NPTA's Stanley O. Styles Award Honors Industry Excellence
Industry Insights | Annabel Steele | March 09, 2022
Our industry is full of passionate, committed professionals dedicated to promoting the paper industry. Every year, NPTA recognizes one such leader with the Stanley O. Styles Industry Excellence Award.
The award, which is distributed by the Stanley O. Styles Nominations Committee, is given to an industry leader who has made a positive impact through innovation and dedication, and who sets an example for their peers. The nominations committee considers a range of factors when selecting each year’s recipient.
The criteria for award winners are as follows:
- The recipient shall be a paper merchant, paper manufacturer/converter, consultant or educator who has had a distinguished career in the printing paper distribution channel.
- The recipient shall be someone who has had a positive influence on the printing paper distribution channel, including from the introduction of new products, management methods or marketing concepts.
- The recipient shall be someone who is acknowledged by the printing paper distribution channel as a good leader and a good representative of the values and traits necessary for the excellent conduct of business.
- The recipient shall be someone who has long been actively involved in paper industry affairs, and who has supported the paper industry’s trade associations, foundations and marketing groups.
- The recipient shall be someone who has been a spokesperson for the paper industry either locally or nationally, and whose opinion is respected.
- The recipient shall be someone who exhibits impeccable character and is regarded as a good citizen of the paper industry.
NPTA recently caught up with the 2020 winner, Mike Graves, at PDC. A 37-year industry veteran, he first joined the paper world fresh out of college. Graves initially took the job to stay close to his then-girlfriend, now-wife, while she was finishing up her undergraduate studies. In the decades since, he’s climbed the ranks of the industry. Graves says his biggest career accomplishment is becoming the owner of Midland at the end of 2020.
“I’m honored and humbled by the award,” he says, lauding his mentors, peers and network for helping him succeed over the years.
You can help NPTA recognize this year’s winner by nominating your colleagues and peers for the Stanley O. Styles Industry Excellence Award.
Nominate someone today.