Jackson, MI—PMA will honor three members with the PMA Distinguished Service Award during the upcoming 2012 PMA@CES at The Venetian, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 10, 2012 during an official business session. The association will also induct William J. “Bill” McCurry into its Hall of Fame.
The Distinguished Service Award is based on career commitment and invaluable contributions to the imaging industry. The 2012 honorees are: Brent W. Bowyer, of Independent Photo Imagers; Larry Carrillo, of Shutterbug Camera Shops; and Chris A. Paschke, CPF, GCF, of Designs Ink.
Brent Bowyer. A certified public accountant by profession, Brent, along with his wife, Fran, have owned and operated several retail businesses. They opened their first one-hour photofinishing business in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1982 and grew that business to three locations, adding portraiture and glamour photography. They joined Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) as the first members east of Denver in 1996, and Brent became a member of the IPI board of directors in 1997. In 2001, he was selected by the board to succeed IPI cofounder Roger Steitman as its next executive director. IPI membership has more than doubled to over 600 members with more then 800 locations since Bowyer took the helm, and membership recently expanded internationally to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, Bowyer and his staff manage IPI with the objective of providing maximum membership value and growing membership benefits.
Larry Carrillo. In July 1968, at the age of 24, Larry Carrillo became the founder and sole owner of Shutterbug Camera Shops in Santa Rosa, California. During 37 of his 38 years of ownership, the operation was comprised of multiple locations. With a 40-plus-year career in the photo specialty industry, Carrillo was actively involved with PMA, serving as president of the Northern California division, as a territorial vice president (TVP), then as trustee-at-large. In 1987 his company joined the Photographic Research Organization (PRO), in which he held a position on the board of directors and the executive committee, as well as serving as the organization’s vice president. He was also a member of the Kodak Medalist advisory committee. Upon his 2006 retirement, Carrillo left Shutterbug Camera Shops in the able hands of his protégé and Shutterbug’s new owner, Mike Paschke.
Chris A. Paschke, CPF, GCF. A second-generation professional picture framer, artist, designer, educator and consultant who operates her own retail/commercial picture-framing and design business, Designs Ink, in Tehachapi, California, Paschke was cofounder of the PPFA Far Northern California chapter. She is also a founding member and first chairperson of the PPFA competition board and is current president of the PPFA Greater Los Angeles chapter, along with having served on committees too numerous to mention. Paschke was honored with the 2008 PPFA Award of Distinction for Leadership and the 2010 Vivian Kistler Recognition for Innovation Award for her work on the competition board. A popular educator, Paschke has authored numerous magazine series, including The Essence of Design, Design Concepts and Digital Directions for PFM and has four self-published books: The Mounting and Laminating Handbook, 1997; Second Edition 2002; Third Edition 2008; and Creative Mounting Wrapping and Laminating, 1999. She currently writes the monthly columns: PFM Mastering Mounting; GLAC Mounting Matters; and IEA Framing Matters.
PMA Inducts Bill McCurry into Hall of Fame
PMA’s 2012 Hall of Fame inductee, William J. “Bill” McCurry, has shown lifelong dedication to the advancement of the photo specialty dealer. The award, the highest association honor, was bestowed on McCurry during a PMA official business session. Recipients of the honor are selected by the PMA board of trustees based on career success and their role in the advancement of the industry.
McCurry worked in his family’s diverse business, the McCurry Cos., before heading to college and to the Army. After the Army, he returned to McCurry’s, working in many areas of the organization. The Sacramento, California-based business sold school supplies, which included audio visual; installed complete photo labs, dictating equipment, language labs, video studios, hallmark cards and gifts; and operated photo labs.
In 1979, his dad, Robert O. McCurry, and uncle, Harold J. “Bob” McCurry, a past PMA president, retired. During the 1980s, the company embraced new markets, like one-hour photofinishing, and was named Dealership of the Year in 1985 by PTN. In 1990, the photo operations of McCurry’s were sold to Kit’s Cameras, and McCurry, who had been teaching part-time at Golden Gate University Graduate School of Management, became a full-time teacher. Former students would often call and ask for consultations, and thus McCurry Associates, now based in Princeton, New Jersey, began.
McCurry is a regular speaker for PMA conventions and meetings. Among the books he coauthored for PMA are Guerrilla Marketing for the Imaging Industry and Guerrilla Management for the Imaging Industry. The popularity of these best sellers led to updated sequels: Digital Guerrilla Marketing and It’s Your People . . . Really!
He led the first Marketing Idea Exchange at PMA 2002 and has led Marketing Idea Exchanges at PMA events in New Zealand, Canada, the UK and Australia. The McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange, edited by Chris Lydle, shares ideas and brings great minds together to grow industry sales and profits. McCurry is also a regular contributor to the DIMAcast podcast, where he uncovers marketing ideas from well-known and not yet known entities throughout the imaging world. pmai.org
