Meet the manroland Management Team

manroland managers take a highly interactive approach toward promoting innovation in the graphic arts. Get to know them by scanning their profiles here. If you have questions or comments, simply click on the email address of the executive of your choice to get in touch.

Chris Howes		Assistant Vice President of Sales Administration
Roland Ortbach		Vice President Technical Support Group
Ron Sams		Vice President of Corporate Accounts & Newspaper Sales
Michael Mugavero		Vice President of Sales, Canada and East US
Jon Surch		Vice President, Sheetfed Service Operations

 

	Title:	Assistant Vice President of Sales Administration
	Name:	Chris Howes
	Phone:	630.920.2045
	Email:	chris.howes@manroland.us

Bio

Chris Howes, a 23-year manroland veteran, is the Assistant Vice President of Sales Administration at manroland Inc.

The holder of an MBA in Finance and Information Systems, Howes got his start in the graphic arts by working as a press assistant and a bindery-man for a printer during high school. He also worked in the newspaper pressroom while completing his college degree.

He started at manroland in November 1980 in the company's Credit and Collections Department. He next moved to Sales Administration, and then to Sales and Contract Administration. Howes also worked in Marketing for several years, and was Used Equipment Manager for two years before taking another role back in the manroland Sales Administration department.

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	Title:	Vice President of Commercial Web Sales
	Name:	Roland Ortbach
	Phone:	630.920.5852
	Email:	roland.ortbach@manroland.us

Bio

Roland joined Sears (part of the Miller Company in Canada) as a salesman in 1984. Over the past twenty four years, Ortbach has held several critical roles with manroland in sheetfed, commercial web, and newspaper business segments, including specialized roles as Product Manager, Regional Sales Manager and the Managing Director leading the Sheetfed Sales business in Canada. For the past several years, Ortbach has served as the Director and subsequently the Vice President of Corporate Accounts for the commercial web business. Ortbach has enjoyed remarkable success in this role, having been an integral part of developing strong corporate relationships resulting in record sales purchases. Ortbach currently is assigned leadership role within the company, as, Vice President of Commercial Web Sales in an effort to refocus and extend our level of continued customer satisfaction.

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	Title:	Vice President of Corporate Accounts
	Name:	Ron Sams
	Phone:	952.322.3202
	Email:	ron.sams@manroland.us

Bio

Ron Sams is the Vice President of Corporate Accounts at manroland Inc.

Since 1994, Sams has served as Central Region Newspaper Sales Manager and subsequently Vice President of Newspaper sales for manroland, helping many of the Midwest's major dailies to upgrade from letterpresses to manroland web offset technology. His many accomplishments include: initiating manroland's largest newspaper press project in North America with Detroit Newspaper Partnerships, bringing the first Berliner format GEOMAN to North America, and helping forge manroland's ongoing partnership with Tribune Publishing, the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher in terms of revenue and third largest in circulation.

A graduate of the University of Iowa in Iowa City with a BBA in Marketing, Sams has served the graphic arts industry for over 23 years. From 1983 to 1994, he held sales and sales management positions in the mailroom/packaging equipment division of Harris Corporation, advancing within that company as it evolved into Harris Graphics and then AM Graphics.

Ultimately, Sams was appointed Eastern Regional Sales Manager for AM Graphics. Headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he was responsible for running the company's Eastern U.S. sales organization.

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	Title:	Vice President of Sales, Canada and East US
	Name:	Michael Mugavero
	Phone:	908.487.0964
	Email:	michael.mugavero@manroland.us

Bio

Mugavero began his graphic communications career in 1971, working part-time for a commercial printer while attending college. Fifteen years later, he was president of the company, a post he filled for two and a half years. The printing executive moved on to accept a partnership in a trade shop. When that successful venture was bought out three years later, Mugavero joined his favorite press supplier — manroland — as a sales representative. By 1999, he was named the first regional General Manager of manroland Inc., responsible for the northeast and Canada.

 

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	Title:	Vice President, Sheetfed Service Operations
	Name:	Jon Surch
	Phone:	630.920.2036
	Email:	jon.surch@manroland.us

Bio

Jon Surch is Vice President of Service, Sheetfed Operations, for manroland Inc. He directs a support organization that covers the U.S and Canada and encompasses manroland's Rapid Response program as well as the installation of new equipment.

Surch joined manroland in September 1999 after serving as National Sales Manager for a manufacturer of small format presses. In that post, he oversaw sales and distribution of smaller format offset presses through both dealership and direct sales channels. His previous post at manroland was General Manager of the Southern Region, responsible for all sales and service activities there.

Surch got his start in the graphic arts as a pressman, while attending school. He moved into the service area to acquire hands-on technical experience, then went on to cut his teeth in sales and marketing. "My background gives me an extensive understanding of the entire print manufacturing process," he says. "I also have first-hand knowledge of the pitfalls facing printers today, which helps me see my customers' needs through their eyes."

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