TLMI Annual Meeting brings nearly 500 attendees

The theme at this year’s TLMI Annual Meeting was ‘Built for Monday’, reflecting the association’s goal to deliver information attendees could implement when they return to work after the event.  

Nearly 500 professionals attended the Annual Meeting, held Oct 25-27 at Marriott Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There, they attended educational sessions on trends in the industry and participated in networking activities. The Annual Meeting’s activities included a tabletop exhibit, a speed networking session and an awards ceremony.  

Where strategy becomes action 

During the opening session, Mark Glendenning, chair of TLMI and president and CEO of Inland Packaging, expounded on the Annual Meeting's theme.  

‘Monday is where strategy becomes action,’ Glendenning says. ‘Monday is where new ideas are tested, partnerships are strengthened, investments are made, difficult decisions are navigated. Monday is where our companies compete, innovate and grow. And Monday is where the relationships built through TLMI create value that no one company could achieve alone.’  

Dale Coates, CEO and president of TLMI, noted that the TLMI Annual Meeting was built around three pillars: industry intelligence, operational excellence and future-focused innovation.  

The value of TLMI, she said, is how the association brings together converters, suppliers, partners and industry leaders to share knowledge and learn from each other, so no one needs to navigate their challenges alone.  

‘Some are navigating workforce challenges,’ Coates says. ‘Some are looking for growth opportunities in uncertain markets, and many are trying to figure out how emerging technologies, changing regulations and shifting customer expectations will affect their business over the next few years. And all this is coupled with an increased feeling of uncertainty.  

‘I even received an automated email response from a TLMI member this week that said, "We are locked in a room for 48 hours until we figure out how to deal with inflation, competitors and technology." All I could think of was, "I can't believe they only need 48 hours.”’  

Coates ended her opening talk with three tasks for audience members to do on Monday: Use a TLMI resource such as a report or webinar, call one new contact, and join a group, either a committee or a virtual roundtable.   

TLMI board changes  

A slate of new officers and members were inducted into the TLMI board.   

Yerecic Label’s Kristin Yerecic Scott was officially named TLMI chair, while Blue Label Packaging’s Andrew Boyd became governance chair, Flexo Wash’s Patrick Potter became senior supplier, KDV Label’s Keith Walz became finance chair and Glendenning became vice chair.  

Dan Rosenbaum, CEO of NextGen Label Group, and Rachel Jackson, president of Columbine Label Company, joined the board as new converter members. Nikola Juhasz, global technical director, sustainability, at Sun Chemical, joined as a new supplier board member.  

Kristin Shields, CEO of Graymills, and John Abbott, president of Abbott Label, exited the board.  

Award winners  

The Calvin Frost winners were announced during the sessions of the second morning, rather than during the award dinner. The winners were Liberty Labels, Brook + Whittle and Hub Labels. Henkel was the only supplier winner.  

The other awards were announced during the ceremony on the last evening of the meeting. Steward Printing won Best in Show at the TLMI Printing Excellence Awards for its Spoken Greens Berry Blast label. Steward Printing, a woman-owned business based in Dallas, is a first-time TLMI member. At the award ceremony, the company placed in five categories. Its Spoken Green label is black with white text and gold, featuring a spot gloss, tactile coatings and soft-touch lamination.  

Other award winners were John Signet and Doug Bartlett, who received the Volunteer of the Year award; Catherine Heckman, who received the Supplier of the Year award and Tim McDonough, who received the Converter of the Year award.