Hybrid Software has announced that Mike Agness received the Brad Brown Strategic Partner Award from FLAG (Flexo Label Advantage Group). FLAG honored Agness during the FLAG 2026 Annual Meeting, held March 23-26 in San Diego, CA, USA.

John and JC McKay presented Agness with the honor at the annual awards dinner. The Brad Brown Strategic Partner Award is presented annually to the person who has exemplified commitment, creativity and excellence in support of FLAG. These were three character traits of Brad Brown’s.

An independent organization founded by John McKay, FLAG is a community of small to mid-size label converters that has prided itself on being the only industry group helping independent label converters become more fiscally self-reliant through negotiated savings and rebate programs. FLAG provides access to a valuable ecosystem of like-sized and minded label converters. Meanwhile, the group offers independent label converters benefits similar to what large national converters provide for their facilities. This comes in the form of multi-location backup and support.

FLAG members have full access to the group’s monthly Lunch & Learn programs, catastrophic backup planning, and FLAG’s Member Connections platform, among other benefits.

Brown was a friend and professional mentor of FLAG’s founder and CEO, John McKay, while they worked together at the Pitman Company.

Award reaction

“In his successful career, Brad made connections happen. He was one of the key supporters from the beginning, and he saw the same vision that my dad had for FLAG,” notes JC McKay, FLAG president. “When Brad passed much too young, it made perfect sense to honor his legacy with an award. It is given every year to the person who works as a close partner to FLAG and truly embodies our ‘Win-Win/Win’ vision. Mike Agness continues to do exactly that. He is an excellent partner who has been deeply involved in our Annual Meeting and peer group meetings. Mike has introduced FLAG to new members and vendor partners, and encourages his entire team to do the same. He gets it.”

Agness is the only two-time recipient of this award, as he was also honored in 2023. “I thank FLAG for the honor. It’s particularly gratifying for me because I have a deep personal connection. Brad Brown was a mentor to John McKay while I, myself, worked at Pitman – and with Brad,” comments Agness. “I should also add that this is still a group honor for both me and my associates at Hybrid Software. They provide the support and resources to allow me to assist FLAG with projects like peer groups, Annual Meetings, and Lunch & Learn events. We all believe in strong support of the FLAG community and we all like to win.”