More Buying Power. Better Resources. Stronger Solutions.
PIA MidAmerica brings together industry relationships, specialized knowledge and collective buying power to help companies control costs, improve operations and solve real business challenges.
Put the Advantage to Work
From workplace essentials and waste management to payment processing and compliance support, these programs address real operating needs. Explore the options below—or start with the challenge you are trying to solve.
Relationships and buying power create access to preferred pricing and stronger solutions.
An understanding of print operations helps us recognize costs, risks and opportunities others may miss.
We ask questions, bring the right people together and actively move better solutions forward.
Resources That Work as Hard as You Do.
Explore the programs, partnerships, and practical support available to help you reduce costs, solve challenges, and strengthen your business.
Vestis & Aramark: Printer Towels, Uniforms, Workplace Services, and Refreshments: Put a stronger agreement behind the services you use every day.
Printer towels, uniforms, mats, first aid services, and breakroom / facility supplies can look like ordinary operating expenses. But service levels, product quantities, added charges, pricing changes and contract terms can materially affect what a company pays over time.
Routine workplace services should come with fair pricing, clear terms and reliable service. Vestis provides uniform rental, reusable shop towels, floor mats and workplace supplies for printing and packaging companies.
Through the PIA MidAmerica agreement with Vestis, members receive:
- Contracted pricing and service terms
- Uniform rental and workplace supply programs - with options available for purchase
- Reusable shop towel and floor mat service
- Review of current pricing and contract terms
- Direct PIA MidAmerica escalation when service problems arise
Current Vestis customers may qualify for the PIA MidAmerica agreement without changing providers.
Through Aramark, companies can also explore workplace refreshment services, including:
- Breakroom refreshments
- Coffee and beverage service
- Vending solutions
Recurring services can go unquestioned for years—even when the pricing no longer makes sense. After reviewing its existing arrangement, one member moved from a competing uniform provider to the PIA MidAmerica program and reduced its annual costs by more than $7,000.
Waste costs and risks are often determined before anything leaves the facility.
Clean Earth, now part of Veolia, provides hazardous and non-hazardous waste identification, transportation, recycling, treatment and disposal services for printing and packaging companies.
Through the PIA MidAmerica program, companies can:
- Identify and properly profile waste streams
- Review how materials are separated, labeled, stored and documented
- Avoid unnecessary commingling that can increase disposal costs
- Establish appropriate pickup and removal schedules
- Explore recycling and recovery options when available
- Access negotiated program pricing
If a material is unknown, Veolia can conduct the analysis required to identify and properly characterize it for an additional fee.
Small operational decisions can carry significant consequences. In one member situation, changing how environmental waste streams were classified, separated and managed on the production floor prevented approximately $35,000 in unnecessary annual costs.
PIA MidAmerica brings print-industry context to the relationship, engages the appropriate waste expertise and directly escalates service or program concerns when needed.
Credit Card and ACH Payment Processing | CardConnect
Accept Payments Without Handling the Payment Information. Accounting departments should not need access to another's banking information to receive or send an ACH payment.
CardConnect gives printing and packaging companies a secure way to accept credit card and ACH payments through a hosted payment page. The payor enters the payment information directly, and the funds move into the company’s designated bank account—without accounting receiving, recording or sharing sensitive card or banking details.
Through the PIA MidAmerica program, members receive:
- Secure hosted payment pages for credit card and ACH payments
- Contracted processing rates with no annual program fee
- A no-cost analysis of current processing rates and fees
- Transaction management and reporting tools
- Direct PIA MidAmerica escalation when service issues arise
Moving payment information out of email, paper forms, handwritten notes and shared files reduces the number of people and systems exposed to sensitive financial data.
We use this process at PIA MidAmerica. Our hosted payment page has reduced the time our team spends collecting and sharing ACH instructions while creating a more secure payment environment for both the payor and our accounting staff.
FSC® Group Certification for Print and Packaging Companies
FSC certification can strengthen access to customer opportunities—but the cost and administration of an individual certificate can place it beyond the reach of a smaller company.
PIA MidAmerica works with SBCN to give qualifying companies a more manageable path to FSC Chain of Custody certification.
The group certification program includes:
- Guidance through certification requirements and implementation
- Documentation templates and ongoing administrative support
- Annual audits and routine audit travel
- Reduced administrative demands compared with maintaining an individual certificate
- A 15% PIA MidAmerica member discount on annual program fees
Companies generally qualify if they have fewer than 25 employees or less than $10 million in annual forest-products revenue. Most spend approximately 10–15 hours preparing for initial certification and about 10 hours annually to maintain it. Certification typically takes 8–12 weeks, depending on company readiness.
Annual program fees begin at $2,595 for companies that take physical possession of certified materials and $2,095 for brokers that do not. FSC also assesses an Annual Administration Fee based only on forest-products revenue.
Certification allows a company to market certified products, meet customer requirements and pursue opportunities that may otherwise remain unavailable.
PIA MidAmerica explains the program, connects members directly with SBCN and addresses questions throughout the relationship.
Regulations may be written broadly, but their consequences land directly on companies, employees and production floors.
PIA MidAmerica monitors legislative and regulatory activity, identifies issues that affect print and packaging companies and brings industry experience into conversations with policymakers, agencies and allied organizations.
Our advocacy work may include:
- Tracking state and federal legislation, regulation and enforcement activity
- Translating complex developments into practical business implications
- Gathering member experience, operational context and economic impact
- Communicating industry positions to elected officials and regulators
- Coordinating with national and regional partners when broader action carries greater influence
- Working directly with members when a specific issue requires attention
One company can describe what a policy means for its operation. Together, we can demonstrate what it means for an industry.
Online Compliance and Workplace Training | Traliant
Through Traliant, PIA MidAmerica members receive reduced pricing across a broad catalog of interactive online compliance and workplace training.
Companies can assign and document training in areas including:
- Harassment and discrimination prevention
- Workplace violence prevention
- Ethics and regulatory compliance
- Cybersecurity, data privacy and AI
- Lawful hiring and manager responsibilities
- Inclusive and respectful workplaces
- HIPPA compliance
- Select environmental health and safety topics
Traliant’s platform tracks participation and completion, maintains centralized training records and gives employers documentation across teams, roles and locations.
Consistency matters as much as initial completion. One PIA MidAmerica member has used Traliant for several years, recertifying its employees annually on workplace harassment prevention and other required topics.
PIA MidAmerica provides access to the full catalog at reduced program pricing and directly escalates service concerns when needed.
Vetted Business Partners for Print and Packaging Companies
A strong referral starts with the right expertise—but it becomes more valuable when the provider understands the industry and PIA MidAmerica remains involved.
Not every business challenge requires a formal buying program. Sometimes the greatest value is knowing who to call. PIA MidAmerica evaluates each partner’s expertise, reputation and fit for printing and packaging companies. We educate partners about the industry and our members’ needs, maintain the relationship and directly address concerns when the experience falls short.
Our current vetted partners bring specialized expertise to several important areas of business:
Federated Insurance | Business Insurance and Risk Management
Federated Insurance brings industry-focused insurance and risk-management expertise to property, liability, workers’ compensation, commercial vehicles, cyber risk and other business exposures.
Risk-management visits can also reveal hazards that routine practices may not uncover. During a fire-prevention walkthrough at DuPriest POP, the company had properly stored its flammable materials and followed required practices—but the visit identified a hidden electrical issue involving a breaker and circuit.
Printers 401k® | Retirement Plan Management
The PIA MidAmerica Printers 401k program uses a Multiple Employer Aggregation structure to provide competitive pricing, investment options and streamlined plan administration and compliance.
The relationship extends beyond managing the plan. Its advisor meets directly with employees—including on the production floor—to explain retirement options and answer questions where the work happens.
Printers’ Disability Trust | Employee Benefit Options
Printers’ Disability Trust gives eligible printing and graphic arts companies access to industry-focused employee benefits, including short- and long-term disability, life, dental and vision coverage.
These options allow employers to strengthen benefits that contribute to employee financial security, recruitment and retention.
For more than 150 years, PIA MidAmerica has turned industry knowledge into practical tools and resources for print and packaging companies.
MidAmerica U brings together proven industry resources and current insight—from calculators, templates and sample documents to articles, special reports, recorded learning and quarterly trend updates.
Members can explore resources related to:
- Financial management, costing and budgeted hourly rates
- Safety, OSHA guidance and regulatory compliance
- Human resources, workplace policies and employee development
- Production, quality systems and continuous improvement
- Marketing, sales and customer engagement
- Cybersecurity, technology and emerging industry trends
Some resources provide a trusted starting point. Others help companies understand what has changed. Sample job descriptions establish the responsibilities of a position, while current guidance on recruiting language can help the company present that opportunity to today’s workforce.
A longstanding industry resource such as the Budgeted Hourly Rate Calculator helps companies understand the full cost of an hour of production—providing a stronger foundation for estimating, pricing and profitability decisions.
Likewise, established OSHA resources can support day-to-day compliance, while current updates and quarterly Print University reporting help members recognize new risks, expectations and industry developments.
Many of these resources now live in MidAmerica U. When a tool alone does not answer the question, PIA MidAmerica works with the member to interpret, adapt and find solutions.
Safety Consulting, Training and OSHA Response
MidAmerica U brings together proven industry resources and current insight—from calA safety program has to reflect what is actually happening on the production floor—not only what appears in the manual.
PIA MidAmerica gives printing and packaging companies access to veteran safety professionals with direct experience in print and manufacturing environments. Companies can engage them for a specific project, an immediate concern or ongoing safety leadership without adding a full-time safety position.
Safety services may include:
- Onsite facility assessments and production-floor walkthroughs
- Written safety programs, policies and documentation
- Review and improvement of existing safety programs
- Employee and supervisor training
- Guidance on machine guarding, lockout/tagout, hazard communication, PPE and other production risks
- OSHA inspection, citation and corrective-action response
When OSHA arrives, a member can request its safety professional’s involvement. While onsite availability cannot be guaranteed, the team makes every effort to participate and can address citations, proposed fines, documentation and the corrective plan moving forward.
Companies that invest in safety protect more than compliance. They create safer working conditions for the people operating equipment, handling materials and keeping production moving every day.
Members receive preferred pricing. PIA MidAmerica coordinates the engagement, remains involved and directly escalates concerns when needed.
Specialized Business Support for Print and Packaging Companies
Not every important business need fits neatly into a named program, job description or standard solution. The work still has to get done.
PIA MidAmerica works alongside members on the projects, questions and requirements that arise across their businesses—often translating an unfamiliar or complex need into something practical and usable.
Specialized support may include:
- Developing or adapting quality manual templates
- Reviewing employee handbooks and workplace policies
- Strengthening procedures, documentation and internal resources
- Preparing for certifications and compliance requirements
- Working through operational questions and special projects
- Bringing in additional industry or subject-matter expertise when needed
This is not an occasional exception to our work. It is part of what PIA MidAmerica does every day. We understand the industry, identify what the situation requires and either take on the work directly or connect the member with a trusted resource who can.
Start With What You’re Trying to Solve
You don’t need to know which program fits—or whether a program is the answer. Tell us what you are trying to reduce, improve or accomplish. We’ll help you explore the available options and determine how the PIA MidAmerica Advantage can work for your company.