Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TLMI Converter Meeting marked the last industry event the L&NW team was able to attend. TLMI has emphasized its #LabelLeaders mantra, which is designed to recognize the people who make this industry go. Little did any of us know just how prescient this hashtag would become when it was spawned.

The leadership has gone beyond labels. Yes, the quality, turnaround times and collaboration in producing labels literally kept the supply chain going, all while frenzied consumers rushed to the stores to stock up on essential items like food and personal care products. But during these unprecedented times, owners and management have been forced to wear many hats for their businesses.

Roles have evolved well beyond job descriptions. For example, K Laser, a cold foil specialist, has emphasized the physical, mental and emotional health of its employees – both in the office and working from home. Communication has increased – not decreased – even as its employees have become more spread out. Morale-boosting events, such as kayaking and birthday parties, have become the norm to try to retain some semblance of normalcy while social distancing. Zoom calls have also become quite popular, more so to check on the well-being of employees than to assign tasks. Learn more about the company’s endeavors on page 26.

Lori Campbell, president of The Label Printers and a fixture at TLMI events like the Converter Meeting held in March, praised the industry for its resilience and flexibility during a time of chaos. While it might be common to think that businesses too often rest on their laurels and defer back to the old way of conducting business, the label industry has proven to be incredibly adaptable. Not only have converters met surging demands while dealing with a plethora of logistical and supply chain challenges, they have rolled with the punches and instituted wide-sweeping policy changes on the fly. This is no small task.

Tony Cook, CEO of Great Lakes Label, put together a COVID-19 playbook to address every outcome imaginable. Robert Petrie, founder and CEO of Grace Imaging, expanded his facility and invested in a virtual training and conference center. The “Label Leaders” throughout this industry have not complained about their situation. On the contrary, they have marched forward and kept their eyes on the future. Grace Imaging is profiled in greater detail on page 52.

For many of us, we circled September on the calendar for major industry events like Labelexpo Americas. Even though the event has been postponed until March 2021, there will be no shortage of interest in the latest products and technologies that will continue to propel our industry into the future. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it has exemplified label converters’ willingness to adapt, invest, and perhaps most importantly – lead.


Greg Hrinya, Editor
[email protected]