Quad/Graphics Founder Drowns
Harry V. Quadracci, founder and CEO of Quad/Graphics, was found dead in a lake near his home in Chenequa, WI on Monday. The cause of death was accidental drowning. He was 66.
By late Tuesday, the company had put out a statement emphasizing the strength of Quad/Graphics even as the organization grieved the loss of its founder.
Quadracci’s brother, Tom, had taken on the role of CEO as of late Monday, said a company statement. A co-founder, Tom Quadracci had been an executive vice president and board member.
“Though we grieve for our loss, one legacy of Harry Quadracci’s vision and enormous energy is the strength of the Quad/Graphics organization,” said the statement.
“He leaves behind a strong board of directors and a seasoned management team, and a deep commitment from each and every one of the company’s employee-owners to providing Quad/Graphics’ legendary customer service.”
Condolences arrive for the Quadracci family and the company “from the world over,” said the statement. “We thank them all.”
“The entire business community has lost a friend, an innovator and a man who was universally respected,” said H. Robert Wientzen, president of the Direct Marketing Association, in a statement.
Quadracci was a member of the DMA Board of Directors and of the DMA Executive Committee.
Information on the Quadracci’s life and accomplishments will be posted on the company’s Web site (www.QG.com).
Quadracci founded Quad/Graphics 31 years ago in an abandoned factory in Pewaukee, WI, partly from a $35,000 second mortgage on his home. The company is now the largest privately held printing company in North America.
He is survived by his wife, Betty; brothers Tom and Leonard; and four grown children, Kathryn Flores, Richard, Joel and Elizabeth Quadracci.
Two weeks ago, a fire at a company printing plant close to Lomira, WI, caused the death of a man when a storage building collapsed on his car. Quadracci called the July 12 fire a disaster of epic proportion, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper.
