TLMI Awards in the Spotlight
GLOUCESTER, Mass.—At the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) annual meeting held in Boca Raton, Florida, the association presented awards to John Hickey, CEO of Smyth Companies, Converter of the Year, and Calvin Frost, CEO of Channeled Resources Group, Supplier of the Year. In addition, Toray Plastics America and McCourt Label each received TLMI Environmental Leadership Awards. (Note: For a complete article on John Hickey, see the cover story in the October issue of packagePRINTING.)
The Supplier of the Year Award honors and recognizes an individual for his or her ongoing volunteer service and dedication to TLMI, and to the greater industry. Criteria for winning the award includes service to TLMI on the association’s board and committees, in addition to continuous commitment to the industry as a whole by helping to promote and foster its growth.
Frost is considered one of the global industry’s leading authorities and advocates of recycling and sustainability best practices. He has devoted most of his working life and career to the salvaging of waste and turning it into useful and environmentally responsible solutions for the narrow web industry.
Frost founded Channeled Resources in the 1970s as a traditional recycling company and quickly became a leading pioneer in the development of innovative ways of reprocessing paper. Today, the Channeled Resources Group has divisions throughout North America, Europe, China and Russia.
Frost is the Chairman of the TLMI Environmental Committee and also sits on FINAT’s Technical Committee. In 2006, Frost received the prestigious R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless dedication toward making the narrow web industry a better custodian of the environment.
The TLMI Environmental Leadership Awards recognize those TLMI member companies that have consistently demonstrated a commitment to progressive environmental practices across a range of areas including solid waste reduction, recycling, waste or energy recovery, the implementation of new ‘clean’ technology and/or processes, and the implementation of education programs.
In presenting the awards Calvin Frost, in his role as TLMI Environmental Committee Chair, commented, “This is our eighth 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. Twenty-seven companies submitted entries and from this group two were chosen.”
The award for Technical Innovation was given to Toray Plastics America, a company that has focused on energy conservation, the reduction of solid waste to landfills, water conservation, and a commitment to the use of future technologies that include the implementation of solar and wind turbines. The award for Process Improvement in Environmental Leadership was given to McCourt Label Company. To build upon the company’s ISO-14001 certification, McCourt has continued to add environmental systems that cover every aspect of manufacturing and management. It has reduced solid waste, established measurement criteria, and has reduced hazardous waste by 50 percent. The company has additionally instituted a ballast recycling program and a spent-polymer recycling program.
Frost additionally commented, “The decision for these leadership awards has always been made by an independent panel of judges from industry peers that recognize and grade the specificity of the submitted applications. This year’s entries, like those of the past, demonstrate a commitment of time and research. An enormous effort is required and I would like to congratulate this year’s winners, and all of the companies who submitted entries for their contributions.”
