Nashville, TN - Bill Garvey, Athens Paper Company in Nashville, Tennessee, was named by the Printing Industry Association of the South, Inc. (PIAS) as their 2024 Person of the Year. This honor was bestowed at a banquet held on June 4, 2024 during the PIAS Annual Convention at the Hilton SanDestin Beach Resort in Destin, Florida.
Bill was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and later attended the College of William and Mary. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1985. Soon after graduation, Garvey began his career at the Hammermill Paper Company as a sales representative for the Atlanta and Dallas markets from 1985-1987. Garvey moved to the Dillard Paper Company in 1988 and stayed through their transitions to International Paper and xPEDx. He served as the Charlotte sales representative at Dillard from 1988-1993 and was a member of the PIA affiliate, PICA, during that time. In 1993, Garvey was promoted to Regional Sales Manager in Tampa where he also was a member of the PIA affiliate, PAF. From 1996-2000, Garvey was the sales manager in Atlanta where he first become a member of PIAG. He finished his stint at XPEDX from 2000-2005 as the Division Manager and Business Manager in Atlanta. In 2006, Garvey became the President of Southern Index and continued his PIAG membership there and when he moved to Athens Paper in 2009 as the Division manager in Atlanta. Garvey became the President of Athens Paper in 2014 and subsequently began serving on the PIAS Board of Directors. He still serves as a Board member today and has volunteered his time at PIAS by serving as the Membership Committee Chairperson.
Bill has been described as a caring, humble and honorable man...truly caring about each person he works with whether it be a client or an employee. He has been intentional about encouraging young people to pursue careers in the printing and packaging industry for which he is passionate about. His own daughter is a graphic communications graduate from Clemson and works at Athens Paper in Atlanta as well as his son-in-law, who works at the Nashville office.
As the industry changes, Bill has become a forward thinker...always looking for opportunities and way to improve upon the current methods. When talking to some friends recently who were lamenting about the jobs, Bill chimed in, "I love my job and industry! If I did it all over again, I would make the same choice!"
The PIAS Person of the Year is chosen for service to the printing industry, community and betterment of the graphic arts industry as a whole.
