GMA Group Turns 10
by John Braun
The GMA Users Group celebrated its 10th anniversary with its largest-ever national meeting, April 16-19. This year, the Austin American-Statesman played host to the non-profit organization and its 169 delegates representing 71 U.S. newspapers.
While the group initially met to discuss basic equipment concerns, it has evolved into a much more diverse organization. This year, its packaging-and-distribution professionals tackled such issues as pre-print standards, zoning, transient or part-time work forces, and productivity enhancements for inserting equipment and mailroom operations.
The three-day conference included a motivational speaker, a presentation from national insert distributor Treasure Chest, nine different breakout sessions and a vendor exchange. The group holds one national and several regional meetings annually. The organization is run by an elected board of eight volunteers who meet twice yearly to maintain growth, structure and conference planning.
John Braun is manager of packaging and distribution for Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. and past president of the GMA Users Group. E-mail, brauny22@aol.com; phone, (610) 292-6120.