The FTA Great Lakes meeting is today at Ditrolio Flexo Institute.

We have a terrific program lined up for the next FTA Great Lakes meeting. In addition to some excellent presentations, we will have complimentary food, refreshments, as well as beer and wine.


When: April 21st from 3:30-7:30PM

Where: Ditrolio Flexo Institute
1724 W 19th St
Broadview, IL 60155 US


Vince Ditrolio will discuss the programs offered by the Ditrolio Flexo Institute and some of the government grants available to companies for employee training.

Jim Raffel from ColorMetrix will speak on Color in Packaging.

Windell McGill from Advanced Vision Technology Inc. presents an overview of inspection systems and discusses on-line color management.

Dan Uress from MeasureColor will talk about color measurement software.

FTA Hall of Fame Member, Jean Jackson from Praxair Surface Technologies presents an overview of the projects and specifications being developed by the FTA Flexo Quality Consortium.

Food and refreshments courtesy of Sonic Solutions and Harper Corporation of America.

Complimentary beer and wine courtesy of Alden & Ott Printing Inks.


Cost: $10 for FTA Members / $20 for non-members payable at the door by cash or check made out to FFTA. All proceeds go to the FFTA scholarship fund.

Why you need a good writer on your staff.

For those of us who are bored silly with buzzwords and platitudes in corporate communications, this is a "must read" article. Sorry. Eye opening? Game changing? Paradigm shift? Ground breaking? Just read the darn thing !

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100501/why-is-business-writing-so-awful.html

FTA's online auction is open for bidding ! There are some wonderful items available and you don't have to be an FTA member to bid.

Bidding is Now Open! Bidding on items to fund FIRST Operator Scholarships is open now through May 2 at 5:00 PM EDT Funds generated from this online auction will support the FIRST Operator Certification Scholarship program to help industry members who would like to obtain certification, but require financial assistance. There is more than $100,000 worth of items for bid ranging from plate mounting tapes, anilox rolls, and doctor blades, to training programs, hockey tickets, vacation & golf packages, autographed books, and a Gibson guitar signed by country music artist and Grammy Award winner Gretchen Wilson. Cash donations are welcomed! A list of winning bidders will be available at the Forum Registration Desk and the FTA INFO*FLEX booth on May 3. Winners will be notified by May 20 by email. Inquires can directed to Doreen Monteleone at 631-737-6020 ext. 30. GO TO AUCTION SITE Choose from these great items! 1-day Press Trials 3M Cushion Mount Plus Plate Mounting Tape (Various Sizes & Types) 4- Bases from Narrow Web Stock Anilox Inventory Anilox Roll Cleaning Anilox Rollers (4 different) Anilox Roller Resurfacing Characterization Plates, Colorimetric Evaluation & Report Chicago Blackhawks Tickets Color Consulting Day of Service DuploFLEX Plate Mounting Tapes & Instruction Elason Solvent Flexo Plate End Seals Focus Growth Guide FIRST Certification Level 1 Courses (3) Flexo Training Courses 3 month hands-on (2) Flexolife Doctor Blades Gretchen Wilson Autographed Guitar Heavy Duty Strobe Light Ink INTEGRA 9505 1D & 2D Barcode Verifier Barcode Verification System iPad2 Lost Moon Book - Autographed by Astronaut Jim Lovell Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat - custom designed Miles to Go Before I Sleep Book - Autographed by Jackie Pflug (2) Monterey California Golf Vacation Package Napa California Vacation Package New York Amazing Long Weekend Vacation Package Nyloflex Photopolymer Premium Printables - Designer Labels Phantom Proofing System PQS-VE Pump Renaissance Hotel/Blue Man Group Las Vegas Vacation Package Sports Vacation Package GO TO AUCTION SITE Thank you to the following companies that have donated to this cause! 3M Company All Printing Resources Alden & Ott Printing Inks American Ultraviolet Anderson & Vreeland ARC International Conversource CTS Industries Eaglewood Technologies/Sani-blast LLC Flexographic Trade Services Flexo Wash Flint Group Graymills Corporation Great Lakes Packaging & Gretchen Wilson Harper Corporation of America HarperScientific Label Vision Systems, Inc. Lohmann Technologies Corporation Matthews Brand Solutions Max Daetwyler Corporation PC Industries Paragon Labels/Mrs Grossman's Peak Focus LLC RBCOR LLC Wikoff Color Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. GO TO AUCTION SITE