Dolf Kahle
Visual Marking Systems

Nearly 35 years ago, Dolf Kahle had what he describes as “the most incredible opportunity” when, together with his father he purchased a small screen-printing company with one printing press. Over the last three and a half decades, he has grown the business to 20 printing presses and has become more than just a screen printer.

Visual Marking Systems (VMS) has become a print provider that supplies high-quality product identification solutions for equipment manufacturers and public transit authorities, as well as fleet vehicle wraps, nameplates and decals for use on products in industrial, medical, agricultural, retail and consumable applications, just to name a few.

Since 2001, Dolf has served as CEO of VMS, which operates a 50,000 sq. ft. production facility on East Aurora Road in Twinsburg. The company moved to its current location from North Royalton in 1987 and added a second, 8,000 sq. ft. vehicle wrap installation & removal facility across the street, to better serve its growing fleet graphics division. VMS now has capacity for screen, digital, narrow web, wide-format, and latex roll-to-roll printing.

A widely respected member of the specialty printing industry, Dolf has served as Chairman of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, Chairman of the Board for SPIRE, a roundtable network of CEOs in the specialty graphic industry, Board Member for the National Association of Graphic and Product Identification Manufacturers and he currently serves on the Digital Graphics Group International Board of Directors. He was honored in 2014 as one of Smart Business Network’s 50 Smartest People.

Dolf joined the Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce in 1994 and Visual Marking Systems has been an outstanding partner supporting events such as our annual Chamber Golf Outing and our Community Clambake for many years. VMS has produced signage and vehicle wraps for a number of local businesses including Twinsburg Parks & Rec, Habitat for Humanity, Twinsburg Police and Fire Departments, the Twinsburg Public Library, Great Expectations Show Choir and the Twinsburg Athletic Boosters, just to name a few. 

Dolf grew up in Northeast Ohio and graduated from Orange High School. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and his MBA in International Business and Operations Management from Arizona State University. 

Dolf has been married to his wife, Marilyn for 33 years and they have been residents of Solon since 1983, where they raised their three grown children, Dr. Megan Bauer, Krista Kahle and Eric Kahle. He is a member of Signature of Solon Golf Club and the Club at Hillbrook Estates. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, playing golf, skiing, walking/running and mentoring the next generation of business leaders.
 

The Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce
Is proud to name
Dolf Kahle as our
2016 “Business Person of the Year”