Michael Duggal, CEO of Duggal Visual Solutions, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Franklin Award by the Printing Industries Alliance-the highest honor given to an individual by the graphic communications community. Presented by the Printing Industries Alliance, the Franklin Award is given to leading figures in the political, business, journalism, and communications sectors for their outstanding achievements and contributions to American society. The award was named for Benjamin Franklin, a printer by trade, and past recipients have included US Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Mayor of NYC Michael Bloomberg, Publisher Malcolm Forbes, and Television Anchor Walter Cronkite.
Michael Duggal has propelled Duggal Visual Solutions into one of the largest imaging service providers in the nation. The company was started by Michael’s late father Baldev Duggal in NYC in 1961 and it has grown exponentially under his watch. Today the company has nine facilities and provides complete visual solutions for iconic retailers, museums, galleries, sports leagues, venues and corporations around the world. Under Michael’s direction, Duggal Visual Solutions acquired the first HP Indigo 12000 B-2 digital press in the nation and was the first in the world to install the HD LANDA S10. Not to mention their already impressive battery of 27 wide-format presses and a variety of high-end equipment. In addition, sixteen of Interbrand’s 25 Best Global Brands are Duggal customers.
When the whole country was hit hard by the COVID-19 vaccine, Michael Duggal and the team at Duggal Visual Solutions were quick to address the serious challenges posed by the rapidly spreading virus. Under his direction, the company became an essential manufacturer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for first responders. Employees at Duggal worked hard, even in the worst days of the pandemic, to create COVID signage, social distancing floor graphics, sanitizer dispensers, automated temperature screening kiosks and desk partitions for school children. They were able to manufacture 3 million protective face shields, medical garments, partitions, and intubation units for hospitals and first responders. The Mayor of New York personally visited the company to thank the team for their efforts, and Duggal Visual Solutions was named one of the Top 5 Companies helping fight COVID along with Ford, Walmart, Amazon, and 3M in September 2020.
Thomas Quinlan, who is currently the former CEO of LSC Communications and was the former CEO of RR Donnelley & Sons from 2007 to 2016, is the 2020 Franklin recipient. The award will be presented to Michael Duggal (2021) and Quinlan (2020) at the 68th Annual Franklin Event on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 (6:00 p.m.) at Club 101, 101 Park Avenue in New York City.
