Bush

Robert C. Tapella is now officially the nation’s 25th Public Printer. Five months after he was nominated in May, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Tapella as Public Printer, and President Bush has signed the commission. Tapella will lead more than 2,200 employees at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). He succeeds Bruce James in the role. Tapella has been involved in GPO’s transformation into a profitable 21st Century digital operation during the last five years, first as Deputy Chief of Staff and then as Chief of Staff. A 1991 graduate in graphic communications and printing management from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo,

WASHINGTON, DC—05/24/07—The President intends to nominate Robert Charles Tapella, of Virginia, to be the Public Printer. Tapella currently serves as Chief of Staff of the United States Government Printing Office. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the United States Government Printing Office. Earlier in his career, he ran Kelly Communications. Tapella received his bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University. GPO Statement on White House Nomination of Public Printer: “I am happy the process of finding a permanent Public Printer is moving forward. GPO employees and I are pleased that Bob Tapella will be taking the helm of the GPO. Bob

Faced with leaving the U.S. Postal Service in a “death spiral” of increasing rates and declining volume, Congress threw Mr. ZIP and the mailing community a lifeline with the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. In the waning hours of the lame duck session, Congress passed H.R. 6407, much to the surprise and delight of those who profit through mailed communications, including printers. The legislation, a dozen years in the making, goes a long way toward overhauling an institution that had been operating with business procedures established in 1970, long before alternative means of communication, particularly the Internet, became a viable threat. The final

Postal reform cleared another hurdle last month when the Senate passed its version of the bill by a voice vote. A conference committee will work to hammer out the differences between this bill and the House of Representatives version passed last July. Michael Makin, president of the PIA/GATF, hailed lawmakers for taking a major step towards modernizing the U.S. postal system. "Senate passage of postal reform is a huge victory in the printing industry's long quest for a major legislative overhaul of this country's postal laws," Makin said in a statement. The bill, he continued, "takes steps to ensure that future

Sometimes, when I'm sitting back, feeling satisfied that my work at IPG is truly benefiting the in-plant managers of the world, it's jarring to have my face slapped by reality. One day not long ago I heard that President Bush was planning to sign a bill at a Midwest manufacturing firm. Ever on the lookout for interesting story angles, I called the firm's in-plant manager, only to discover a new man had taken his place. It was clear from the man's cautious tone that he had not heard of IPG, his predecessor's subscription having apparently retired with him. When I asked him

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