Grace Imaging
28400 Cedar Park Boulevard C,
Perrysburg, OH USA 43551
www.grace-imaging.com


Grace Imaging has been built on rousing entrepreneurship and is quite emblematic of the American dream. The label converter, which is based in Perrysburg, OH, USA, opened its doors in 2012, but the company’s story begins quite a bit earlier.

Robert Petrie, founder and CEO, wanted to operate his own business, and he made the decision to establish Grace Imaging. Petrie started in the label industry in 1988 in the purchasing department and each new position he encountered at his previous company, he always wanted to lead. He spent 25 years at that company, operating in a host of roles – from purchasing to production all the way to vice president of operations, vice president of sales and marketing, and general manager, however, Petrie had a burning passion for labels and envisioned running his own label printing business.

“Here I was at 36 years old, I became the general manager at a mid-sized label printer and helped buy one of the company’s first Indigo presses in 1999,” explains Petrie. “I knew I wanted to go in a different direction in my career and run my own business, so I quit after 25 years. I wasn’t sure if it was the right business, but I had to follow my passions.”

Visualizing his own Lean label plant, Petrie opted to make the move in 2011. He left his former employer and established Grace Imaging with no customers and a 600 square-foot office. His first organizational hire was a part-time graphic artist, and he invested in a high-quality digital tabletop printer and small semi-rotary diecutter to start manufacturing.

In 2012, Petrie wore many hats. He generated business, took orders, ran all the equipment needed to print and produce, and shipped the label orders on his own.

In December of 2012 – one year and four days after leaving his job to pursue his dream – Petrie ran his first custom label order.

“I started with one customer, so it’s been a really fun journey,” says Petrie. “Now we’re pretty significant players and growing. We’ve been recognized by winning the Entrepreneurial of Business Excellence in Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan for growth and what we’re doing for the economy. It’s a feel-good story because I went with my passion and went with my heart, and everything has worked out.”

Not long after hiring an operations manager in 2015, Petrie purchased his first 7-color, 13″ digital press along with a 13″ semi rotary diecutter and moved into a new location. Nearly one year later – and four years after taking his first order – Petrie’s company surpassed $1 million in sales.

Grace Imaging has continued to steadily expand since its inception. The company now boasts 12 employees, whom Petrie describes as “dynamic and dedicated.” To keep up with strong growth, Grace Imaging has added four employees in just the last year. The team offers expertise too, with an average label printing experience of 10 years.

Grace Imaging’s growth is not only internal, either. The company recently completed a significant expansion of its manufacturing space this past June that increased the size of its facility by 50%.

In order to stay up to date with the newest technologies on the market, the Grace Imaging team has taken part in virtual demos. This exercise has proven advantageous, as the entire operations team can be a part of the meetings. This evolving technology has manifested itself in the new expansion.

“To keep up with the changing times, one thing we’re doing with our new addition is investing in a virtual training and conference center,” says Petrie. “We’re taking care of all the wiring and screens, because I think virtual is here to stay – maybe forever. With many of our customers now, we do a lot of enhancements on labels virtually in order to show them the embossing and foiling effects we can provide. Prior to the coronavirus, I used to say, ‘I wish I could get every customer in my facility,’ because when they come in, they don’t realize all the capabilities we have. Well, I can go to them now because they’re more open
to virtual.”

Adds Petrie, “I’m really excited about this expansion. I think it’s going to be a key asset for us with both customers and suppliers alike.”

The future for Grace Imaging is bright. The Ohio-based converter has exhibited its versatility over the past year. With an eye on the future, Petrie began taking online orders, which is only helping during these challenging times of social distancing. Grace Imaging also teamed with Toledo Spirits to produce hand sanitizers to combat the spread
of COVID-19.

Grace Imaging helped produce the packaging for this essential good by delivering application-ready labels in days as opposed to weeks. “Packaging and proper labeling of the product are critical, and Grace Imaging stepped up to produce labels for our products with a 24-hour turnaround time,” says Andrew Newby, Toledo Spirits co-founder and CEO. “Compared to other printers, who needed up to a 20-day lead time, Grace Imaging produced and delivered the labels we needed to start providing resources to the public in a time of crisis. Together, we feel like our two small businesses are making a big difference at a time when so many are in need.”

Embracing digital
Even though flexography has dominated pressure sensitive label printing – even more so in 2012 – Petrie turned his attention to the future. He understood the potential for digital printing, and Petrie embraced the idea of going all-in on the technology.

Today, Grace Imaging utilizes three 13″ Epson digital inkjet presses to capitalize on this growing market segment. The company has also invested in two GM (Grafisk Maskinfabrik) semi-rotary diecutters and a GM hot-stamping and embossing unit, as well as a GM high-speed off-line sheeter.

Grace Imaging’s equipment runs 24 hours a day when needed and allows the converter to produce high-quality labels for a wide range of markets. Grace has a library of over 2,000 cutting dies, as well. These are categorized for fast lookups so customers potentially don’t have to buy tooling as often as with other label supplies.

Digital printing has helped Grace Imaging deliver labels for food and beverage, wine and spirits, CBD, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and more. Grace Imaging’s key markets are distributors and brands across the US. End uses for the company’s labels often feature a high number of SKUs, which are a good fit for Grace’s digital capabilities.

“Grace is always investing in equipment to best serve our customers,” says Petrie. “We are looking to add our fourth high-speed 13″ digital printing press in the near future, and we continue to look at ways to give our customers unique embellishments for their labels. We don’t believe in cutting corners or sacrificing quality to save money. That’s why we invest in the best equipment in the industry that will help us deliver a premium product for our customers.

“We love giving brands the ability to showcase their product with an amazing label,” he continues. “Grace produces high-end, beautiful, eye-catching labels, which help brands stand out from the rest.”

Grace Imaging has enjoyed recent success with a number of brands. The company assisted California-based Beber Almondmilk when the organic beverage provider’s current supplier could not meet the brand’s lead-time requirements. Digital printing enabled Grace Imaging to deliver with faster turnarounds, high-end quality and competitive pricing. Plus, the converter’s attention to detail proved critical, as Beber Almondmilk operates in a highly scrutinized industry.

In addition, Grace Imaging utilized its embellishment capabilities to produce an antique-style spirits label with a metallic foil label for Premier Innovations Group. The multi-faceted alcoholic beverage company needed labels quickly for a time-sensitive event, and Grace Imaging was able to deliver the labels within the turnaround time of five days.

Premier Innovations Group requested 15,000 4-color textured labels with an antiqued finish and metallic foil stamping. The labels also had to be positioned in sets, with a front and back label, on the same roll to accommodate the company’s automatic label application process. The Grace team worked closely with the client to prep the existing artwork quickly in order to send out a live proof overnight to approve the look and quality of the gold foil application. The entire job, from start to finish, took just four days and arrived in time for the event.

Digital printing has helped Grace Imaging deliver solutions for security labeling, too. One of the fast-growing segments in the label industry, Grace Imaging has produced labels that feature tamper evidence, theft prevention and more.

Core values
Grace Imaging promotes a concise and effective motto: “Amazing labels. Amazing service.” In order to produce eye-catching labels with any number of embellishments, the converter must rely on a dedicated group of individuals to answer the call.

Petrie leans on a number of core values to keep Grace Imaging at the forefront of the industry. “We offer speed, where we’re fast in everything we do, but we have very few errors because process is key,” he states. “We also establish strong, close relationships with our customers where they’re not a number. We are passionate for their success. We’re all about labels here, as well.We stick to what we know best.”

Part of Grace Imaging’s excellent service is the integrity that is instilled in the employees. The company strives to treat others how they wish to be treated, and to always be open and honest with customers.

“Our team knows their stuff,” says Petrie. “Our customers rely on us for consultation on almost any label need. We treat every job the same – with passion, precision and a focus on producing the highest quality product – each and every time.”

The Grace Imaging team has helped foster the success of this fast-growing converter, too. “Our future looks amazing,” says Petrie. “Grace Imaging is growing, not only in customers and sales, but for all employees and myself. We all have to keep growing.”

Petrie continues to add industry veterans to his team, as he also recently hired Melissa Kuhl to serve as director of marketing. According to Petrie, he anticipates the hire “making a significant impact for the future success of Grace.”

“The company’s greatest assets are the people, along with the culture they create together,” he adds. “Grace employees work with an intentional focus on the team, and members don’t really care who makes a mistake – if one is made – but they focus together on what they can each do to help fix it and avoid errors in the future.”

Building relationships
Petrie utilized a strong vision and concept to establish Grace Imaging, but his relationships have also helped propagate success. He recently became a SCORE mentor, which he says is a great way to give back to the community and help others as they look to build their own dreams and passion with starting or growing a business.

“Relationships have always been my gift throughout my career and will continue to be,” says Petrie. “These relationships are with employees, customers, suppliers and other industry leaders.”
Petrie has been very active in TLMI, as well, having joined the association in 2018.

He served as an active member of the TLMI Converter Meeting, which was held in Austin, TX back in March. Petrie was an active participant in the COVID-19 roundtables, where converters exchanged ideas and best practices for supporting one another and keeping their businesses thriving amidst uncertainty.

“I have friends and connections at TLMI, whom I can call and lean on, and we helped each other,” he explains. “I put together this binder called ‘The COVID Procedures for Grace Imaging’ and I have documented everything. TLMI is great with that, and it has been a very rewarding experience for me.”

Petrie has always pursued his passions and created goals with a life-guiding verse in mind from Proverbs 16:9, which says, “A person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” 

Even as he plans for Grace Imaging’s future, Petrie reminds himself of this daily, and he has learned that he can’t get too focused on a specific plan.

Being nimble and able to adjust to the market and his intuition, especially in such an evolving industry, has been key to Grace Imaging’s success.