Print bosses sleeping rough for a cause

Printing bosses across the country will take to the streets for a winter’s night, as the industry rallies to support the homeless with the CEO Sleepout on June 19.

Rodney Frost, chief executive of Cheque-Mates is in his sixth year camping on the pavement, and is calling on his fellow printers to join the cause.

“My father was homeless as a young fella, so it is a cause close to home. We want to help change the stigma around homelessness, how people see it and how they treat others as they walk across the street,” he says.

“It is important for our business to give back to the community. I’d like to challenge industry leaders to get involved and give back – for just one night instead of sleeping in five stars, sleep under five million stars.”

[Related: Last year's sleepout]

Among the print leaders roughing it for the night this year are Kellie Northwood of the Australian Catalogue Association, Graham Morgan of Blue Star and Jen Baile from Fuji Xerox SA.

Doran Printing will once again provide the printing for the Victorian event, with managing director Shaun Hammersley taking to the streets for the second year in a row.

Mark Teakle, managing director of Northern Territory outfit Zipprint will also join the campers for the first time. Teakle took over the business two years ago, and says after printing some flyers and posters for the event decided to show his support this year and see what all the fuss is about.

Print employees can nominate their bosses, anonymously or publically, via the charity’s website sending them an email encouraging them to take part.

Previous sleepouts have included Kwik Kopy chief executive David Bell, Flagstaff Group chief executive Roy Rogers, Smartcomm chief executive John Petri, PR Print chief executive Steven Ehrhardt and Kuhn Corp Press & Packaging managing director Walter Kuhn.

More than 100,000 Australians find themselves homeless each night of the year – half of them women and a quarter younger than 18 years old.

Some 741 Australian CEOs have so far raised $365,292 for the 2014 campaign – last year donations reached $1m.

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