Q&A With TLMI President Mark Tibbetts

Mark Tibbetts, TLMI president

For more than 80 years, the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) has established itself as one of the premier associations in package printing and converting by building on the success of the industry’s past and embracing its evolution to ensure a successful future.

In November of 2015, TLMI announced that Mark Tibbetts would take the organization’s reigns as its fourth president, succeeding Frank Sablone, who is retiring at the end of 2016 after leading TLMI for 17 years.

In April, packagePRINTING’s Senior Content Editor Cory Francer sat down with Tibbetts in TLMI’s new offices in Alexandria, Va., which were relocated from Gloucester, Mass., to discuss Tibbetts’ previous experience, his vision for TLMI and some goals he has set for the association.

Cory Francer: What was your professional background prior to joining TLMI?

Mark Tibbetts: For the last 13 years I’ve been working with trade associations, beginning with the American Public Works Association in 2003.

Most immediately I was the executive director of the Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC), which is an association of thermostat manufacturers. It was an interesting association because TRC had a pretty narrow focus. TRC operated a national recycling program for waste mercury switch thermostats. Previous to that, I was the director of business development at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

CF: At the TRC, you led some major initiatives, including restructuring the organization and developing it into a nationally recognized brand within the HVAC industry. What was it like to lead the association through these major changes?

MT: It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. The reason manufacturers established the TRC was that in the late 1990s they faced a lot of public policy pressure driven by their continued sale of devices that contained mercury. State regulatory agencies and environmental groups were seeking sales bans due to the improper disposal of mercury thermostats at their end-of-life.

The manufacturers’ policy response was to establish a recycling program for the waste mercury thermostats.

When I took over TRC in 2006 it was still a modest program with a part-time executive director. One of my immediate challenges was there was a lot of pressure coming from state environmental regulators and the advocacy community to improve the program’s performance.

Over the intervening eight years, we took a program that had an operating budget of less than $250,000 and grew it to $2 million. We added four full time staff and added several thousand collection locations nationwide.

One of my favorite projects was TRC’s Big Man On Planet competition, [which recognizes HVAC wholesalers that collected the most thermostats on behalf of the program].

It was one of the TRC’s biggest successes, much of which came from a $300 investment in trophies for the winners. Typically, association awards are a modest plaque. TRC gave out 3-foot trophies. People really wanted to win a gigantic trophy in front of their peers. And because they wanted to win, they really put a lot of effort into collecting more thermostats, which was the whole point of the program.

CF: You’ve mentioned one of your goals for TLMI is to increase recycling participation. What are some of your plans to drive these sustainability initiatives?

MT: I do believe sustainability is going to be a big issue for TLMI members. But at this point I don’t have any firm plans, as the first step is getting direction from the membership and the board as to TLMI’s priorities.

We’re making progress on this front as we’re already working on developing a new three-year strategic plan for TLMI. We’ve retained a consultant who is interviewing stakeholders within the association. He is gathering information on what members think about the future of the industry and what TLMI should be doing to help its members to be ready for the future.

From there, we will be able to build upon the great work done on programs like Label Initiative for the Environment (L.I.F.E.) or the recently completed life cycle analysis project done in partnership with (European label industry association) FINAT.

CF: What are some of your first impressions of the association?

MT: It’s been three months and I’m very happy with my decision.

The leadership of the organization is phenomenal. There is a group of volunteer leaders that are involved, engaged and sophisticated. They are really bright people that are committed to the organization and to the success of their businesses.

I also believe this is an industry that’s going to continue to grow and change, and importantly that TLMI’s members are looking for their association to grow and adapt too.

Finally, it’s great to report that TLMI is financially strong. Many new executives are hamstrung as they don’t have the resources to implement the changes their boards would like. TLMI isn’t in that position and that is a great place to be.

CF: It’s been just a few months since you assumed the presidency, but is there anything else you’re excited about for TLMI that you’d like to mention?

MT: With the new HQ location, it will be easier to host and meet in the office. We’re about 15 minutes from Reagan National Airport and there is a great hotel next door. In fact, we are hosting the award judging there this July.

It’s also going to be a great location to engage with other groups, as the DC metro is home to many of the associations and regulatory agencies we will want to work with in the future.