From left to right: Elmer Rhodes and Clint Murchison, candidates for the IRgA Board.
The IRgA board will lose one member and add two at its meeting September. The two individuals slated for the board are Elmer Rhodes, president of Cross Rhodes Reprographics, and Clint Murchison, general manager of Hub City Blueprint.
“The board decided that now is a good time to add another member to the board, and these two candidates will bring exemplary talents,” says IRgA Managing Director Ed Avis.
The September meeting, which is open to all IRgA members, will be held September 27 at 4 p.m. at the office of Cushing Co., 420 W. Huron St. in Chicago. Members interested in attending should RSVP to Avis at ed.avis@irga.com.
The election of new board members will be the highlight of the meeting. Rhodes and Murchison have been slated by the nominating committee, but other names may be presented from the floor.
John Davis, immediate past president, will leave the board at the September meeting. Paul Fridrich will become board president, and Kim Long will become immediate past president. Tony Militano will become president-elect.
Here are brief biographies of the board candidates:
Elmer Rhodes
Rhodes founded Cross Rhodes Reprographics, which has four locations in the Midwest and South, in 2009. He has worked in the reprographics industry for 20 years, and he is an Army veteran with combat experience in Desert Storm.
When asked about what IRgA can offer the industry, Rhodes said, “In my opinion the IRgA needs to communicate to the stakeholders that reprographics has evolved and we need to understand our place in the market if we want to be successful.”
He said embracing digital document management is a critical issue IRgA members must face. “I don’t mean, ‘Oh we have software as well,’ which you constantly hear, but truly understanding how using that software and your staff to ease the burdens of our clients.”
Rhodes was nominated by Michael Orr, vice president of Document Imaging Systems in St. Louis. Orr wrote in his nomination: “Elmer has drive, tenacity, and knowledge to make an impact in the industry by educating other small businesses on what it takes to be a leader and how to develop your business with the use of technology and determination to succeed. ... I nominate Elmer because of his ability to have successfully implemented document management services and for his knowledge of project management tools and how to apply it in the AEC industry.”
Clint Murchison
Murchison is the general manager of both Hub City Blueprint in Jackson, Tennessee and Tech Plus in Memphis.
Murchison was nominated by Tim Horn, vice president of sales for KIP, who wrote: “Clint has been involved in the business many years, serving as a print production manager, technical manager, sales manager, and currently general manager of both locations. Clint has a hands-on action oriented management style and energetic work ethic coupled with good business morals and values.”
Murchison says the three most critical issues facing reprographics are increasing competition from traditional and non-traditional sources; continually changing document and file distribution methods; and keeping employees, software, and print systems up to date.
“The benefits of being a member of the IRgA are numerous,” he says. “However, the information available as a member to help solve common problems and hurdles we face on a day to day basis (without having to learn the hard way) is the greatest benefit, in my opinion.”