TLMI Awards 2006 — A Family Affair

Progressive. It’s a good term to describe Graphic Solutions International LLC (GSI), a high-tech, multi-dimensional print house led by the brother-and-sister team of Suzanne (vice chairman) and Bob (vice president) Zaccone.

With solid roots in traditional pressure-sensitive labeling, the company has branched out over the past decade into areas that it calls functional printing. These areas include state-of-the-art printing of antennae, batteries, printed circuitry and lamps—real good examples of the evolution in modern printing technologies.

Progressive companies stem from strong leadership and GSI has this in a double-dose. And that’s just the start. “Our success can be attributed to 115 hard-working, entrepreneurial spirits,” credits Suzanne. “Forward thinking, careful planning, long hours, hard work, strong and consistent implementation, and having partners who trust and understand each other are the keys.” These are the ingredients that she says result in “an intense collaboration that digs deep into the company spirit and quickly becomes contagious.”

This contagious spirit has also spilled over abundantly into TLMI. Bob and Suzanne have been active contributors to the Association’s success for more than 16 years. TLMI’s President Frank Sablone says of Bob and Suzanne, “In any of my work experience, I’ve never seen a brother and sister team that complement each other and work together so well. They are an unbelievable duo that can’t be surpassed.”

It is this progressive, dynamic leadership—applied at both GSI and TLMI—that has earned Suzanne and Bob Zaccone the distinguished honor of packagePRINTING’s 2006 TLMI Converter of the Year.

Starting in the business

Suzanne and Bob got their start in the tag and label business by applying complementary skills in their father’s label company. Suzanne was the sales and marketing manager and Bob handled finance until the company was sold in 1984. Of course, a simple thing like not having a company to work for wasn’t going to stop this duo. They wasted no time in starting up a new business, Graphic Solutions Inc., in July 1985.

“Starting the company when we were young was a challenge,” admitted Bob. “GSI started as a three-person company brokering printed, durable, industrial graphics. The business grew quickly and began manufacturing within the first six months, focusing on the Chicago area for sales. The growth was steady and about every six months we added new staff or equipment, added more global customers, or moved into larger facilities.”

During its 21 years, GSI has grown to more than $25,000,000 in sales, with an impressive record of being profitable in each of those years. The company currently has two facilities totaling 60,000 sq. ft., “employing 115 folks who love print,” says Suzanne.

The company’s list of awards it has earned over the years is equally impressive. These include the U.S. Small Business Administration Award for Excellence, four TLMI Eugene Singer Awards of Excellence (1992, 2001, 2002, and 2003), and numerous first-place honors for screen printing and innovation from FINAT, the World Label Association, TLMI, and packagePRINTING.

Today, Graphic Solutions International LLC is a national and international custom print house specializing in ­pressure-sensitive labels, aluminum nameplates, and polycarbonate panels. Its focus on functional printing has led it into several hi-tech printing areas, including electroluminescent lamps (EL), RFID antennae, printed circuitry, and thin flexible batteries for microelectronics.

“We also supply a variety of security label options,” says Suzanne. “We differentiate ourselves by continuing to look for ‘bleeding-edge’ technology that is synergistic with our strengths and our vision of what the future of printing might look like.”

It was about ten years ago that Bob and Suzanne decided that to be successful, they would have to stand out from the crowd. They began by focusing their R&D resources on printing conductive inks to make products with functionality beyond simple visual effects—they conduct electricity, generate light, or create power.

“This change of focus turbo-charged our growth and has expanded our possibilities as far as what we can produce—with the same equipment that many of our fellow TLMI members have,” reports Bob.

Being on technology’s bleeding edge has its ups and downs, he notes. “As we say around here, when you’re on the bleeding edge you bleed sometimes!”

However, Suzanne believes it’s no more difficult to manage than any other print house. “The biggest difference is that we are working on disruptive technologies and that requires having the patience to wait for the markets to develop into the use of the products. This can be taxing financially and emotionally.”

One key to success at the bleeding edge is “to have some basic and secure sources of revenue that generate enough cash flow to allow one to play in areas that are a few years off from commercialization,” she emphasizes. And, of course, another key is “selecting the right areas.”

TLMI, too

GSI joined TLMI in 1990 and Bob and Suzanne wasted no time before throwing their energies into the Association. “We got involved as soon as we became members, so it has been 16 years,” notes Bob. “We both joined committees and attended every possible event.”

Bob has long been involved in the Education Committee, working on the Statistical Subcommittee from its early days. More recently, he has added his expertise to the Industry Trends Committee.

Suzanne has chaired the Communications Committee and is proud of the fact that TLMI was one of the first associations to have a Web page. She also has the distinction of being the first female to serve a full term on the Board, has maintained a Board seat for 13 years, and has served as TLMI President.

Sablone credits Suzanne with being the force behind the Industry Trends Committee and the Mentor Program for new members. Of both Bob and Suzanne, he says, “Their support [for TLMI] over the years has not waned at all.”

Membership in TLMI has meant a lot to Suzanne and Bob, both personally and professionally. “First and foremost, we have made some truly amazing friendships over the years and expect those to continue long after we’re no longer involved in TLMI,” says Suzanne.

Beyond the relationships, Bob attributes significant benefits to the company from the Ratio Study, Quarterly Trends Report, and the Wage and Labor Survey. “These reports have given us tremendous insight into how a well-run company performs financially.”

Although the benefits from these TLMI programs are substantial, Suzanne believes “the most valuable of all [the benefits] is the ability to pick up the phone and call someone who knows us and ask questions that they would not answer if we were not TLMI members! In kind, we have offered help to other TLMI members who, had they not been members, we might have hesitated to speak with as openly.”

Over the foreseeable future, Bob sees challenges for TLMI that mirror the tag and label industry as a whole. “The ‘corporatisation’ of the industry and of our customers is changing the face of competition and the industry as a whole. As more and more companies are consolidated into larger corporations, the Association needs to market [itself] to the new owners to be sure the corporate folks first understand, and then embrace involvement in TLMI. This should be doable; look at the supplier side of TLMI—much more corporate than entrepreneurial and most of them get it.”

Family first

Bob and Suzanne have been running a very successful business for 21 years, but they are very clear in the understanding that their most important relationship goes back many years earlier. “Before we started our business, we were concerned about ruining or straining a good relationship, so we decided to always remember we were brother and sister first, friends second, and business partners third,” says Suzanne. “It does help that we have different expertise and interests in the business.”

Away from the office, Bob stays busy with his wife Lisa, four children (Alexandra; 16; Carly, 13; Nick, 10; and Zach, 7), and his white lab named Seven (the seventh member of the family). He also enjoys traveling, water skiing, and snow skiing.

Suzanne and her husband Larry enjoy traveling and scuba diving. She relaxes with a good book, decorating, and spending time with family and friends. Suzanne also enjoys having Bob’s children over as much as possible. pP