Ira Jackson Honored with Esteemed PIAG Benjamin Franklin Award
MARIETTA, Ga., August 14, 2024 – Ira Jackson, president of Perfect Image, the Marietta, Georgia-based commercial printing firm, is the recipient of the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Award from the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG). Recognized throughout Georgia’s print industry as the highest honor conferred to an individual, the award honors Jackson’s long-term, major contributions to the state’s print and graphic arts industry and to his community.
Jackson received the award at the PIAG 2024 imPRESS Celebration of Print awards banquet on August 8 in Atlanta, where Perfect Image also won six Print Excellence awards for craftsmanship, creativity, and cutting-edge technology in producing printed products.
The Benjamin Franklin award was presented to Jackson by Kent Tucker, vice president of Atlanta printing and communications company Tucker Castleberry. Tucker is the 2022 Benjamin Franklin Award recipient and chair of this year’s selection committee.
“Ira Jackson reflects the best of the Georgia print community and his selection as this year’s PIAG Benjamin Franklin Award recipient is well-deserved,” said Jon Krueger, PIAG president and CEO. “He’s an industry leader who is universally respected by his employees, colleagues, competitors, and customers. It’s my pleasure to congratulate him for this significant honor.”
Jackson was accompanied at the event by two dozen members of his family, team, clients, and other close colleagues. In accepting the award, he spoke of passion and purpose in his work and acknowledged his guests, vendors, the PIAG, and the Georgia print industry as the community of people who made his successful career and this milestone award possible.
Print Excellence Awards
Perfect Image won six Print Excellence awards for entries submitted in its division:
Division 1: 1 - 9 employees
Division 2: 10 - 25 employees (Perfect Image)
Division 3: 26 - 50 employees
Division 4: 51+ employees
Division 5: Schools
Best of Division Award
Perfect Image received the Best of Division 2 award for its commemorative piece “Forever Free,” which was produced in recognition of the Juneteenth national holiday, exceeding all other finalists in the division for overall quality.
Top Notch Award
Perfect Image also received the Top Notch award for winning the greatest number of Top Gold ‘Best of Category’ awards in Division 2, including:
1. Best Annual Report: “Woven” – Morehouse School of Medicine
2. Most Imaginative: “Forever Free” Juneteenth commemorative piece (pictured above) – produced for Perfect Image
3. Best Presentation Folder: “The Legacy of Beatrice Hirsch Haas” – J. Bulow Campbell Foundation
4. Judge’s Choice: “Understanding Joint Pain” – American College of Rheumatology
About Ira Jackson
As owner and president of Perfect Image for 33 years, Jackson has continually invested in the latest industry standards, technologies, and certifications, many of which are beyond the norm for a printer of Perfect Image’s size but nonetheless pursued to give clients the most advanced solutions and services. Earlier this year, Jackson and Perfect Image were honored by Georgia’s Cobb County Chamber of Commerce as the Minority-Owned Business of the Year and a Top 25 Small Business of the Year for the second year in a row. Perfect Image is one of Georgia's only and the United States’ few African American-owned and managed commercial printers offering full-service, in-house manufacturing capabilities.
Jackson has served on the boards of many civic, community, and industry organizations. In Georgia, he currently serves on the board of trustees for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, the Atlanta Youth Academy Foundation, and The Westminster Schools. He also serves on the board of trustees for Pennsylvania-based Caron Treatment Centers and as a member of their marketing committee and past chair of the Atlanta Regional Advisory Board. Jackson is a past PIAG board director and advocate, having maintained membership in the association for 30+ years. In 2020, Jackson was among the honorees of the Atlanta Business League (ABL) Influential Black Men in Metro Atlanta, and in 2015, his firm was inducted into the ABL Business Hall of Fame, a distinction recognizing longstanding African American-owned businesses whose entrepreneurial endeavors pave the way for others to follow.
About PIAG
The Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) has served Georgia’s print and graphic communications industry for more than 125 years. As the voice of the industry, PIAG supports graphic communicators of all kinds, from printers to imagers, designers and beyond. PIAG's three arms (association, insurance, and educational foundation) help industry participants succeed today and help guide them toward the future. Businesses represented in the association range from large-scale commercial printers to mom-and-pop local print shops. The membership consists of printing and imaging owners, CEOs, managers, professionals, designers, marketers, and in-plant personnel, all working together in helping each other achieve business success. More information is available at: www.piag.org/about-us
About Perfect Image
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, Perfect Image is a full-service commercial printer and marketing support partner answering the marketing and communications needs of educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and small to mid-sized businesses. Purchased by Ira Jackson in 1991, the 42-year-old firm operates an advanced hybrid manufacturing environment offering offset lithography, variable digital and wide format printing, expert premedia and bindery services, online print management, multichannel marketing, kit packing and assembly, mailing and distribution, and value-added creative services, including graphic design, photography, copywriting, and web development. More information is available at: www.perfectimageprinting.com
