Wendel Dahleen was a successful ink salesman for Acme Printing Ink in Chicago, and dinner table conversations and family gatherings were often centered on inks. Wendel’s sons, Gregg, Vic and Brad, all followed their father’s footsteps and joined the ink industry, with Gregg and Vic both earning the prestigious National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) Printing Ink Pioneer Awards in 2014 and 2018, respectively. After serving his country in the US Army, Gregg Dahleen entered the ink industry in 1982, literally starting by painting walls at Acme. He quickly became a lab technician and an inplant at several large printing facilities in the Midwest and moved up to lab manager of offset inks after INX acquired Acme in 1988. In 1996, Gregg moved to Central Ink as product manager, in-plant manager and technical service manager, with the goal of starting the company’s line of sheetfed and energy curable inks. Gregg was promoted to VP of sales and marketing in 2000, and president in 2007. Gregg established national and international manufacturing and distribution for Central Ink and oversaw the acquisitions of C&W Chemical Company and Impression Ink Company. In addition, Gregg served as NAPIM’s president from 2020-23. During the 2024 NAPIM Annual Convention, Gregg deservedly received NAPIM’s Ault Award, the industry’s most prestigious honor. It is an award that, considering his family’s long career in the industry, Gregg certainly appreciates. “Growing up in the industry, I would see the NAPIM award coverage in Ink World/Ink Maker,” he recalled. “I think back about the amount of respect and appreciation I had for all the award winners, both Pioneer and Ault, and their influence and leadership within our industry; now, to receive the Ault Award and to be listed in their ranks, it’s both humbling and a little mind blowing. “This recognition is more about the incredible support from those around me, especially my immediate family as well as my Central Ink family, and I am deeply appreciative of that,” Gregg added. “It is truly an honor to receive the Ault Award. Thank you to Geoff Peters, NAPIM’s president, and the NAPIM executive board – this is truly an honor. “Receiving the award was such a fantastic surprise and having my family there made it that much more memorable and rewarding,” Gregg concluded. “In that tongue-tied, voice breaking moment, I overlooked thanking many important people: The Acme/INX family that I grew up with and taught me so much; Richard Breen for not only trusting me to be the face of Central Ink but also for his decades of mentorship, friendship, and support – we’ve been through a lot; my brothers Brad and Vic for their continued support, and covering up my screw-ups, and lastly my Dad, for getting me off the couch and into 1419 West Carrol – I thank you all!” Vic Dahleen, who is Central Ink’s VP of sales and marketing, is proud of his older brother’s accomplishments, and said that his dad would definitely be happy. “Gregg has worked tirelessly in this industry for over 40 years maintaining a reputation of integrity and honesty,” said Vic. “Gregg has been such a wonderful mentor to me, both personally and professionally. I’ve been immensely fortunate to work closely with my older brother for most of my career, and I’m extremely proud of my brother’s achievements; he is truly deserving, and I believe he represents the spirit of the Ault Award. “Our father, Wendel Dahleen, was an ink salesman, and all three of his sons worked in the ink industry,” added Vic. “I know my father would be incredibly proud of Gregg and all of his accomplishments.” Dahleen’s colleagues also say he is most deserving of the Ault Award. Bryce Kristo, INX International Ink Co.’s president and CEO, has known Dahleen since Kristo joined INX, and has tremendous respect for him. “Gregg has had a passion and dedication to the industry deserving of the Ault Award,” Kristo said. “His entire career has spanned the gamut, from starting at an entry level position to running Central Ink. Very few people have ever covered the scope and spectrum of his responsibilities, making it very unique to his knowledge of the industry on a very personal level. Gregg’s vast experience is shared and expressed with everyone he encounters in the industry, and he does so as a friend willing to collaborate with the objective to truly help.” Vipul Shah, president, Toyo Ink America, has known Dahleen for many years, but has gotten to know him better over the last 10 years during their time together on the NAPIM board. “What makes him deserving of this award, as far as I am concerned, are two things,” Shah said. “First of course, from his work life he has shown years of commitment to our market and in the last 10 years as an advocate for the overall industry successfully leading NAPIM through very trying times. On a personal side Gregg is just flat out a good man, with a strong compass guiding him. I am proud to call Gregg a colleague and friend.”

Plans for the Future

Even though he has been in the industry for more than four decades, Gregg sees plenty more years ahead. “Forty-plus years? Man, I don’t feel that old,” Gregg said with a smile. “Overall, I’m very excited, and while this is product specific, publication inks appear to be revitalized as we are experiencing organic customer growth. As a company we are also very pleased with our energy curable inks and coatings growth. “While we have always had challenges, I believe that the ones we face today are more complex – new and ever changing EHS regs and mandates, staffing and supply chain difficulties as well as consolidation on every front (customer, supplier as well as within our own industry). “On the other side, one of the things that I always loved about what we do is that if you are open to it, there’s always something new to learn,” Gregg added. “I also strongly believe that as an industry we have come a long way with improvements in technology, product consistency, service, and our overall professionalism.” As for family life, Gregg is likely to be busy there as well. “We will be welcoming our first grandchild soon so I’m pretty sure grandma has a list of projects that will be assigned to me,” he said. “Professionally, I am extremely proud of our Central Ink team and the growth we have achieved; I have never been more confident in our continued success. With that being said, my plan would be to continue doing what I’m doing for as long as Richard and Dan Breen will have me or until Jen says it’s time for us to do something different.”