pP's 2002 TLMI Converter of the Year

LGInternational's Lon Martin can add packagePRINTING's TLMI 2002 Converter of the Year Award to a long list of accomplishments.

FOUNDING ONE SUCCESSFUL company is difficult enough, but starting all over and building a second company from scratch might be more than one person could handle. Not so for Lon Martin, LGInternational's founder and CEO. He has two business successes included in his long resume in the label printing industry and would be a good case study for the risk/reward equation—the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Mike Dowling, TLMI president and president of CL & D Graphics has seen Martin's success story first hand and says, "Lon is a two-time entrepreneur and has done a great job building LGI to serve the high-tech market.…I have walked through his plant and have seen solutions for problems that I had no idea even existed."

Now, Martin's business acumen and pension for creating innovative solutions in the label converting industry has earned him additional merit, as the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) and packagePRINTING honor Lon Martin as the TLMI 2002 Converter of the Year.

An early start in printing

Martin wasted little time in getting started in this industry. He decided in seventh grade that printing was where he wanted to make his mark. He laid out a course for vocational training through his high school years, and worked at a local newspaper developing a solid foundation in what would become his life-long trade.

A stint in the Air Force in the mid-1950s provided Martin with additional experiences that allowed him to cope with the stress of starting up and running his future businesses. He worked in weather forecasting and spent much of his time chasing tornados in the infamous 'Tornado Alley.' By the time he was ready to take on the business world, he was ready for the good times and the bad.

Upon his discharge from the Air Force, Martin started in earnest back in the printing industry. As is the case with many of his contemporaries, he started on the ground floor, running a label printing press for $1.25 an hour.

The desire to run his own business struck quickly and after just two years, he and two partners founded Cal Tape & Label in 1960. The timing of this first venture was risky as he and his wife had a first child on the way. Setting up in a warehouse that housed war-surplus equipment outside of Los Angeles, he bought a used Mark Andy three-inch, two-color press for $2,500. This press was set up on the top of a desk, and the business got its start making labels for price tags.

According to Martin, the industry was just getting started about this time. "I made a living, not money," he says. Eventually however, the business grew and prospered to a four-press operation.

The mid-1970s found Martin itching for a new entrepreneurial opportunity. It was also a time of personal challenges, as his first wife passed away and eventual remarriage brought together a blended family of four children. In 1976, he decided to sell his stake in Cal Tape & Label to his two partners, and after one visit to Portland, Ore., moved his family to the area to start a new printing company called LabelGraphics.

This new business got off to a shaky start with an initial customer that wasn't overly anxious to pay its bills. Staying the course, however, LabelGraphics got its first break with Tektronix, and eventual contracts with Intel got the business over the hump. Other successes followed, including major contracts with Hewlett-Packard for its ink jet printer business.

Today, LGInternational (the name changed from LabelGraphics in 2000) is a thriving business, with 40 employees that operate multiple flexo, screen, foil stamping, and digital printing lines. Mike Martin, Lon's son, is president and has been running the day-to-day operations for the past three years. Lon's role as CEO has him "managing by wandering around" and providing guidance to Mike for new business opportunities.

LGInternational has continued its strong footing in the electronics industry with product lines that include specialty cleanroom labels, film insert molded products, and security labeling for the electronics, pharmaceutical, and medical instrument industries. The company serves an international customer base and has been certified for ISO 9001 quality standards. Going somewhat against the trend in today's informal work environments, employees at the LGI facility wear ties or uniforms. This is done to reinforce an environment marked by professionalism.

Martin says the future of his company rests with new products and new customer solutions. This bodes well for the future because, according to Dowling, that's just what the company was founded on. "The company is always forward thinking, creating innovative solutions for its customers. It has a great balance of technical expertise and customer orientation." The bottom line: "Martin's company creates value for his customers," says Dowling.

A positive force in TLMI

Martin joined the TLMI in 1987 and has been an active member over the years. In addition to serving on the Board from 1997 through 2000, he has participated on several panels at converter meetings and has been a loyal supporter of the TLMI Scholarship Fund.

TLMI Executive Director Frank Sablone puts a personal touch to Martin's involvement with the TLMI. "When I first came on as executive director, Lon and his wife Joan embraced my wife and I like family members.…They have attended most TLMI events—Joan is always there and knows all the members."

Sablone also credits Martin with being a great resource to the organization. "He has provided me with many insights on where TLMI should focus its energy, and how to attract new converter members. He is a stalwart in the industry—a true leader."