subscribe to their newsletter, IPI E-News.
In a move designed to educate members of Congress on the most pressing issues affecting the printing industry, about 40 print industry leaders assembled in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025, for the PRINTING United Alliance Legislative Fly-In.
During the PRINTING United Legislative Fly-In, print leaders met with Mark Pocan, the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district (center), to discuss issues of importance to printers. From left: Julie Philp, Dave Leskusky, Mark Pocan, Brian Adam (Olympus Group), and Eric Blohm (Freedom Graphic Systems).
Executives from all segments of the industry, including commercial, graphics, direct mail, book, label, and apparel, successfully met with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss specific policy issues and invite their representatives to tour their facilities.
The inaugural Legislative Fly-In and a similarly focused 2024 “Day on the Hill” event, during which the Alliance Board of Directors also met with federal policymakers, are examples of how the Alliance is actively advocating for members and working to positively impact the policymaking process to benefit the entire printing industry. The Alliance’s pro-print legislative agenda supports policies that encourage industry growth and innovation, while combatting policies that would be detrimental to the industry’s overall success.
While printing associations have held similar events in the past, since COVID these activities have come to a standstill. The Alliance is now taking the lead in advocacy for the industry. From preserving the current federal tax treatment of print advertising as an ordinary and necessary business expense to modernizing how the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks and reports on the printing industry, the Alliance is laser focused on promoting print as an essential product that supports critical manufacturing sectors and the U.S. economy.
A Busy Day on the Hill
Print leaders attending a morning session during the inaugural Legislative Fly-In 2025
Last week’s Legislative Fly-In began with a morning program designed to let printing company executives know what to expect at their meetings on the Hill and how to effectively make their requests from members of Congress. Julie Philp and Patrick Grant of ACG Advocacy, the Alliance’s lobbying firm, demonstrated the right and wrong way to talk to members of Congress. In short: cut to the chase. Go in with a specific ask and don’t overdo the chit-chat.
Attendees also heard from Dave Leskusky, president of PRINTING United Alliance, about the size and scope of the printing industry – a $90.3 billion market comprising more than 44,000 establishments – so print leaders could educate their representatives on the essential role print plays in daily life and its significant contributions to both the national and local economies. Mike Davin of the National Association of Manufacturers also gave a presentation with insights into energy and environmental regulations impacting the printing industry. After that, the contingent of printers headed off to meet with members of Congress.
From left: Brian Adam (Olympus Group), Eric Blohm (Freedom Graphic Systems), Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, and Dave Leskusky (PRINTING United Alliance).
Getting Personal with Legislators
Facilitated by ACG Advocacy, the meetings were designed to establish and strengthen personal relationships with federal legislators and their staffs. The meetings gave printers an opportunity to explain how the printing industry has expanded beyond ink on paper to include apparel decorators, digital packaging, digital textile, wide-format graphics, printed electronics, and installers.
Some print executives had as many as seven meetings with members of Congress. The primary goals of these meetings: Asking representatives to join the 119th Congressional Printing Caucus and inviting them to tour their facilities. Some members of congress were extremely receptive, like Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), co-chair of the Congressional Printing Caucus, who owned a printing company (Budget Signs & Specialties in Madison, Wisconsin) until very recently.
“Great guy. Super engaging,” praised Brian Adam, president of Olympus Group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who enjoyed a face-to-face meeting with Pocan. “We talked about postal reform. We talked a lot about workforce development.”
Dave Leskusky, president at PRINTING United Alliance and NAPCO Media, discusses topics impacting the printing industry.
In these meetings, attendees also addressed specific policy concerns with their representatives:
- On the issue of taxes, they urged the preservation of the current tax treatment of print advertising as an ordinary and necessary business expense. They also asked Congress to pass the Main Street Tax Certainty Act to make the 20% small business tax deduction permanent.
- Regarding trade and tariffs, they urged Congress to pass the Trade Review Act to reestablish limits on the President’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs without the approval of Congress.
- They asked Congress to pass the USPS SERVES US Act, which would empower the Postal Regulatory Commission to hold the USPS accountable for efficiency and service performance.
- To address the environment and sustainability, attendees urged their representatives to pass the PROVE It Act of 2025, which would require federal agencies to analyze and limit the impacts of new regulations on small businesses, while enhancing transparency and accountability in the rulemaking process.
- To strengthen workforce development, they urged the passage of the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which would expand 529s from “college savings plans” to “career savings plans.”
Dave Leskusky and Julie Philp of ACG Advocacy talk on the Capitol steps as printers return from their meetings with members of Congress.
This last issue was one of the primary topics Albert “Chip” Basse III brought up with Senator Edward Markey in their meeting.
“We’re trying to grow, we’re trying to find workers, train workers, and it’s hard,” noted Basse, president of Albert Basse Associates, who flew in from Massachusetts to attend the Fly-In.
The other key issue he discussed was improving the recycling infrastructure in the U.S.
“Right now, recycling, there’s no market for it,” he said. He has to pay a recycling company to remove his company’s waste material so it doesn’t end up in landfill.
Workforce development was a common theme in meetings during the Fly-In. Rob Morris, president and CEO of WestCamp Press, in Columbus, Ohio, stressed to his representatives how important it would be to use 529 plan money to fund skills training.
“You can have a good career without a college education,” he noted. “And print is not going away.”
“Every single person [we met with] was pretty open to that,” added Jason Ahart, vice president of production at Moss Inc., in Franklin Park, Illinois.
For Adam, of Olympus Group, labor pains are significant.
“We’re struggling to find certain types of labor,” he said.
He discussed immigration reform with three representatives and two congressmen, pointing out that immigrants are a significant source of labor for his business.
Print leaders at the Legislative Fly-In.
“There are a lot of immigrants, a lot inside the country right now where, if there was some type of pathway to citizenship, some type of way to sponsor them, that would be pretty meaningful,” he said.
Similarly, hiring formerly incarcerated individuals and training them would significantly help the labor shortage at Brooke Hamilton’s company.
“It’s a resource for employment opportunities,” said Hamilton, president and CEO of NPI, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She urged Congressman Kevin Hern to help pass the Second Chance Reauthorization Act. Hern, she said, has toured her company in the past, and she invited him to return for another visit, which he was very receptive to.
Though print executives didn’t always meet directly with Senators and representatives, their meetings with staffers were just as important.
Postal Reform
Attendees gather on the Capitol steps during the Inaugural Legislative Fly-In 2025
Postal reform was another key issue discussed with senators, representatives, and their staffs, who were urged to pass the USPS SERVES US Act.
“Being in the direct marketing industry, mail needs to be reformed,” said Joe Olivo, president of Perfect Communications in Moorestown, New Jersey. He pushed the issue with Congressman Herb Conaway and Senator Andy Kim.
Jennifer Pettinger, CEO of Salt Lake City-based Sun Print Solutions also discussed the USPS in her three meetings on the Hill.
“We just tried to educate them as much as possible about the post office,” she said. She urged Congressional staffers not to support privatizing the post office, saying that such a move might close her company’s doors for good.
Attendees enjoy lunch before heading out to meet with members of Congress.
Preserving the tax treatment of print advertising as an ordinary and necessary business expense was also high on her list of asks, and she said all the staffers she met with reacted positively to this.
Another taxation issue, brought up by Jim Priebe, CEO of Litotone, in Elkhart, Indiana, in his meetings, was returning the U.S. to an Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amoritization (EBITDA) standard for interest deductibility. He discussed this with his Rep. Rudy Yakym, with whom he quickly discovered he had a connection,
“He had stuff on the wall that we had printed,” said Priebe. He was glad to be able to make a personal connection to the senator through the meeting and is hopeful he will tour his company in the future.
Sara Deneau and Jennifer Pettinger of Sun Print Solutions talk with Adriane Harrison, vice president of Human Relations Consulting at PRINTING United Alliance during the inaugural Legislative Fly-In.
Priebe and others also expressed concerns about tariffs on paper and pulp as well as machine parts only available from Japan. Ahart, of Moss Inc., told Rep. Jesús G. García’s office about the extra expense his company has to pay to bring in fabrics from overseas and how this is impeding the company’s growth.
“I think it helped them to understand something that at least they could bring to the floor and give examples of how it's affecting business,” he said.
All day around the Capitol, groups of print executives crossed paths on their way to meetings, with some visiting as many as seven Congress members’ offices. The meetings were all set up by PRINTING United Alliance and its lobbying firm ACG Advocacy.
“We found everybody very receptive to what we were talking about. Lot of notes taken,” remarked Priebe, of Lithotone. He said it was important for him to come to the Fly-In to support the Alliance and the printing industry.
“It’s important for us to have representation,” he said.
Other attendees felt the same.
“In the [print] industry we have to speak as one voice,” said Olivo of Perfect Communications.
“For me, it's important to stay engaged and give back to our industry,” added Adam of Olympus Group.
“We’re just passionate about our industry,” explained Pettinger of Sun Print.
“I believe in my industry,” added Hamilton of NPI. “I really, truly believe in PRINTING United. It’s the one place you can go and get a lot of answers.”
All agreed the Fly-In was a big success and the meetings, facilitated by the Alliance and ACG Advocacy, let them establish personal relationships with federal legislators and their staffs. The event provided the opportunity to ensure that policymakers became educated about and understand the challenges and opportunities facing the printing industry.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
