2009-09-11 23:39:27 - The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ (PM/WRA) recent report of its Humanitarian Mine Action and Conventional Weapons Destruction Programs, To Walk the Earth in Safety, won an Award of Excellence in the annual report division of the Printing Industry of Virginia “Best in Print for the 2008” competition.

BRANNER PRINTING WINS “AWARD OF EXCELLENCE” FOR “TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY” PUBLICATION
On Behalf of Department of State and JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery

All entries were judged by the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. Branner Printing Service, Inc. of Broadway, Va., submitted the entry for the 7th Edition of this report on behalf of PM/WRA and James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, which produced the publication. The PIVA awards drew 869 entries from 29 companies.

“Competition is especially stiff in the Annual Report division,” says Ron Branner, Vice President. “We feel this is a significant accomplishment; it is a difficult category in which to win. Unlike the Office of Weapons Removal and

Abatement, competitors are generally large corporations that have huge budgets to develop and produce their annual reports. To have taken an Award of Excellence in this category is phenomenal.”

JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery researched, edited and produced the publishing project on behalf of PM/WRA. The Hatchery Design Company of Dayton, Va., worked with the public policy center at James Madison University to create the graphic design, and Branner printed it.

“We are delighted to serve the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement on this and many other projects. It has been a pleasure to work with Branner Printing and The Hatchery Design Company,” says Dennis Barlow, Director at the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery.

Branner Printing Service, Inc. was established in 1936 and is now in its second generation, operated by the founder’s sons, L.B. and Ron Branner. The company is a full-service print operation that embraces new technology while retaining the values of quality, integrity and customer service. Branner Printing specializes in high-quality, sheet-fed projects that run on multicolor presses or short runs on its digital press. For more information about Branner Printing, visit www.brannerprinting.com.

Tucked in James Madison University’s satellite campus of the industrial park on the north end of Harrisonburg is the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR). CISR is a public-policy center on post-conflict stabilization issues serving organizations and individuals globally. CISR stands on the front lines of humanitarian crises and post-conflict environments providing objective, reliable and cost-effective research, training, communication and outreach services. CISR focuses on civil-military relations, country stabilization and reconstruction, and other development and transitional issues relating to complex international operations, such as natural disaster or armed conflict. For more information, visit cisr.jmu.edu or contact Dennis Barlow, Director, at +1.540.568.2756.

CISR is the outgrowth of JMU’s Mine Action Information Center. The MAIC’s mission deals with research, education and training surrounding the issue of landmine remediation. It began in 1996 and continues this mission today. The MAIC is the objective information source regarding international efforts to combat the effects of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). For more information, visit maic.jmu.edu or contact Dennis Barlow, Director, at +1.540.568.2756.

To Walk the Earth in Safety: The United States’ Commitment to Humanitarian Mine Action and Conventional Weapons Destruction informs the reader of the U.S. commitment to rid the world of landmines and illicitly trafficked and poorly maintained stocks of weapons and munitions that are threatening innocent lives. Through objectives defined by the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, the number of casualties from landmines, nearly all of which have been emplaced by foreign combatants, have been reduced significantly; refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) threatened by landmines are returned to their homes; and the political and economic stability of those countries affected by landmines strengthened. To view all of the editions of To Walk the Earth in Safety, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth/.

Contact Information
Dennis Barlow
Center for International Stabilization and Recovery
Mine Action Information Center
James Madison University
MSC 4902
800 S. Main Street
Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA 22807
Tel: +1.540.568.2718
Cell: +1.540.820.8385
Fax: +1.540.568.8176
E-mail: barlowdc@jmu.edu
Web site: cisr.jmu.edu or maic.jmu.edu

Ron Branner
Vice President
Branner Printing Service, Inc.
13963 Timber Way
Broadway, VA 22815
Tel: +1 800 296 8947
Fax: +1 540 896 5922
E-mail: Ron@BrannerPrinting.com
Web site: www.brannerprinting.com

September 4, 2009