Greeting card publisher gets new director

Detroit, Mich. — Greeting card publisher Avanti Press has named Kari Knowlton as its new director of business development.



Founded by Rick Ruffner in 1980, Avanti Press publishes the Avanti and A*Press greeting card collections. The Detroit-based publisher’s everyday and seasonal card collections are carried in leading regional and national retail outlets as well as independent retail outlets throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and other countries worldwide.



Knowlton started her eight-year career in the greeting card industry at Marcel Schurman, later called Papyrus and renamed Papyrus-Recycled Greetings after it was acquired in 2009 by American Greetings. Her most recent role at PRG was as director of business development.



“Kari has a strong track record of helping retailers achieve their sales goals with a branded, contemporary product strategy,” said Chip Owen, EVP. “Kari’s talents are a nice fit for Avanti’s long-term plans for growth in the North American retail sector.”



Knowlton earned a bachelor of arts in merchandising and business management from Samford University.