CHICAGO -- Josh Kiem, a pioneer in marketing wireless technology, has been appointed marketing director of Bell Litho Internet Solutions (BLIS), the recently formed technology division of Chicago-based Bell Litho.

Since its founding on Chicago’s Printers’ Row in 1965, Bell Litho has evolved from a pre-press house to a family of technology-driven, service-oriented companies serving businesses large and small. Today, Bell, a privately held firm, continues its tradition of technological innovation by offering a range of options for producing, managing and distributing digital and print communications for a variety of industries, including automotive and industrial manufacturers and distributors.

“Technology has been at the heart of Bell Litho’s growth since our family owned company began 45 years ago,” said Bell Vice President Tim Bellagamba. “Through the years, we have added Bell divisions as communications technology has evolved. Our BLIS Division focuses on new-media technology as the market for print and other media advances. Josh Kiem’s technology marketing experience makes him the right choice to head our BLIS marketing team.”

Kiem’s experience at Motorola’s phone division began before cell phones were sold in the United States. He was an early member of the team that contributed to Motorola becoming the No. 1 manufacturer during the first decade of the cellular industry. During his three decades with the company, Kiem played a key leadership role at Motorola and was granted seven U.S. patents for his work there.

Kiem also has start-up experience, having served in marketing roles at CellEngines Inc. and at Cellular Pay Phone Inc. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and an undergraduate engineering degree from Cornell University.

“Bell is a leader in a very tough industry,” said Kiem. “The company’s success is rooted in exceptional customer service. In every competitive industry, customer expectations of the overall experience accelerate. Because the company works so intimately with customers, Bell has built a culture based on anticipating and providing positive customer experiences with terrific speed and quality. Technology is a critical component of that culture.”

The flagship product for BLIS is Speed Marketing, a Web-based brand management tool that balances headquarters’ centralized brand discipline with field marketing’s local market messaging.

“Because no two organizations are alike, BLIS works with each Speed Marketing client to create a custom online publishing portal for their needs,” said Kiem. “Clients across vastly different industries are saving time and money by using Speed Marketing to organize and run their marketing campaigns. Instead of starting massive enterprise content management (ECM) engagements, our clients have elected [to use] Speed Marketing. For a fraction of the project cost and complexity, real benefits are delivered within a month.”

In addition, BLIS offers ePrint3, an advanced online enterprise ordering site for print and distributed materials. BLIS has been awarded four U.S. patents for its innovations designed to help businesses improve their brand management and take advantage of web-to-print capabilities.