David Savastano, Ink World Editor11.27.07
Wikoff Color has been an impressive success story in recent years. Through organic growth,
innovative products and strategic acquisitions, the company has grown from an estimated $80 million four years ago to an estimated $130 million in 2006. With that growth, Phil Lambert, the company’s former president and current CEO and chairman of the Board of Directors, recognized a need for more management depth.
To meet this need, Geoff Peters was brought on as Wikoff Color’s vice president – operations and technology in 2006, and was promoted to president and COO in August 2007. Prior to joining Wikoff, Mr. Peters spent 19 years in global logistics, the majority of which was at Sea-Land Services, where he ran the company’s European division, as well as an additional five years working in the integrated supply industries.
“Wikoff has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years, and I believe I can help share the workload this growth has added to the management team and allow all of us to spend more time with our customers,” said Mr. Peters.
For Mr. Peters, the opportunity to join the leadership team at Wikoff Color was a major draw, as was the company’s employee ownership structure.
“The strength of the management team, its vision and its leadership played a big part in my decision to join Wikoff Color,” Mr. Peters said. “When I met the people at Wikoff, I felt this would be a company where I would really enjoy working. The employees were enthusiastic about what they do, and you could feel the presence of the employee ownership culture throughout the company.”
While Mr. Peters is relatively new to the ink industry, he clearly believes that Wikoff Color is well positioned to grow along with its customers.
“The ink industry fascinates me because it is a nice blend of art and science,” Mr. Peters said. “Sure the ink industry has some challenges, particularly escalating raw material costs, but I believe it is an industry where many customers still place value in quality products and service. We want to stay on the leading edge of product development, given the critical role that inks and coatings play in our customers’ finished products.
“Our leadership team, including Phil, Daryl Collins (vice president of national sales and regional operations), Buck Rorie (vice president of finance), Don Duncan (director of R&D) and our regional managers, believe in what they are doing. They focus on serving customers, whether it is creating innovative products or providing excellent responsiveness and technical support,” Mr. Peters said. “We do these things well, so as printing technologies evolve and customers’ needs grow, it plays to our strengths.”
Geoff Peters |
To meet this need, Geoff Peters was brought on as Wikoff Color’s vice president – operations and technology in 2006, and was promoted to president and COO in August 2007. Prior to joining Wikoff, Mr. Peters spent 19 years in global logistics, the majority of which was at Sea-Land Services, where he ran the company’s European division, as well as an additional five years working in the integrated supply industries.
“Wikoff has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years, and I believe I can help share the workload this growth has added to the management team and allow all of us to spend more time with our customers,” said Mr. Peters.
For Mr. Peters, the opportunity to join the leadership team at Wikoff Color was a major draw, as was the company’s employee ownership structure.
“The strength of the management team, its vision and its leadership played a big part in my decision to join Wikoff Color,” Mr. Peters said. “When I met the people at Wikoff, I felt this would be a company where I would really enjoy working. The employees were enthusiastic about what they do, and you could feel the presence of the employee ownership culture throughout the company.”
While Mr. Peters is relatively new to the ink industry, he clearly believes that Wikoff Color is well positioned to grow along with its customers.
“The ink industry fascinates me because it is a nice blend of art and science,” Mr. Peters said. “Sure the ink industry has some challenges, particularly escalating raw material costs, but I believe it is an industry where many customers still place value in quality products and service. We want to stay on the leading edge of product development, given the critical role that inks and coatings play in our customers’ finished products.
“Our leadership team, including Phil, Daryl Collins (vice president of national sales and regional operations), Buck Rorie (vice president of finance), Don Duncan (director of R&D) and our regional managers, believe in what they are doing. They focus on serving customers, whether it is creating innovative products or providing excellent responsiveness and technical support,” Mr. Peters said. “We do these things well, so as printing technologies evolve and customers’ needs grow, it plays to our strengths.”