Since we opened our doors in 1993, Stephen Zenger and his family have been a "friend in print" colleague. It is an honor to be able to share his induction into the Printing Industry Hall of Fame for 2021.
Click here to read the entire article about how Stephen earned the honor.
Stephen Zenger Leads Family Business to New Heights
"If anybody’s going to put me out of business, it had better be me.” These words go a long way towards encapsulating Stephen Zenger, CEO of Zenger Group, and a 2021 Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame inductee. In his years at the helm of Zenger Group, Zenger’s strategic mind and eye for the next crucial technology has played a significant role in taking the business from strength to even greater strength over the past few decades.
Founded by his father and brother as a local storefront print shop in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1980, the family-owned commercial printing enterprise now boasts a nationwide customer base and currently operates three plants in the Buffalo area. They include a main direct mail printing operation running digital and offset presses and a full bindery; a union print shop that also operates offset, and small-format digital output devices, and an embedded bindery; plus a third operation, a retail copy shop in downtown Buffalo.
Zenger’s affinity for technology has been important to Zenger Group’s growth and continued prosperity. ‘Smart. Print. Now.’ is more than a tagline, it’s embedded in the company culture. “We’ve always pushed to be at the leading edge of print production technologies,” Zenger explains. “With ‘Smart. Print. Now.’, smart is probably the most important part. It’s about doing innovative things with technology, and sometimes stretching us into work that isn’t necessarily what would be considered printing industry work.
Tim Freeman, president of Printing Industries Alliance, caught sight of this particular trait early on. “I’ve always considered Steve as a visionary in the industry,” Freeman says. “Some of the things I’ve seen him do with the company have been very astute. He has a keen understanding of technology.” Freeman and Zenger’s relationship goes back to when Zenger graduated from college, as the family business was a member of the association.
Zenger is without doubt an immense advocate for associations and supporting the work they do for the industry. He has served as a longtime board member and former chairman of the Printing Industries Alliance (PIA), the New York regional affiliate of the Printing Industries of America (now part of PRINTING United Alliance). Freeman reflects on Zenger’s commitment to paying it forward: “As competitive as the industry is, he’s always been very open to sharing operational and other ideas that a lot of companies probably wouldn’t have shared.”
Thank you Stephen and your team at the Zenger Group for your years of service to the community.
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