Fifteen years ago, entrepreneur Lida Jalali Marschke founded Color Management Distribution, a value-added distributor of color management and control products. Five years later, in 2003, she launched Color Management Group (CMG) as a worldwide “think tank” consortium of independent experts, consultants, and system integrators in the challenging field of professional color management.

At this year’s Color Management Conference in Phoenix, which was held on December 9, the group celebrated both milestones at their annual evening event. Sponsors for this year’s event included EFI, Eizo, Epson, GMG, Just Normlicht, Roland, Techkon and X-Rite.

“A lot has happened in 15 years,” Marschke says. “We’ve grown to become the leading independent provider of color management expertise, technology, and consumables – and not only in the US. We offer products that our experts have proven in the field; we’re not limited to the agenda of one big manufacturer or developer. Our customers get the color control they need, from people who really know the business.”

CMG’s members include independent companies, including professional color consultants/integrators, equipment and supply resellers, and color software developers. About 90% of these partners are located in the U.S., with a growing number in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. CMG also provides live, nationwide technical support for its color management systems, and conducts regular training sessions, including on-site, webinars, and regular classes at its two U.S. facilities.

To address the needs of the general commercial print industry, CMG’s members include the largest number of IDEAlliance G7 Certified Experts in the world. On the packaging side, CMG also boasts the largest number of FTA First Level I & II Implementation Specialists.

Over the years, Color Management Group has also qualified and introduced new products in the US – often combining them in ways that reduce costs and increase color quality for their customers. At the Color Management Conference, CMG will unveil a new offering from Hong Kong.