Flag holds annual meeting in Minneapolis

Flag (Flexo Label Advantage Group) just concluded its tenth annual meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over 105 independent converter members and vendor partners attended the networking and educational event. Attendees were thrilled to return to a live event after the pandemic-caused hiatus of the past two years.

Flag members and vendor partners celebrate a successful meeting
According to John McKay, president and founder: ‘Our theme for this historic meeting was “Think Forward” - an appropriate message for members who have been struggling with supply chain challenges, HR-related issues and manpower shortages over the past two years. Every year, we’re raising the bar of the annual meeting in terms of the quality of our keynote speakers, the tour we take of a member’s facility and the time and attention we spend on round table discussions, networking with vendor partners and peer group interactions.’   
 
Held in conjunction with the annual meeting, Flag distributed 11 awards during the Flag 2021 Awards Banquet held at the US Bank Stadium, home to the Minnesota Vikings NFL team. Following the awards ceremony, all participants took to the field and enjoyed the unusual ambiance and special camaraderie of the organization.   
 
2021 Flag Awards were:   
 
Flag Vendor Partner of the Year Award - 2021: UPM Raflatac  
 
This award is based on exceptional support, communication and commitment to Flag and its members by a participating vendor.    
 
Brad Brown Strategic Partner Award: Judy Abelman, Principal, LPC  
 
Brad Brown was a colleague and friend of John McKay who passed away much too young. Brown was instrumental in helping Flag in the early years, first by believing in the Flag vision, then becoming one of the first Flag vendor partners as well as introducing McKay to Dan Bendele, CEO of IPW. Bendele and McKay struck up a friendship, which led to a strong strategic partnership between Flag and IPW.   
 
The Brad Brown Strategic Partner Award is presented annually to one person who exemplified commitment, creativity and excellence - three character traits of Brown’s - in their support of Flag. This year’s award went to Judy Abelman who supports Flag with marketing communications and event planning.   
 
Flag Gold Member Awards   
 
The long-term success of Flag is based on engagement, involvement and purchasing at high levels from all members. The Gold Member award is presented to Flag members who have achieved Gold Member Ranking in their purchasing levels multiple times over the last four quarters and attended the Annual Members Meeting. Eight companies received the 2021 Gold Member Award:   
  • Amherst Label – Milford, NH  
  • Apogee Industries – West Chester, PA  
  • ATL Corp. – Menomonee Falls, WI  
  • Creative Labels of Vermont – Winooski, VT   
  • Graphics Universal – Greencastle PA  
  • International Label & Printing – Elk Grove Village, IL  
  • Luminer Converting Group – Red Lion, PA  
  • Niagara Label – Akron, NY   
  • Member Tour Host Award - Lofton Label  
At each Flag Annual Meeting, a member company opens up the doors of its print shop and invites all of the attendees to tour its facility. Members place great value in seeing how a company of a similar size and scope implements processes and sets up its businesses for growth and efficiency. This year, Flag visited Lofton Label & Packaging in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.  
 
In addition to quarterly savings, the Annual Meeting is a key benefit of membership in Flag.   

Related content