To continue promoting the future growth of the label and package printing industry, TLMI hosted its popular Label Leaders of Tomorrow (LLT) Excursion in Chicago, IL, USA, on July 9-10, 2024. Domino served as the host company for the second edition of the event, which featured expert speakers on a wide range of topics that will impact leadership decisions for years to come.

LLT has been established to deliver leadership skills and industry education to prospective decision-makers in labels and packaging – regardless of age. In addition to education and networking, attendees were treated to a tour of Domino’s North America headquarters in Gurnee, IL. The group witnessed the latest capabilities in digital printing, a hot topic that is poised to impact the future of label printing.

Mike Barry of Domino, Ginnie Gandy of Channeled Resources Group, and Katie Harrington of Blue Label serve on LLT’s leadership team and welcomed the attendees to the event.

“LLT exists for emerging leaders within TLMI member organizations to learn more about the industry and gain professional development skills,” explained Gandy. “This is an opportunity for us to gather and learn, network, and grow together.”

“This is an event we’re going to continue to host on an annual basis,” added Barry. “We encourage members to head to LinkedIn and the TLMI Community page to learn more and share ideas.”

TLMI has emphasized community, insight, and advocacy in its operations. Those principles guide education and content creation for members, with the goal of addressing the latest industry trends. From sustainability and digital printing to workforce development, TLMI has focused on content that will shape the future of its members.

Workforce development, which has been a key factor in the launch of LLT, has long been a core focus of TLMI. The association awards over $30,000 in scholarships annually, and the member employee scholarship is still open. This allows member employees to pursue higher education and advance their technical and/or leadership skills.

“We encourage you to get involved in TLMI, and there are a lot of opportunities to grow as an individual, as a team, and as part of our larger community,” said Linnea Keen, TLMI president. “Our employee member scholarship is always open to our member companies, and we encourage them to take advantage of this great opportunity.”

Three key highlights of the LLT Excursion included an industry panel discussion on digital printing, Avery Dennison’s Chris Johnson educating attendees on anti-trust training, and The Workplace Advisors’ Claudia St. John exploring DISC Training in a session entitled, “Professional Development: Cross Functional Collaboration.”

Keen moderated the industry panel, which included Mark Turk of International Label, Scott Fisher of Smyth, Katie Harrington of Blue Label, and David Ellen of Domino.

“The world of digital is advancing, and it’s been really interesting to watch that happen as someone who is constantly trying to evaluate the market,” said Harrington. “It’s been amazing to see the print industry go from taking days on end to run a simple digital label to running complex beverage label jobs – taking place in one pass – because of the modular abilities of digital. And it’s happened very rapidly.”

Meanwhile, Johnson, who serves as legal counsel for Avery Dennison, explained the perils of breeching anti-trust laws. Future leaders were privy to a discussion on the ramifications of not following anti-trust guidelines, which could result in steep fines and even jail time.

St. John focused on how to better understand yourself and your behavioral style, as well as those of others. The goal was to work to better interpret behavioral style, enabling better communication with others.

According to St. John, 55% of communication comes from body language, 35% comes from tone of voice, and 10% comes from words. Marston’s DISC Training addresses problems, people, pace, and processes and procedures in the context of extroverted and introverted behavioral styles.

LLT Excursion attendees completed the DISC Training, and St. John subsequently detailed how to interpret the results, providing a roadmap for members to better interact with teammates as they ascend into leadership roles within their companies.

As part of the event, Roz Bandy, TLMI’s VP of sustainability, delved into the environmental considerations for member companies, while Bill Myers, director of marketing, Domino, addressed how to promote an organization, both internally and externally, for business success. As attendees transition into leadership roles, they will need to be cognizant of the demand for sustainability throughout all levels of the supply chain. Meanwhile, Myers’ presentation detailed how to position your company and your customers for success with important marketing tools.

“People choose their business partner for reasons beyond speeds and feeds,” stated Myers. “Customers want a feeling of partnership like they’re in it together. The voice of the customer is the foundation that all of marketing is built upon. This illustrates to the customer or prospective customer how you can serve as an extension of their marketing efforts – serve as an extension of their company – in a win-win situation.”

UPM Raflatac’s Kirit Naik, meanwhile, provided a deep dive into digital printing technologies and key considerations for substrate selection, while ABG’s Jim Kehring touted new abilities in digital converting, which can make labels pop on-shelf.

The next opportunity for LLT to gather in-person will take place at the TLMI Annual Meeting, which kicks off September 29 in Orlando, FL.