H. Howard Flint II
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Over his 40-year career in the ink industry, H. Howard Flint, II, demonstrated leadership, integrity, a strong business sense, and a warm personal regard for his colleagues, employees, and customers. The chairman and retired CEO of Ann Arbor, MI-based Flint Ink Corporation passed away on June 14, 2005 after a brief illness. He was 66.Born in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Flint was the grandson of the corporation’s founder, H. Howard Flint.
After working at the family company during college and graduate school, he began his full-time career at Flint Ink 1964 and began gaining experience in a wide range of business functions, including human resources, purchasing, operations, and sales.
In 1967 Flint was elected to the board of directors of the company, and in 1972, he was named vice president and branch manager of the ink manufacturing operation in Chicago.
In 1976, he returned to Detroit to assume the position of executive vice president with responsibilities in finance and manufacturing.
He was elected president and COO of Flint Ink Corporation in 1988, and chairman and CEO in 1992. In January 2005, Flint retired as CEO, assuming the position of non-executive chairman of the board of directors.
Under Flint’s visionary leadership, the corporation more than quadrupled in size, expanding into the international marketplace and moving into digital and printed electronics technologies. The company remains the largest privately-owned printing ink manufacturer in the world, and currently serves customers throughout North and South America, in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
Throughout his career, Flint was a respected leader in ink and printing industry trade associations. He served as treasurer of the Gravure Association of America and as a trustee of the Gravure Education Foundation. He was named Gravure Person of the Year in 1998 by the Association.
A past president of the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers, he received NAPIM’s Printing Ink Pioneer Award in 1991. In 1999, he received the Ault Award, the highest honor bestowed by NAPIM, in recognition of his many contributions to the ink industry.
Flint was a member of the Western Michigan University Foundation Board for five years, and he served on the Board of Trustees of the Michigan Colleges Foundation and was a current member of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Institute of Art.
An avid fisherman, boater, and hunter, Flint spent his brief retirement pursuing the activities he enjoyed, but remained active in setting the course of the company and meeting with customers.
He is survived by three daughters, Martha Kistler (David), Heather Putz (Michael), and Mary Pardi (Chris); nine grandchildren; a brother, David B. Flint (Amber), and a sister, Marilyn Flint.
He will be missed by his family and his many colleagues and good friends.
A Memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 17, at Kirk in the Hills,1340 West Long Lake Rd., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The family has requested no flowers.
