Lammot Copeland – Chief Executive Officer
Mr. C, as he is referred to by his employees, has always kept a keen eye toward the future. In 1973, Copeland established Reports, Inc (now Associates International, Inc.), a company that focused on typesetting – a service in high demand at that time.
In the early eighties, Copeland watched the advent of desktop publishing and realized that soon most corporations and agencies would be able to do their own typesetting. Anticipating the tide of change, Copeland re-engineered the focus at Ai towards printing. Ai was a thriving, traditional offset printer by the time the typesetting industry all but vanished.
As technology evolved, so did the printing industry. Committed to providing Ai customers with cutting-edge graphic communication solutions, Copeland again proved that he was a pioneer with vision. Ai was the first printer in Delaware to invest in digital printing equipment when they acquired their first Indigo in 1998.
In keeping with his philosophy to invest in the future, Copeland extended his investment with multiple Xerox DocuColor iGen3
TM Digital Production Presses, establishing Ai as the largest, full-service graphic solutions provider in the state.
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Copeland serves as a trustee of Christiana Care Health Services, Brooks School, The Mount Cuba Center for Appalachain Piedmont Flora, Red Clay Reservation and the University of Delaware Library Associates. He was the General Community Chair for the United Way of Delaware Tocqueville Society.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment, Lammot just celebrated 53 years of marriage to his wife Deborah. They have five children including Charlie, who is the president of Ai, and thirteen grandchildren.
Charles Copeland – President
The President of Ai since 1994, Charlie has grown it from a small 9-person company into one of the region's largest and most innovative.
From 2002 through 2008, Charlie also served in the State Senate, serving as Senate Minority Leader in 2007 & 2008.
Before joining Ai, Charlie worked in various Information Systems positions with the DuPont Company. He finished his career there as Area Manager of Data Center Operations at the DeLisle, Mississippi, Chemicals and Pigments plant.
A graduate of Duke University, Charlie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science & Physics from the school, as well as an MBA with a focus in Finance. He also is an avid Atlantic Coast Conference basketball fan.
Active in the community, Charlie serves as President of the Board of the Challenge Program, a non-profit that trains at-risk youth in construction skills.
In addition, he is Vice President of the board of the Mt. Cuba Center, a member of the Board of the State Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Board of The Beautiful Gate.
Maria Geserick – Chief Administrative Officer
Maria Geserick is a rare breed. Usually, people are considered a “numbers” person or a “people” person. Maria possesses the unique blend of a passion for people and a knack for numbers. This skill set has been recognized throughout her career path.
A graduate of Rutgers University, Maria earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. Maria continued her education and earned an MBA in both Finance and Human Resources from Goldey Beacom College. She is a member of the national SHRM, Delaware SHRM, and an alumni member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.
Maria started out pursuing a career in traditional accounting positions that included responsibilities like accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll. It was handling payroll issues that allowed Maria’s adept people skills to shine. Payroll and insurance issues, after all, are an employee’s greatest concern. Maria’s open door policy and genuine concern for the welfare of the staff led to her holding dual positions of Accounting and Human Resource Manager at every job she held.
Coming to Associates International in 1999, she was hired for a distinctly financial position - Controller. Yet, in just months, it became evident that Maria’s special sensitivity to employee issues made it a natural to have her assume the role of HR manager once again.
A stand-out for going the extra mile as the link between employee and employer, combined with a brilliant financial mind, made Maria the perfect candidate for Chief Administrative Officer.
While analysis for cost savings and profitability is Maria’s main charge in her position, she still keeps Ai employee’s needs as the priority. While spreadsheets are what determine the “success” of a business, Geserick continues to remember that people are the “pulse” of a company.