TLMI Annual Meeting Gets Underway in Amelia Island

The 2018 TLMI Annual Meeting began yesterday at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island, Fla., providing the converter and supplier members in attendance with an update on an eventful year for the association, and offering business insights from two keynote speakers with inspiring messages.

Craig Moreland, chairman of the TLMI Board of Directors, opens the 2018 TLMI Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island, Fla.

To officially open the meeting, Craig Moreland, chairman of the TLMI Board of Directors and president of Coast Label Company, provided a summary of all that has happened within TLMI over the past year. He first acknowledged the hard work of the TLMI staff, led by President Dan Muenzer, who took over the president position in July of 2017. Since Muenzer has become president, Moreland explained that the association has opened a new office in the Cincinnati area, positioning it closer to many of its members, undergone a rebranding, and has launched a revamped website, providing even more information and communication to its members.

Moreland then provided an update on TLMI’s progress as it pertains to its Strategic Plan. The first area he discussed was expanding communication with members. He pointed toward the association’s increased efforts in providing press releases, videos, and other online communications. Another example of improved member communications, Moreland said, was putting the TLMI Management Ratio Study, a longtime benefit to TLMI members, online.

Additionally, Moreland detailed how the association has a new look overall, implementing a new logo and officially adopting the name TLMI, which he said more accurately portrays the association’s future than its former name, the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute.

The second pillar of the Strategic Plan, Moreland said, is sustainability. In addition to launching its Matrix Survey, which is seeking to gather data on matrix waste statistics, Moreland said TLMI has also furthered its sustainability initiatives by merging its L.I.F.E. Certification program with the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership certification program.

Moreland then detailed TLMI’s success in the third pillar of its Strategic Plan — external affairs — stating it “is an area where TLMI has really shined.”

Moreland said TLMI participated in its first legislative event, the Print & Packaging Legislative Summit. Held in June, this event brought a variety of printing and packaging industry professionals to Washington, D.C., to discuss industry issues and meet with members of congress.

Lastly, Moreland discussed a fourth pillar of the Strategic Plan that has been top of mind throughout the industry — workforce development. In addition to its ongoing support of the Phoenix Challenge, Moreland discussed TLMI’s partnership with the Affinity HR Group and the creation of the Collegiate Advisory Council, which will assist with collaboration between TLMI and students interested in the industry. The Council consists of Gregory D’Amico of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Shaun Dudek of the University of Wisconsin – Stout, Nona Woolbright of Clemson University and Gillian Mothersill of Ryerson University.

To close the business portion of the meeting, the Board of Director nominations for 2019 were announced. The officer nominations were Michael Ritter, controller for I.D. Images as Chair, Lori Campbell, COO for The Label Printers as Chair-Elect, and Tim McDonough, President of Flexo-Graphics as Vice Chair. The converter nominations to the board were Elizabeth Pecha Poelker of PrintFlex Graphics, John Wynne of Fortis Solutions Group and Michelle Zeller of AWT Labels & Packaging. The supplier nomination to the board was Linnea Keen of UPM Raflatac.

The keynote speakers for the first day of Annual Meeting were Josh Linkner, who has served as founder and CEO of five tech companies, and Troy Hazard, a serial entrepreneur and franchiser.

Troy Hazard delivers a keynote address, providing insights and advice on leadership strategies.

Linkner’s presentation focused on five mindsets of successful people in business, each of which centered on themes of embracing change and being resilient. Hazard meanwhile, discussed successful leadership traits and strategies. Specifically, he advised focusing on being more distinctive, emotive and collaborative in leadership. In doing so, he recommended working toward empowering employees in their decision-making, taking action to engage the workforce and to foster collaboration through personal involvement.

The 2018 TLMI Annual Meeting concludes this evening with an Awards Dinner, at which the Annual Label Award winners, Supplier of the Year and Converter of the Year, will be revealed.