![\"\"](\"https:\/\/labelstagsandinserts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/news-final-300x106.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By Rock LaManna<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Passion and bold equipment investments have led to LTI experiencing 273% growth over the last four years.<\/strong><\/p>\n What happens when you invest heavily in your equipment, machinery and personnel, but maintain a sales force of zero? You experience 273% growth over four years, that\u2019s what. And the company that generated this amazing stat is LTI (Labels,Tags & Inserts).LTI\u2019s growth rate is incredible in its own right, but jaws hit the floor when you add in the fact that there\u2019s no dedicated sales staff.<\/p>\n This blueprint was established long ago by Rhonda\u2019s father, Leroy Baker, who founded Roto-Plate, Inc. in 1974 and LTI in 1994. His influence is clear in every aspect of LTI\u2019s operations. According to Rhonda Baker, LTI president, the method to their \u201cmadness\u201d is nothing more than solid business fundamentals and plenty of backbone.<\/p>\n Rhonda\u2019s passion for her company and the industry is in the blood, as evident from the company\u2019s early beginning as a printing plate manufacturer. She recalls Leroy\u2019s commitment to his customer typically extending into the wee hours of the morning.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes my father would leave work at 5 pm and go help a printer with a difficult job,\u201d Rhonda recalls. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t get home until 2 am.\u201d<\/p>\n That commitment helped grow the company to the point where the family decided to sell it and transition into commercial printing. With a deep knowledge of printing, the Baker family experienced the same success they had enjoyed when making printing plates.<\/p>\n Then, as opportunity emerged in films and labels, the company transitioned to the converting realm. Through it all, four key differentiators emerged for LTI.\u00a0 On paper, these aren\u2019t revolutionary. It\u2019s LTI\u2019s execution that makes the difference.<\/p>\n While many companies approach new equipment purchases with fear and trepidation, LTI believes it\u2019s the key to their success. Leroy always encouraged investment in equipment. It allows the company to remain innovative even if it means sacrificing short-term profits.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would sometimes butt heads over a new purchase,\u201d Rhonda says. \u201cI wanted to hold on to the money, but my father always wanted to turn over the equipment while you could still get value out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Investing is difficult, especially when conventional wisdom says pull back on the reins. It led to Rhonda\u2019s first true challenge as company president.<\/p>\n She assumed leadership of the company after her brother died in an accident, and Leroy had taken ill.\u00a0 The year was 2008, and the company had been making plans to invest in a $2 million Mark Andy XP500.\u00a0 That\u2019s when the Great Recession hit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe market was crashing, and everyone was holding on to their money,\u201d Rhonda says.\u00a0 \u201cI stopped watching TV and decided to be positive. I invested in the equipment we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n A few years after she bought the first press, she purchased a second.\u00a0 And she hasn\u2019t stopped since. The company\u2019s most recent purchase is a second Mark Andy Performance Series P7 20\u2033 press with nine colors, and is equipped a Martin Automatic butt splicer and a PAC waste removal system and turret, for complete end-to-end printing.<\/p>\n All that equipment means little unless you have the right people to run it. That\u2019s why the Bakers emphasize hiring and retain quality people.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we hire people, we tell them we are a big family. We\u2019ve got their backs,\u201d Rhonda says.<\/p>\n This talk isn\u2019t cheap, either.\u00a0 The company pays all employees medical insurance, 401K, short and long-term disabilities and life insurance.\u00a0 One of the big contributors to retention (Rhonda could only recall two employees leaving in the last 20 years) is the culture.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no drama here,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen there\u2019s an issue, we don\u2019t come down on anyone. We find the solution and get it solved.\u201d As a result, employees take responsibility for what they do. Which leads into the next important aspect of the company:\u00a0 Quality.<\/p>\n A few years back, Rhonda and her team wanted to get Six Sigma certification. They discovered that they\u2019d already met many of the quality standards. Once again, the focus on processes and efficiency had trickled down from Leroy.<\/p>\n Back when the company transitioned into the printing world, Rhonda recalled her father and brother drawing the layout of the production floor.<\/p>\n Presses, plate mounters and ink rooms were made easily accessible.\u00a0 Supervisors could easily walk down the middle of the floor and see everything. Even bathrooms were positioned close to the equipment.<\/p>\n Today, the efficient design also extends to work roles. Everyone is focused on their specific task. \u201cOur press operators never mount a plate or pull ink. They just run the job,\u201d Rhonda explains.<\/p>\n The emphasis on equipment, people and quality ties in with the company\u2019s rather unconventional approach to sales. For LTI, a sales force simply does not exist.<\/p>\n LTI has no paid, dedicated sales force.That\u2019s not to say that they don\u2019t pursue new prospects. They do, but instead of hiring a team to bang on doors, they take a razor-sharp focus on only a few, select new prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only look for big companies,\u201d Rhonda explains. \u201cWe know the industry very well. When we see a company of a certain size that we know we can help, we go after them.\u201d<\/p>\n From that point, when people see LTI\u2019s quality, processes and consistent product, they\u2019re sold. \u201cThere are very few accounts we go after and don\u2019t get,\u201d Rhonda says. \u201cThey know we will help them grow and have less problems.\u201d<\/p>\n LTI serves a variety of markets, priding itself on its diversity. And when Rhonda says they go big, she means it, supplying some of the world\u2019s biggest brands with all types of products. \u201cThere is not a store you walk into where you don\u2019t see our products,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Many in the industry aren\u2019t even aware of them, and they like it that way. They have no aspirations to be one of the RR Donnellys of the world. \u201cWe\u2019ve been called the industry\u2019s best kept secret,\u201d Rhonda says.<\/p>\n But their revenue and profits are no joke. This is a company as innovative as it is lean, and as smart as it is generous. It\u2019s a perfect example of how family values and business acumen can be combined into a potent force.\u00a0\u00a0\u2013Rock LaManna<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n