Bill Vignola Retires After 50 Year Career

Bill Vignola Retires from Century Direct

After a career spanning fifty years in the direct mail industry Bill Vignola has announced his retirement from Century Direct, LLC.. Bill owned Mailmen Inc, a nationally recognized mailing operation located in Islandia, NY. He and his son Michael operated the facility, performing direct mail services for large retailers and not-for-profit organizations. Bill sold the company to Century Direct on December 31, 2014 and helped transition Mailmen’s customers and employees to the new ownership as Century Direct integrated its operations into the Mailmen facility.

“Bill has been a steady bell weather during a very critical period for Century Direct,” said Mike Kellogg, CEO of Century Direct. “He is a thoughtful and pragmatic leader who can see the forest for the trees and greatly helped in keeping the calm as Century’s workflow was introduced to the former Mailmen management team. The transition would not have proceeded as smoothly as it did without Bill’s watchful and patient eye and constant reassurance to his employees who trusted his judgment.”

Bill had a lifelong involvement in industry associations. He was President of the Mail Advertising Service Association of New York, a chapter of the national association of MASA, where he was awarded the John McDonald Kane Award as a demonstration of his extraordinary efforts. Thereafter he became the Chairman of the national association of MASA (now Epicomm). For his efforts at that level he received the Leo Bernheimer Award, the association’s highest honor. He spent many years working with the PCC of Long Island, rising to the rank of industry chairman.

“With his large physical presence and booming voice, everybody knew when Bill was in the house,” said Michael Vignola. “I have had the wonderful experience of working with my father and seeing his influence on the industry. I am very proud of him and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn the business with his guidance.”

“This day has been coming for a long time, but now it seems like it crept up on me. The industry has certainly gone through significant change since I got into it almost a half a century ago. I know as I retire that I leave a company that will continue to provide a good place to work for my employees who I care deeply for, and an excellent opportunity for Michael to grow,” Said Bill. “This industry is a tough one but you never go home complaining about being bored. I wish Century Direct continued growth and success.”

“We at Century Direct join together to wish Bill a healthy and happy retirement and thank him for his service during his short but vital tenure with our company,” stated Mr. Kellogg.

Categorized in: News

This post was written by Michael Kellogg