Nashville, TN- TLMI’s award season is in full swing with the recently launched Calvin Frost Sustainability Leadership Awards, The Frosties, and the newly revised TLMI Printing Excellence Awards. These award programs are open exclusively to TLMI members. The Calvin Frost Sustainability Awards and the TLMI Printing Excellence Awards are accepting submissions until August 2023. Winners will be announced at TLMI’s Annual Meeting in October in Colorado Springs, CO and will receive recognition globally. 

Calvin Frost Sustainability Leadership Awards have three levels, Trailhead, Journey, and Elevation. Converter and supplier members may apply based on where they are on their sustainability journey. This enables members to grow in their sustainability goals each year and advance in the award application levels as appropriate. Whether companies are just starting, or are very advanced, there is a level for everyone. 

The 46th TLMI Printing Excellence Awards has been reimagined to better reflect the wide variety of industry applications and better align with other award competitions. Members can count on an easier application process and can expect their labels to be judged on market verticals rather than printing process. Winners are celebrated in multiple industry publications and entered in the World Label Awards. 

TLMI’s award programs exist to recognize the outstanding achievements of TLMI members and to challenge the next wave of innovation. Visit TLMI.com to apply today. 

For more information about the Calvin Frost Sustainability Awards contact Rosalyn.Bandy@tlmi.com. 

For more information about the TLMI Printing Excellence Awards contact Jessica.Avery@tlmi.com. 

Nashville, TN- For the last 46 years TLMI has invested in future generations of the tag, label, and/or package printing industry. The TLMI Scholarship for two/four-year college or vocational degree programs awards up to $5,000 to full-time students in the US and Canada.  

Students’ major coursework should relate to the industry including but not limited to management, sales/marketing, production, graphic communications, industrial engineering, IT, and electrical, print, and mechanical trade school programs. To apply, students must complete the application, provide two letters of recommendation, provide examples that demonstrate an interest in the tag, label, and package printing industry (optional), and provide an academic transcript.   

For full details check out TLMI’s website or download the TLMI Scholarship bulletin. The deadline for the scholarship has been extended to May 15, 2023.  

Contact Rosalyn Bandy, Vice President of Sustainability, rosalyn.bandy@tlmi.com.

Nashville, TN- At the association’s recent in-person Converter Meeting held in St. Petersburg, FL, TLMI announced the winners of this year’s Eugene Singer Award for Management Excellence. The award remains one of the industry’s most prestigious and coveted honors, recognizing excellence in business management through participation in the annual TLMI Management Ratio Study.  

To be considered for the Singer Award, TLMI converter members submit a series of growth and business efficiency metrics to TLMI’s partner firm, Industry Insights. Greg Manns, Senior VP of Industry Insights, comments, “The 11 factors and metrics that determine the Singer Award winners are a well-rounded representation of a company’s overall financial health. The winning firms are most effective at growing their business while maintaining strong expense management.”  

TLMI converter members throughout the United States and Canada participate in the Management Ratio Study, however, only one company in each of the four size-range categories is awarded the Eugene Singer honor each year. This year, the awards were given to the following companies: Ridgefield, New Jersey-based Trend Printing won in the small company category for the first time. Fountain Valley, CA-based Coast Label Co. won the mid-range company category for the first time and for the 7th time overall. Lancaster, Ohio-based Blue Label Packaging Co. won for the second time in the medium company category. Brunswick, Ohio-based I.D. Images, LLC won for the first time in the large company category. TLMI President Linnea Keen commented, “The TLMI Team would like to congratulate each of this year’s Eugene Singer award winners. The TLMI Management Ratio Study is the only industry initiative of its kind and remains one of the association’s greatest resources for our converter members.”  

TLMI announces that five association members were awarded TLMI Calvin Frost Sustainability Leadership Awards at the association’s recent Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The awards are an eponymous tribute to one of our industry’s most respected sustainability thought leaders and longtime member, Calvin Frost of Channeled Resources Group.
 
Since 2002, the TLMI Sustainability Leadership Awards have recognized association converter and supplier members who have consistently demonstrated a commitment to progressive sustainability practices across a range of areas including solid waste reduction, recycling, waste or energy recovery, the implementation of new ‘clean’ technology and/or processes and the implementation of an educational program. Two years ago, the Sustainability Leadership Awards Committee redesigned the award application process to recognize sustainability achievements and efforts at all levels, regardless of where a company might be on their evolving sustainability journey. Companies can submit applications in the following three categories:

• The Trailhead Award:  For companies in the early stages of their sustainability journey.

• The Journey Award:  For companies that are further along in their sustainability journey.

• The Elevation Award:  For companies with sophisticated in-house sustainability programs and that are making a significant industry impact.

The winner of the 2022 Trailhead Award was Resource Label Group (RLG). The company’s examples of how their sustainability efforts have relevance to others in the industry were a submission standout. Not only does RLG share the company’s environmental impacts, they also show in detail how they reach their goals. Judges were also impressed with the way that the company maintains a connection to academia for both workforce and innovation in addition to having a sustainability fellow on staff every year.
 
The judges also presented a Recognition Award to NOSCO for the company’s extensive social engagement efforts.
 
The converter winner of the 2022 Journey Award was ICONEX. The company impressed judges with the level of social impact it’s having in the industry. ICONEX is actively engaged in sharing information within a converting association that they created and lead in addition to the extensive description in their submission of the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting structure internally outlining their culture of employee care.
 
The supplier winner of the 2022 Journey Award was Sun Chemical based on the company’s sustainability-focused products, reduced impact on the environment, training, seminars, sharing of information, and active social media.
 
The winner of the 2022 Elevation Award was Syracuse Label and Surround Printing (SLSP). The judges were extremely impressed with the high level of detail given in their submission and the way that SLSP has earned Sustainable Green Printing Partnership certification in addition to being 100% landfill-free. SLSP is also extremely focused on employee wellness and social impact, having a very sophisticated tracking protocol for all of the company’s impacts. SLSP is an employee-owned company (ESOP), further demonstrating the investment in employee empowerment and job satisfaction.
 
TLMI’s Vice President of Sustainability, Rosalyn Bandy, comments, “I would like to personally congratulate all of this year’s winners of the Calvin Frost Sustainability  Leadership Awards. I want to also thank Aimee Peacock and the entire Awards Committee once again for their hard work and for taking the awards selection process so seriously. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives are driving the next revolution in best business practices. As brands and label buyers continue to increase pressure on businesses to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, it’s essential that converters and suppliers are able to share their strategies and success stories with one another in addition to being honored for their hard work and dedication.”

At the association’s recent Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ TLMI awarded Keith Grimm, Vice President of Label Traxx, Volunteer of the Year. Established in 2019, the association created the Volunteer of the Year Award as a posthumous tribute to honor the life of long-standing member, Gary Cooper. The award celebrates an association member who has made significant contributions to TLMI throughout their career.        
 
Prior to joining Label Traxx in 2012, Grimm spent more than two decades working at the managerial level of different label converting companies and has extensive expertise in flexo, offset and digital printing. He has served on the TLMI Technical Committee for nearly a decade and has been a key contributor to the development and success of the association’s Technical Conference, rebranded as printTHINK in recent years. He is also an instrumental force in the TLMI Webinar Program.
 
TLMI President, Linnea Keen, comments, “If there’s a TLMI member who is always raising their hand to volunteer for duty regardless of the task, it is Keith Grimm. Over the years he has tirelessly helped out with the Technical Conference and printTHINK and is a key administrator of the association’s Webinar Program throughout the year. At a recent TLMI Board Meeting, the Technical Committee’s Co-Chairs made it a point to relay their appreciation of Keith’s efforts and steadfast support. I want to congratulate Keith on this tremendous honor and I look forward to continue working with him in the coming years.”

At the association’s recent Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ TLMI awarded Jim Sheibley Supplier of the Year. Presented on an annual basis in conjunction with Labelexpo Americas, the Supplier of the Year Award honors and recognizes an individual for their ongoing volunteer service and dedication to TLMI and to the greater industry. Criteria for winning the award includes service to TLMI on the association’s board and committees, in addition to continuous commitment to the industry as a whole by helping to promote and foster its growth.

Sheibley’s four-decade career in the packaging industry has included roles in engineering, operations, R&D, marketing, business strategy and general management at companies that include Consolidated Papers, Stora Enso, New Page, and Wausau Coated Products. He has been an ISO lead auditor, certified Quality Manager and Lean Six Sigma Leader and Instructor. He was a founding member of CELAB in addition to serving a term as President of the Gravure Association of America’s Educational Foundation.

Over the past eight years leading up to his recent retirement, Sheibley served as Executive Vice President of Wausau Coated Products, leading the company’s sales, marketing and product development groups. He has also been an extremely dedicated TLMI member, serving on TLMI committees for the past 13 years including a stint as Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee, one of the largest of the association’s committees.

TLMI President Linnea Keen, comments, “Jim Sheibley has been one of TLMI’s hardest working and most dedicated supplier members. He excelled at getting other members actively involved in the Sustainability Committee and adeptly guided this large group in setting and achieving impressive goals and objectives. Jim was instrumental in getting a wastepaper grade listed with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries for silicone-coated spent liners and his unwavering dedication to best sustainability practices sets an example for us all. I want to personally congratulate him and wish him the very best in his retirement.”

At the association’s recent Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, Kathy Alaimo, Co-CEO of NY-based Syracuse Label & Surround Printing was named TLMI Converter or the Year. Presented in conjunction with Packaging Impressions magazine on an annual basis, the Converter of the Year Award honors and recognizes a member of the North American package printing industry who has made an extensive contribution to the greater marketplace and who has additionally demonstrated an unwavering commitment to TLMI.
 
Alaimo served a term on the TLMI Board of Directors and has also been an instrumental member of the TLMI Technical Committee, serving as the committee’s co-chair for years. During her time on the Technical Committee, Alaimo was additionally a co-chair of the TLMI Technical Conference, rebranded in recent years as printTHINK.
 
During her tenure as CEO of Syracuse Label, Alaimo guided the company’s transition to becoming an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) organization. A business entity that is rare in the printed packaging industry, an ESOP gives employees ownership interest in the company. As a leader, Alaimo is a fierce proponent of a company culture that prioritizes the wellbeing and empowering of its employees and with so few ESOPs in the industry, she knew she would have to find critical resources elsewhere to ensure employees realized the transition was in their best interest. Drawing upon her formal education as a journalist, Alaimo immersed herself in learning best practices from the Oakland, CA-based National Center for Employee Ownership. Today, Syracuse label is an award-winning company that is lauded throughout the industry for its flourishing organizational culture that attracts and retains top talent.
 
Recently, Alaimo guided her company through another significant transition. In June, Syracuse Label & Surround Printing, Macaran Printed Products, and W.N. Van Alstine announced their plans to merge. The merger brings together 165,000 square feet of manufacturing space, $65 million in annual sales and 175 employee-owners.
 
TLMI President, Linnea Keen, comments, “Kathy Alaimo is compassionate leadership personified. In today’s business environment, workforce continues to be a primary pain point for converters yet Kathy has managed to sustain a great culture with engaged employees. She recognizes how essential it is that employees have an emotional connection to their work and to their organization. Her ’people above profits’ approach has enabled Syracuse Label & Surround Printing to become one of the most successful converters in the industry and her leadership truly sets an example for us all. I would like to congratulate Kathy on being awarded one of the industry’s highest honors. It is certainly well deserved.”

TLMI announces that the association has become a signatory of the U.S. Plastics Pact (the U.S. Pact), a consortium led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the global Ellen MacArthur Foundation Plastics Pact Network. The U.S. Pact brings together businesses, government entities, not-for-profit organizations and other stakeholders who are working collectively toward the common vision of a circular economy for plastics, as outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy. Through the collaboration of its stakeholders, the U.S. Pact’s vision is to ensure that plastics never become waste by eliminating the plastics we do not need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. The U.S. Pact delivers a step change toward a circular economy, enabling companies and governments to work together in meeting impactful goals by 2025. 
 
As a signatory, TLMI will be active in working with the U.S. Pact’s members in jointly delivering a roadmap to reach established targets through collaborative, action-oriented workstreams that tackle key barriers in the plastics life cycle process. The U.S. Pact is part of a network of Plastics Pacts around the world that share a common central vision: To change the way that plastics are designed, used, and reused to transition to a circular economy where plastics never become waste. The Plastics Pact network builds a unique platform to exchange information and best practices across regions in order to accelerate the transition to an eventual circular economy for plastics. 
 
TLMI VP of Sustainability, Rosalyn Bandy, comments, “I am so proud to support the work of the U.S. Plastics Pact. As a non-profit, TLMI will be in a support role, and we are able to participate in the U.S. Pact’s working groups. The work will help to hold brands and designers of packaging accountable to redesign their packaging and to ensure that their products meet the goals set forth in the U.S. Pact. so that by 2025 100% of consumer plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. I hope that other members of the label community will join TLMI in supporting this important initiative.”