Q&A: Brian Hite, Incoming PRINTING United Alliance Chair

Brian Hite, CSO, Principal, and Founder, Image Options

Congratulations on becoming chair of PRINTING United Alliance. Looking at the year ahead, what does this position mean to you most?

Brian Hite:   I think it’s the culmination of many years of volunteer service with the board and with the Alliance, and I’m excited about what’s to come. There are going be a lot of changes coming up in the future that are positive for the industry, and, for me, it’s just very gratifying to know that I was part of the growth and part of what’s transpired over the past several years.

What do you see “on deck” for PRINTING United Alliance in the next year, and what would you describe as its biggest opportunity?

Hite: The biggest opportunity currently is to grow awareness of the Alliance and what it has to offer businesses, and to engage more companies to become members and take advantage of those services.

There are so many benefits to being a member beyond OSHA regulations or HR, and I think that’s powerful. But how do you communicate that message to members and convince them that, for $500 a year, they get more things than you ever dreamed possible ... if they take advantage of them.

What are you looking forward to most at this year’s PRINTING United Expo and why?

Hite: The biggest thing that I’m looking forward to is networking with the people at the event. It’s time to get together with vendors.It’s the time to learn about new products, new equipment, and build relationships with vendors and with fellow printers. [I’m looking forward to] everything from the AI Pavilion to the PRINTING United booth, where you can meet the staff.

If I can communicate one message, it would be: When you show up, don’t just walk around the floor carrying a bag and collecting brochures. Interact with people. See what’s there, because there are learning opportunities anyone can take back.

And it’s not just once a year at the Expo. Things like the Alliance’s Executive Leadership Conference, the Wide-Format Summit, the Inkjet Summit, the Apparel Decoration Summit, and Digital Packaging Summit — all of those things communicate knowledge you can’t get anywhere else.

Over the past few years, what has changed in the broader printing industry, and what advantages does the Alliance’s approach bring to printers in a changing environment?

Hite: That’s difficult, because there’s so many viewpoints you can take. One, you can say, ‘Wow, it’s been a really difficult couple of years for certain segments of the print industry because of the economic conditions.’

But looking at the positive side, I think there is a convergence. There are new companies taking advantage of new technologies — everything from AI to the new equipment coming out — and they will be the leaders that are moving forward in the future.

You’ll continue to see consolidation as technologies allow businesses to enter markets they didn’t traditionally participate in. Whether that’s good or bad, I can’t say. For me, it’s great.

I think the Alliance is helping to inform — through legislative action and through its efforts in communication — the essential nature of all things print, and that’s something that wasn’t really a thing until the past several years.

What is the value of an industry association like PRINTING United Alliance, and why should printers of all stripes be involved? What has it meant for you?

Hite: Look at it this way: If you don’t know what you don’t know, then you don’t know, right?

If I look at what the Alliance has done for me, much of it is personal. It’s the relationships I’ve built, the people I’ve met that I can call to ask questions. It’s being able to help others when they call me to ask me questions. None of that would’ve existed if I hadn’t become part of the Alliance. It’s the best venue for printing that exists today.