Label Industry Global Awards honor new and familiar names

After accepting the R Stanton Avery Special Recognition Award on stage, Ferdinand Rüesch IV made his way back through the audience at the outdoor event venue. Attendees stopped him numerous times to greet him and take photos with him. He could hardly walk a foot before being stopped for a hug or a handshake.

Rüesch — known throughout the industry as Ferdi — has become a popular figure in the labeling industry over the decades of his career. He took over the Gallus Group business from his father in the 1990s, accelerating Gallus’ growth globally, founding subsidiaries in the US, Australia, Germany, Denmark and the UK.

On the first evening of Labelexpo Americas 2024, he was one of four award recipients to be honored at the Label Industry Global Awards ceremony.

The first award of the evening, the Label Industry Global Achievement award, went to Paul Teachout, technical marketing and content specialist at Harper Corporation of America and chair of the FTA. The Rising Star award recognized Alex Abbott, the chief revenue officer at SmartSolve, while NextGen Label Group received the Converter of the Year award.

The judging panel for the Label Industry Global Awards 2024 was chaired by Andy Thomas-Emans, strategic director of Labelexpo Global Series. The judges included Chelsea McDougall, group managing editor of Labels & Labeling; Tim McDonough, chairman of TLMI; Greg Hrinya, editor of Label & Narrow Web and Lisa McTigue Pierce, executive editor of Packaging Digest.

The judging panel voted unanimously for Teachout to win the Global Achievement award, which celebrates individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions to the label industry on the national and international stages.

Teachout has worked in the industry for more than 40 years. He started out as a commercial offset print apprentice, and he worked at Webtron and Aquaflex during the early days of the narrow web flexo industry.

‘As a development engineer at these two iconic press manufacturers, Paul had a front-row seat to driving technical excellence and continued advancement in the label industry,’ said Tim McDonough, Flexo Graphics president, TLMI chairman and a member of the judging panel, who presented the award to Teachout. ‘Many of those presses still live on shop floors across the world today. And much like those iconic machines, Paul’s legacy will live on well beyond his time in the industry.’

The judges highlighted Teachout’s role as a mentor and the work he has done promoting the industry to students and young professionals.

Teachout also sits on the boards of multiple educational institutions. He has actively supported the Phoenix Challenge High School competition since 2008 and is chair of the TLMI label awards competition.

‘What a journey it’s been,’ Teachout said in his acceptance speech. ‘When I first started, I was running industrial labels on chrome anilox rollers and rubber plates. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to moderate a session at the AWA and TLMI PrintThink on artificial intelligence for the label business. To say we all haven’t experienced the rise of an industry would be an understatement.’

New names in the industry

While the first and last awards of the evening went to well-known professionals who have served the labeling industry for decades, the second and third awards recognized some new talent.

Abbott won the Rising Star award, which recognizes someone new in the industry who represents the next generation of labeling and packaging leadership.

Prior to working at SmartSolve, Abbott served as a sales director at Indiana-based Berry Global Group, a plastic packaging product manufacturer.

SmartSolve is a sustainable materials company. Since joining last year, Abbott has led the company in obtaining APR Design for Recyclability Recognition.

‘I would encourage any young professional – the labeling industry is a great place to be,’ Abbott said in an interview at the awards ceremony. ‘But come into the industry with a presupposition of sustainability. It’s not a part of what we do. It’s not an add-on. Be sustainable in your thought process and your product offering and let that guide you.’

Dan Rosenbaum, chief financial officer at NextGen Label Group, and Jessica McCarthy, vice president of human resources, accepted the Converter of the Year award on behalf of NextGen. This award recognizes a company that has built an inclusive work culture that encourages employees’ development, contributes to community and has high levels of customer satisfaction.

NextGen was formed in 2022. The company is the result of a merger of three employee-owned companies — Syracuse Label, Macaran Printed Products and Van Alstine.

‘We did that because we thought we would be better together and we could accomplish great things together, and this,’ Rosenbaum said, holding up the award, ‘is just a byproduct of that decision to merge back in June of 2022.’

A new chapter

The final award given out that evening was a special recognition for Rüesch. After 45 years of working in labels, Rüesch, senior vice president of global key accounts at Gallus, will start his retirement at the end of this year.

The award he received recognizes outstanding individuals who reflect the key values and vision of Stan Avery and his innovative breakthroughs that founded the label industry.

Ryan Yost, global president of Avery Dennison Materials Group, presented the award.

‘When this award was created, it was important to us that the recipient of this award embodied the same qualities as Stan,’ Yost said. ‘Someone who not only contributes to the success of their business but drives the industry forward, all the while maintaining a strong character and demonstrating what it means to be a great leader.’

Rüesch represents those qualities, not only through his work at Gallus but also through his reputation as a ‘warm-hearted and inspiring leader and mentor,’ Yost said.

Rüesch noted that his father received this same award decades ago.

‘Receiving this award now is a significant milestone at the end of my professional career and, at the same time, the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in my life,’ Rüesch said.

‘Nevertheless, I will remain closely connected to our industry. The bond, similar to the sticky adhesive of self-adhesive labels, remains — a lasting connection that has not only shaped Stan Avery’s life but also many in our industry.’