TLMI Presents Awards at Annual Meeting

GLOUCESTER, Mass.—At the association’s recent Annual Meeting held in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) honored Gary Smith, vice president, sales for RotoMetrics, as its Supplier of the Year and Dave McDowell, chairman of McDowell Label and Screen Printing, as its Converter of the Year. TLMI also presented Environmental Leadership Awards to 3M and Spear.

Presented on an annual basis, the Supplier of the Year Award recognizes an individual for his or her ongoing volunteer service and dedication to TLMI and to the industry as a whole. Smith has been serving the narrow-web industry for 35 years, starting his career in 1973 as a sales representative for Avery Label Company. In 1979 he was promoted to regional sales manager at Avery and was extensively involved with pioneering the sales of ultra-clear pharmaceutical labels, battery labels, four-color process, and multilayered promotional labels—all applications that have been an intrinsic component of this industry’s growth and diversification.

In 1990 Smith joined RotoMetrics as national sales manager and was later promoted to vice president of sales, directing sales and marketing efforts domestically and in key international markets. His leadership role in the company, and his rapport with its customers throughout the world, has been instrumental in maintaining RotoMetrics’ position as one of the world’s leading rotary tooling suppliers.

Smith has recently served a term on the TLMI’s Board of Directors and in the past was involved with the association’s Membership Committee.

McDowell began his career in the industry by spending a decade working for Avery Label, learning about the narrow-web tag and label sector and creating an ideal foundation for starting his own company. In 1981 he founded McDowell Label and Screen Printing and for 13 years the company served as a label brokerage supplying organizations like the Dallas Cowboys and Apple Computer.

In 1994 McDowell Label and Screen Printing purchased its first press and over the course of the next 15 years the company grew into what is today one of North America’s premier prime label converters, printing high-quality labels and serving the health and beauty, nutraceutical, wine and spirits, beverage, food. and pet care sectors.

Joining TLMI in 1995, McDowell has been involved with the association’s Environmental, Liner Recycling, and Health and Safety Committees, and currently chairs the Membership Committee. He has been a member of the TLMI Board of Directors for the past five years and is currently TLMI’s Vice Chairman. (See the October issue of packagePRINTING for more on the TLMI Converter of the Year award, or visit www.packageprinting.com.)

3M and Spear, Inc. each received TLMI Environmental Leadership Awards. This award recognizes TLMI member companies that have consistently demonstrated a commitment to progressive environmental practices across a range of areas.

Calvin Frost, CEO of Channeled Resources Group and TLMI Environmental Committee Chair, commented, “This is our seventh year in presenting these awards and recognizing leaders of environmental awareness in our industry. Without a doubt, this activity supports the TLMI’s position on sustainability. We have begun and will continue to change the culture of our industry, and this year’s winners should be proud.”

The award for Technical Innovation was given to 3M, a company with a long history and culture prioritizing sustainable values, strategies, and principles. The company’s vision, traditions, performance, and commitment to environmental improvement from the top down earned them this year’s award.

The award for Best Practices in Environmental Leadership was given to Spear, Inc. for reducing its carbon footprint in every aspect of their business. Spear’s commitment to change includes the downgauging of substrates, the establishment of liner recycling programs with their customer base, diverting matrix to W-T-E applications, using eco-friendly materials, energy reduction, box-less pallets, and the reduction of carbon dioxide by 9,250 tons.