2300 W Washington Avenue, Jonesboro, AR, USA 72401
www.labelsanddecals.com

AAi Labels & Decals boasts more than 50 years of growth and adaption, all in the name of delivering better customer service. Stacy and Gary Gestring arrived in 1995 with one goal in mind: accelerate growth. Since that time, the company has expanded to nearly 29,000 square feet across two facilities. What once was a company of four people is now home to 45 employees, and services customers across the country – and throughout the world.

Since the arrival of Gary and Stacy Gestring, growth has been robust. Their arrival saw AAi quadruple its space, which includes a 10,000 square-foot building to house a wide-format division. Since 2000, the company has predominately enjoyed double-digit growth. The Gestrings have been intent on continuing a legacy that began more than 50 years ago.

Stacy’s father, Paul Grimm, established the business in 1969, when he opened Art Sign Company. However, Grimm was not satisfied, and he continually sought ways of improving operations and expanding his reach. In the mid-1970s, Grimm began transitioning Art Sign Company into an organization that specialized in screen printing decals and overlay panels for local manufacturers. The evolution included the purchase of a silk screen press, which ushered in the production of industrial labels, tags, and nameplates. In the early 1980s, the company was incorporated as Art Advertising, Inc. (now AAi Labels & Decals). Subsequently, flexographic and offset printing were added in the mid-1980s, and AAi began focusing solely on industrial labels and other screen-printed products.    

Grimm’s calculations paid off, as growth soon became apparent. The burgeoning business saw success in a broad range of industries, which led to the establishment of a new building in Jonesboro Industrial Park in 1985. Innovation soon followed, as AAi became the first company in Jonesboro to offer flexographic roll label printing.

“Historically, for a company of our size, we’ve always done a really good job of keeping up with current technologies,” explains Gary. “In the 1980s, that was progressive for our area. Prior to that, we were the first company in the state of Arkansas to use UV curing technology for our screen-printing department. We were also the first company in Arkansas to put in dome decal equipment. For a small company, we’ve had a number of firsts in Arkansas that we’re proud of.”

Stacy grew up at AAi, as her father opened the business when she was six months old. Although not their intended path, both Stacy and Gary recognized an opportunity to optimize growth at AAi Labels & Decals.

“We came to AAi in 1995 to purchase the company as Paul was retiring,” recalls Stacy. “We were working in Memphis prior to that, using our international business degrees. At that time, there were just four employees at the company, one of which is our current production supervisor. Still focused on serving manufacturing companies, Gary moved into sales and began to spread our reach more regionally, then into national and international markets.”

“This wasn’t on our radar at all,” adds Gary. “It’s funny how fate works. We both had great jobs, but we recognized we had an opportunity here in Jonesboro. It’s a great place to raise a family, and I was traveling a lot for my company. So, we started thinking about those things. We had an opportunity to build something, and we took the risk. We came back to Jonesboro and have been growing ever since.”

There have been numerous milestones along the way for the Gestrings, and they have never been shy about reinvesting back into the company. AAi purchased its first fully automated rotary screen press in 2018, and the second line was added less than two years later. Plus, investments were made in fully automatic rotary diecutting capabilities to enhance the screen department in 2022. Next, in 2023, AAi shifted its focus to upgrading the flexo department.

“I think my biggest contribution early on was bringing a different sales perspective,” notes Gary. “Most of the business had been done in Industrial Park, and we brought a national and international perspective to the table. I worked in sales and Stacy handled the production end. I was the only salesperson for many years, and I pursued clients that I thought would be a good fit. We weren’t super aggressive, but if you look at our sales history the entire time we’ve been here we’ve seen steady growth.”

A strong business acumen has been a hallmark of Stacy and Gary’s ownership. The company boasted a record year in 2020, mainly due to the wide diversification of AAi’s client base.

From Grimm to the Gestrings, company culture has been at the forefront of AAi’s business operations. AAi upholds several key tenets when dealing with partners, customers, and team members. Throughout the years, Gary has also emphasized communication and collaboration with their customers. This self-scouting has allowed AAi to further respond to customers’ needs. “One of our largest customers said, and this stood out to me, ‘We feel like we have a relationship with your company.’ And that’s the whole key for us. That speaks to our culture, and that’s a powerful statement for us.”

With a commitment to integrity and community, AAi values suppliers as partners and team members. Community is also paramount, as AAi has supported the Jonesboro area with the giving of time and resources to local charities.

“While we’ve grown exponentially, we’re still very much a family that cares about each other and giving the best to our customers and community,” adds Stacy. “We’re constantly reinforcing the importance of teamwork and open face-to-face communication where everyone pitches in to help others. We’re very supportive of our employees. About every other month we’ll hold an event for the team.”

“It’s a general rule of thumb that you’re not supposed to befriend your employees, and of course there are boundaries. But we have people who have been here over 20 years and we really do create friendships here, and it’s mutual both ways,” adds Gary. “We really care about our people. That makes coming to work a lot nicer.”

In the future, AAi will look to continue adding to its salesforce, as well as expanding into new markets. “We do a little bit in a lot of industries,” comments Gary. “Some of the industries we’re already in, but we’ve just got one toe in. We want to get deeper into some of those markets.”

Quality drivers

AAi services a wide range of markets, many of which feature durable labeling. Therefore, quality is essential. Some of these applications include outdoor equipment and products that require important safety labeling. The company is buoyed by an award-winning graphic design team.

AAi boasts the ability to deliver on a wide range of printing needs, from labels and decals to overlays, safety products, domed decals, label kits, variable data labels, signage, promotional products and more. The company also serves as an outsource company for other flexo printers seeking durable labeling solutions.

Beyond the equipment, AAi has instituted a system of checks and balances to ensure customers get the highest quality labels. Quality control, of course, is key.

“We have a system of quality checks throughout the cycle of an order to make sure we’re producing products according to our clients’ specifications,” explains Stacy. “In fact, we’ve actually just completed our ISO-9001 audit and expect to announce certification within the next few weeks.”

Beyond ISO certification, AAi meets ANSI and NEMA standards and also complies with CSA standards. The company is UL certified, as well.

“Our strength is in working with clients and vendors to find custom solutions to issues such as adhesion to difficult surfaces and wear conditions,” notes Stacy. “The quality has always been a high priority. Most of our business is repeat clients, and we’ve grown relationships with them.”

“We’ve been UL-recognized since 1980,” adds Gary. “We’re UL-certified on screen printing, flexographic roll labels, and now we’re getting our materials certified for the Domino digital press. We’re routinely inspected, and we’ve had those systems in place for a long time now.”

AAi delivers labeling solutions for markets that include power equipment – such as lawn, aviation, and marine – and safety equipment to food and beverage, pharmaceutical and health supplements, and more. Anything from a dumpster decal or a tractor label falls squarely in the AAi wheelhouse. Anything that requires durability comprises the company’s core business.

Part of the excellent customer service at AAi is the breadth of printing capabilities. Regardless of a customer’s needs, the company has the options to deliver in the most efficient way possible. AAi’s capabilities include silk screen printing, flexography, thermal transfer labels, digital sheetfed, wide-format inkjet, and now digital inkjet roll label printing.

“It’s the diversity of our equipment that allows us to serve our customers best,” comments Stacy. “With six different types of production, we aren’t limited to how we can produce a job. We have the ability to do what is most efficient for the client’s particular needs. We can run a fast 10-piece photo-type decal kit for a tradeshow, then transition into bulk quantities when they’re ready for production.”

In addition to quality, customer service is paramount for AAi. According to the Gestrings, shipping on-time and avoiding quality rejects are two mission-critical objectives. “We also work our production schedules to leave room for the inevitable ‘hot rush,’ when a customer realizes they’ve had an inventory error or have a change in their own priorities,” explains Stacy. “We’re still small enough to be agile, and we can shift gears to make sure we get those types of orders pushed out very quickly.”

AAi has developed an effective customer service strategy. Customer service representatives are each assigned to a specific customer, which allows them to build relationships and cater to the clients’ needs. This has led to significant customer loyalty throughout the years.

As a company of 45 people, AAi features the agility necessary to take care of its customers in an expeditious fashion. According to Gary, AAi maintains a “speedboat mentality.”

“The bigger the ship, the slower it turns – and there’s some truth to that,” he explains. “We are very responsive, and we’ve been told we’re very quick with estimates and lead times. That’s important to us.”

The Domino Decision

AAi’s commitment to quality came with a realization: the company needed another method for meeting evolving customer demand. The choice was made to go digital in order to continue fostering AAi’s significant growth trajectory.

To meet customer demand and expand into new markets, AAi made the decision to invest in a Domino N610i digital inkjet label press, which becomes the company’s first digital narrow web press. AAi installed the press in December 2023 and subsequently completed an intensive training program. The company is now in the process of making digital part of its core offering. AAi has emerged as the first company in Arkansas to own a Domino digital press.

“We’ve long recognized the benefits of digital printing and fully converted our offset department to digital several years ago,” notes Stacy. “The recent improvements in the durability of digital UV flexo inks was very exciting to us as outdoor durable labels and decals have always been our strongest niche. With our new Domino N610i, we have all the speed of flexo, the high resolution of digital, and good outdoor durability. With the added capacity of the new equipment, we’re reaching into some new markets and a broader range of industries. Our next step is likely expanding the sales team.”

“I’ve said for a few years now that we needed to be doing more in the roll label business,” adds Gary. “We just didn’t have the equipment to handle the jobs that were out there right now. We knew we needed to upgrade.”

While AAi has long been focused on long runs for the outdoor durable labeling markets, the Domino press will open a new avenue for the printer. By going digital with Domino, AAi now has the opportunity to explore the short-term durability and consumer goods markets.

“We anticipate the Domino N610i will drive our roll label department in making a huge leap forward, opening up markets we’ve previously not had access to because our existing flexo equipment was too slow, or we had a cost disadvantage because we would need to outsource larger or full color roll label orders,” states Stacy. “When considering the cost justification of the Domino, we looked at both, the improved efficiency we will gain from the orders we have been running through other processes and the potential to grow into new markets. So, we are very excited with the installation of the Domino digital press.”

Domino has also worked diligently to bring AAi up to speed on the new press, with Stacy noting, “This is the best training we’ve ever received on a piece of equipment. Their team has been really great. They were very much invested in getting us up and running smoothly.”