TLMI committees set goals for 2026

TLMI’s volunteer-led committees are 'the life blood of TLMI’, said Mark Glendenning, board chair of TLMI and president and CEO of Inland.  

The role they play for the association was evident during the recent TLMI Committee Summit, which was held this year from Dec 3-4 in Dallas, Texas. There, the association’s various committees – covering issues such as sustainability resources, regulatory affairs and more – met to review 2025 and plan for the year ahead. The committees discussed topics for this coming year’s webinars, brainstormed resources that could benefit members, and created plans to develop or update TLMI initiatives. The Committee Summit also provided an opportunity for participants to network and hear from each other about the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. 

'The TLMI Committee Summit is one of the most important events that TLMI does, in my opinion,’ said Tyler Matusevich, co-chair of the regulatory affairs committee (RAC) and sustainability director at Brook + Whittle. Matusevich said he initially got involved in RAC because it helped him keep abreast of changing regulations. ‘It’s really where a lot of the work happens,’ he said. 

Here is what the committees are planning for the future.

Workforce 

At the summit, the workforce committee discussed three main topics: grants and scholarships, engaging the next generation and college internships. 

This coming spring, the workforce committee intends to launch its converter-only member training grant, which the committee has been working on for the past few years. 

To engage the next generation, the committee is planning to create resources, such as a slideshow, video and other tools, to help converter members do outreach and give presentations at schools.  

The workforce committee wants to grant scholarships for two college students to attend the Label Leaders of Tomorrow excursion in July, so they can connect with industry professionals closer to their age. Lastly, the committee is planning on developing an internship template, as well as resources for TLMI to present to students at college fairs. The committee is now looking to find out what companies in the industry already have internship programs. 

RAC 

During the RAC meeting, Bryan Vickers, a partner at Pace, TLMI’s government relations consultant, reviewed information about regulations and tariffs that he has been tracking for the labeling industry. The committee also discussed additional regulations he could track for the future. 

For 2026, RAC discussed potentially offering education and resources for members to share with customers, such as around the fundamentals of EPR. 

Lastly, RAC is working on bringing a group of TLMI members to Printing United’s legislative fly-in in Washington, DC in March, where participants will meet with policy leaders and receive advocacy training. 

Technical 

The technical committee planned out topics for its printThink webinars for 2026. These topics include RFID, process optimization and embellishments. The committee also intends to follow up each webinar with a written version of the session.  

When it comes to TLMI’s Gurus program, the committee wants to improve accessibility, with the goal of creating a forum where industry gurus can easily answer questions. 

Liner recycling 

The liner recycling committee is continuing to develop TLMI’s Liner Recycling Initiative, with the goal of bringing a large liner generator on board with the program. The committee then intends to create a case study of this generator to help encourage more participants. 

In collaboration with the sustainability resources committee, the liner recycling committee plans to develop a carbon footprint calculator or one-pager to provide members with tools to convince end users, brands and co-packers to recycle liner. The committee also wants to create a video to highlight the liner recycling initiative.

Matrix 

The matrix committee did not meet at the Committee Summit, but Marco Acevedo, the committee’s co-chair and Northeast regional sales manager at Precision AirConvey, attended other committee meetings to discuss collaboration opportunities.  

For 2026, the matrix committee is planning to hold more webinars, recreate a panel discussion on converters’ zero-landfill journeys, and develop a calculator that compares ROI and carbon footprint for landfill versus landfill alternatives. 

‘Most importantly, we are continuing the matrix survey as part of the management resource survey, just to continue to collect data on converter members, on what they're doing with their by matrix byproduct, and what their issues are in avoiding landfill, so that we can continue to learn what converter members need to be educated on,’ Acevedo said.  

Sustainability resources 

The sustainability resources committee worked on fleshing out three projects for the year, with assigned timelines, accountability and expected results, in collaboration with other committees. These three projects are focused on EcoVadis, EPR and the carbon footprint calculator. 

Membership 

The membership committee focused on developing action items around its three pillars: grow, engage and retain. 

To grow TLMI’s membership, the committee wants to build a confidential prospect system and enhance TLMI’s ambassador program. Action items around strengthening TLMI’s value and engagement include improving onboarding with more guidance for ambassadors and developing targeted content for plant managers, young talent and others beyond C-suite leadership. Lastly, action items for enhancing the TLMI event experience include having more brand owner and customer-focused perspectives at events and improving event logistics and communications for new members. 

‘TLMI offers a lot,’ said Esteban Garcia, a membership committee chair and Cerm business development manager. ‘It’s not just about coming in here, C-suite or high-level manager, to network. It’s about coming and taking advantage of the resources and all the hard work that we’ve all put into it.’