Lori Campbell, Chief Operations Manager of The Label Printers was notified that the company had won the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) prestigious Eugene Singer Award, about three weeks before the industry learned of the honor at TLMI’s Converter Meeting. For her, the good news was that the company had won it – the bad news was that she couldn’t tell The Label Printers’ employees about it until after the March 9th meeting. Campbell said, “The other good news was that I could at least tell Bill [Kane – Chief Executive of the company]. We were both so pleased we immediately put in place plans for a company lunch so that we could share the news and the award.” Bill Kane said “I give credit to all our employees. We decided on an all-company luncheon to celebrate the Singer Award because I wanted our employees to know that it is as much theirs as it is mine – winning it was a total company effort.”
The luncheon was billed as a “company-sponsored lunch…with a special announcement”
Campbell seconded the emphasis on the company’s employees. “When I accepted this award on behalf of The Label Printers, I accepted on behalf of all of our employees, as it honors them all. The good news, from a management standpoint, is that our employees see this as a rallying cry to win again next year. I also accepted this award on behalf of our owners, who started the business in 1967, and, although now retired, remain owners today. They put in place the basic principles and sound business management practices that allow our employees to do what they do best. And, I would add, without those principles and management adherence to them for nearly 45 years, we would have been hard pressed to survive a year like 2009, let alone grow, as we were fortunate to do.” Kane felt that the award was also a testament to The Label Printers’ commitment to Total Customer Satisfaction and company policies that ensure that the company will be a strong business that customers can rely on to be there for them for years to come.
George Tommasi, Director of Human Resources, said, “I thought that it was quite an impressive feat – being recognized as the best run company. That is a credit to Bill [Kane] and Lori [Campbell] for their vision and leadership and execution of a tremendous business plan. It is also a credit to every employee who contributed to the success of that plan.”
TLMI calls “the prestigious Eugene Singer Award for Management Excellence…one of the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute’s (TLMI) highest honors…this award recognizes excellence in business management, measured and defined by an established set of ratios through the participation in the TLMI Management Ratio Study. The Singer Award is given annually to four narrow web converting companies; each company within a certain sales range category [which are]: Small company – annual sales of less than $6 million, Mid-range company – annual sales of $6 to $14 million, Medium company – annual sales of $15 to $35 million, and Large company – annual sales greater than $35 million.” The Label Printers won in the Medium category.
The Singer Award is a coveted honor both because it validates the performance of strong companies, but also because the companies submitting applications for it represent nearly 40% of the North American label market, and include the biggest competitors in the business. Joe Kane, Prepress Manager, found that validation to be especially satisfying. “It puts your work in perspective…
Said Campbell, “Even in the years that we couldn’t yet participate [companies have to participate in the survey for the award for three years to be eligible] the Ratio Study is a powerful TLMI member benefit. The Singer Award is statistically based, providing us with useful, robust management information. It’s one of the best, if not the best, benchmarking tool available to companies in our industry.”
And, as if winning the award wasn’t satisfying enough, The Label Printers was pleased to have won the 2010 award in their first year of eligibility. Matt Slaughter, Production Scheduler, thought that it was quite an honor to win [the award] in the first year. Said Kane, “I was confident that we would do well [in our first year] – but it was great to have that confidence confirmed by the survey’s results.”
Like the best competitors in any endeavor, both Kane and Campbell spoke about the long-term challenges and opportunities represented by the results that this award honors. Said Kane, “I’m especially appreciative of TLMI putting this program together. The award is great, and I was quite pleased that we won – but not satisfied. The survey has given us a heads-up on parts of our business that we could improve on. [The survey ranks company data as strong, good, fair, or poor. The Label Printers had 2 “good” scores and 1 “fair” score.] We’ve already put in motion reviews of those areas identified as “good” and “fair” to see what we might do to improve on them. This is not a milestone that, when we reach it, we stop. This is a milestone that we reach and then look for ways to improve.” Campbell seconded, “I was very happy that we received the Eugene Singer award. I always have high expectations for myself and for our company – in fact, I’m never satisfied.” She spoke for all employees The Label Printers when she added, “But an award like this reminds us that we’re a company to be proud of.”
About THE LABEL PRINTERS:
The Label Printers, Aurora, IL, started in business in 1967, manufacturing simple label constructions in a 1,000 square foot space, with 1 employee, serving the local Chicago market.
Today, the company has evolved into one of the 100 largest converters in the United States. The Label Printers owns and operates two facilities in Aurora, Illinois, manufacturing and distributing labels and packaging products to thousands of customers in 25 countries around the world. The company’s packaging products are certified to ISO 9001 standards, and their quality is backed up by their 99.6% Quality Acceptance Rating.
The Label Printers is a member of TLMI (Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute, Inc.), NASPO (North American Security Products Organization)
About the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute, Inc.:
TLMI, located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is a member-driven association strongly committed to providing business solutions that enhance the prosperity of its members and the narrow web tag, label, and packaging industries. The organization’
In addition to the L.I.F.E. program, TLMI offers their members a wide range of reports that focus on key industry indices, real-time economic analysis, and benchmarking metrics – these include a Financial Benchmarking/
TLMI has grown from an original group of 19 founding members to hundreds of supplier and converter members. The organization celebrated their Diamond Anniversary in 2008.
