Greeting Card Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Greeting Card Association is a United States trade organization representing the interests of greeting cards, gift wrapping paper and stationery manufacturers. Its membership consists primarily of United States publishers but foreign publishers may also become members if they so choose.
The Association's Headquarters is located in Washington D.C. The Association asserts considerable influence over the governance and policy making of the United States Postal Service. The Association is acknowledged as the primary advocate for the interests of the "citizen mailer", the primary consumer's of first class letter mail, the vehicle of conveyance for most greeting cards. One important issue the Association influenced was the creation of the forever stamp by USPS.
The Association sponsors the LOUIE Awards each May in New York as part of the National Stationery Show. These awards recognize the the most outstanding designs published within the industry as judged by a panel of experts from both within and outside the greeting card industry.
The association was formed in 1941 by a small group of greeting card publishers under the leadership of George Burkhardt of Burkhardt-Warner in response to a War Department order during World War II to reduce paper use by 25%. After World War II, the Association redefined its mission, concentrating on Postal Affairs and the promotion of greeting card usage.
