Sidley started his photo career in 1972 at King Size Photo Service in Everett, Wash., as a retail manager. During the next 12 years, King Size Photo grew to one of the largest photofinishers in the Pacific Northwest, with plants in Everett and Spokane, and Portland, Ore., where they operated more than 100 retail stores and a large wholesale network.
By 1980, Sidley was Vice-President of Operations and COO. In 1983, King Size merged with Phototron Corp., which then became part of Qualex. Kirk, and his wife Shirley, started their own business, Picture Perfect, a one-hour photo chain, in Portland, Ore., in 1984. During that time, Sidley also assisted John Haugen Sr., who had been his mentor at King Size, with the formation of Crown Photo Systems.
Kirk helped guide PMA as a board member for several years, taking the helm as president in 2004-2005. He has also served the industry in many other capacities throughout his career, most notably as Buck Rogers Chairman from 1998-1999, and as Chairman of the Board for Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) from 2007-2012.
“We have chosen to honor Kirk Sidley with the 2015 PMA Hall of Fame Award for a career spent serving the imaging industry,” said PMA President Bill Eklund. “His many contributions to PMA and our members, as well as to other imaging industry organizations, have been truly invaluable. It is an honor to present this award to Kirk for his steadfast dedication to growing the imaging industry.”