Dave Savastano, Editor05.20.15
Vivy DaCosta, VP finance and administration for hubergroup Canada Limited, has made a huge mark on the North American ink industry, playing a key role in growing Hostmann-Steinerg’s then-small Canadian ink operation to the eighth largest ink manufacturer in North America.
DaCosta began her career in the ink industry on the pigment side, working as a customer service rep with KVK, which supplied various ink manufacturers.
“The ink world really fascinated and engrossed me,” DaCosta said. “So when I emigrated to Canada from England through my connections with KVK, I managed to get a job with a then-small German ink company, Hostmann-Steinberg.”
“I was involved with the then ‘small’ Hostmann-Steinberg to expand across Canada, to open branches in Montreal and Vancouver and grow the markets in Edmonton and Calgary,” she added. “I was given the task of being the ‘face’ of the company in the U.S. venture and became recognized as a force in the upstate New York printing market. My sales territory than expanded to Texas, Pennsylvania and Nebraska.”
DaCosta played a major role as Hostmann-Steinberg expanded its operations in North America.
“I got very involved in web printing, and earned the company award in the Million Dollar Club in both 1986 and 1987 with ink sales of well over a million dollars each year,” DaCosta noted. “We increased sales from $2 million in Canada to $200 million in North America. I liaised with the Canadian R&D team at Hostmann-Steinberg on improving the quality and consistency of ink, and we developed the use of electronic resin testing techniques that were previously unknown in North America. In 2006, I was given the opportunity to move beyond sales and marketing, and the position of VP finance and administration allowed me to expand my business knowledge and skills.”
Bringing in the next generation of ink leaders is one area where DaCosta shines.
“In the early 2000s, it was evident that the printing ink industry needed new, young employees to move the industry into the future,” she said. “I worked with our then president, Winfried Gleue, in the development of an ink industry program to hire university and college graduates by instituting an internship program with Ryerson University and Heidelberg School of Printing Technology in disciplines ranging from engineering to marketing.” She noted that Gleue and many other great printing ink leaders truly motivated her.
An active member of trade associations, DaCosta is past president of the Canadian Printing Ink Manufactures Association (CPIMA), where she still serves as a Board Member, and she also serves on the NAPIM Board of Directors. Outside of work, DaCosta enjoys cooking, working with her church and organizing events.
DaCosta said she is honored to be selected as a Printing Ink Pioneer Award recipient.
“I am totally honored and completely appreciative to be in the league with all those individuals who have contributed so much to our industry both past and present,” DaCosta concluded. “I truly believe in the future of the North American printing and printing ink industry.
DaCosta began her career in the ink industry on the pigment side, working as a customer service rep with KVK, which supplied various ink manufacturers.
“The ink world really fascinated and engrossed me,” DaCosta said. “So when I emigrated to Canada from England through my connections with KVK, I managed to get a job with a then-small German ink company, Hostmann-Steinberg.”
“I was involved with the then ‘small’ Hostmann-Steinberg to expand across Canada, to open branches in Montreal and Vancouver and grow the markets in Edmonton and Calgary,” she added. “I was given the task of being the ‘face’ of the company in the U.S. venture and became recognized as a force in the upstate New York printing market. My sales territory than expanded to Texas, Pennsylvania and Nebraska.”
DaCosta played a major role as Hostmann-Steinberg expanded its operations in North America.
“I got very involved in web printing, and earned the company award in the Million Dollar Club in both 1986 and 1987 with ink sales of well over a million dollars each year,” DaCosta noted. “We increased sales from $2 million in Canada to $200 million in North America. I liaised with the Canadian R&D team at Hostmann-Steinberg on improving the quality and consistency of ink, and we developed the use of electronic resin testing techniques that were previously unknown in North America. In 2006, I was given the opportunity to move beyond sales and marketing, and the position of VP finance and administration allowed me to expand my business knowledge and skills.”
Bringing in the next generation of ink leaders is one area where DaCosta shines.
“In the early 2000s, it was evident that the printing ink industry needed new, young employees to move the industry into the future,” she said. “I worked with our then president, Winfried Gleue, in the development of an ink industry program to hire university and college graduates by instituting an internship program with Ryerson University and Heidelberg School of Printing Technology in disciplines ranging from engineering to marketing.” She noted that Gleue and many other great printing ink leaders truly motivated her.
An active member of trade associations, DaCosta is past president of the Canadian Printing Ink Manufactures Association (CPIMA), where she still serves as a Board Member, and she also serves on the NAPIM Board of Directors. Outside of work, DaCosta enjoys cooking, working with her church and organizing events.
DaCosta said she is honored to be selected as a Printing Ink Pioneer Award recipient.
“I am totally honored and completely appreciative to be in the league with all those individuals who have contributed so much to our industry both past and present,” DaCosta concluded. “I truly believe in the future of the North American printing and printing ink industry.