Narrow Web Profile: Atlanta Label

1650 Horizon Pkwy NE, Suite 300,
Buford, GA USA 30518
www.atlantalabel.com

Lyn Thomas has always prided himself on taking the tough jobs. In fact, this owner originally found success as a pressman completing label runs that equipment technicians said couldn’t be done. After years of running operations at Atlanta Label, he decided to make a calculated gamble – he purchased the company in 2018.

Lyn worked his way up in the industry, too.

“I never intended on getting into labels,” says Thomas. “Right out of high school, I took a number of odd jobs – like working in an oil field. My dad was a pressman at Custom Labels in Louisiana, and I went to work there. My first job in printing included washing ink pans, sweeping floors, and taking out the trash. I worked my way up from that job to the warehouse and ultimately working on a press.”

Bill Wrigley, whose family has strong ties in the industry, established Atlanta Label in 1979. After years of working on a press, Thomas made the move into management when he joined Atlanta Label in 1997.

Although Thomas never had thoughts about entrepreneurship, a big opportunity arose in 2018. Wrigley was looking to move on from the company, and he found a buyer in Thomas.

Even though there were other opportunities throughout his journey, Thomas knew what he had in Atlanta Label.

“I had a great gig because the owner never questioned what I did. He let me run operations and as long as the company was successful, he was happy,” he recalls. “So I was running the company for 15 years, and my goal was to be a good, profitable company and take care of all my people.  

“When I had other opportunities come up, I would’ve been leaving a comfortable situation to try something I didn’t know,”  Thomas adds. “I knew the company and knew there were no skeletons. You never know what you’re getting when you buy another company.”

Upon buying Atlanta Label, Thomas put his own imprint on it. He created a culture of hard work, accountability, customer service, and finding a way to deliver for customers. He was initially brought to Atlanta Label to help the converter secure accounts that had previously been unattainable.

“I loved the hard jobs,” explains Thomas. “When I first came to Atlanta Label, I was hired to help secure a computer chip account from a production standpoint. The computer chip manufacturer had small embossed labels, and all the big label converters were trying to get them a prototype that they would approve. They hired me, and on a 5-color Webtron 750 I got the prototype before any of the big converters did. Label manufacturing is just the kind of stuff I understand. The first time I looked at a printing press it just made sense to me.”

Atlanta Label has a family flare to it now, as well. Thomas’ sons, Dillon, Noah, and Tanner, are part of the Atlanta Label team. Tanner joined the company to instill a digital marketing plan to drive growth. Dillon came to Atlanta Label to focus on sales and customer service. Noah, meanwhile, is running the company’s digital press.

“I love working with my dad and brothers,” says Dillon. “Aside from family, our entire team is phenomenal and constantly improving. We have worked hard to bridge the gap of communication between the office and production. Atlanta Label operates with a very experienced and competent team, and our recent success is directly attributed to their contributions.

“While working my way up in the company, I was trained in shipping, purchasing, and order entry for 2.5 years by our current purchasing manager, Jeff Thurman,” adds Dillon. “Jeff has been with the company for almost 10 years, has worn many hats, and has been responsible for initiating and carrying out many initiatives that have resulted in Atlanta Label becoming a more efficient and effective operation. The company would not be where it is today without Jeff’s unwavering dedication to the success of Atlanta Label.”

The success has been evident, too, as Atlanta Label has seen its business grow by nearly double since 2019. In fact, the company grew by 30% in 2020 alone. Currently, Atlanta Label has 17 employees and operates out of a 20,000 square-foot space in Buford, GA. Last year alone, five new employees were added.

Atlanta Label has grown its business by delivering for customers in a wide range of markets. The company has found success in food and nutraceutical labels, along with soaps, air fresheners, and a host of other markets. Plus, the restaurant industry has been pivotal for the converter. The company’s capabilities range from one-color food rotation labels or bag closure labels, all the way to 8-color nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and health and beauty labels.
In the future, Atlanta Label will explore greater opportunities in the beer label and canning business. Its newest printing capabilities will pave the way for that growth.

The digital decision

Atlanta Label was built on tackling the hardest jobs in flexographic printing, but Lyn Thomas made a definitive decision when planning for the future – he would invest in digital. Atlanta Label outsourced its initial digital work while also investing in a Mark Andy Digital One press. While satisfying some customers, Thomas knew he was sacrificing growth in an industry that was going digital.

While originally planning to invest in a new digital press, Thomas began the process some two years before he thought he’d make a capital investment. The technological growth of digital printing presses, combined with unsatisfactory work from the outsourcing partner, spurred Atlanta Label to seriously explore the market.

“Digital has been coming for a long time,” he explains. “The first time I went to Labelexpo Americas, they had digital presses that were running 20-30 fpm. Every year they get faster and faster. Anyone that’s been in the industry that doesn’t have blinders on knows that that’s the future. We had to get some form of digital printing in here.”

After much due diligence, Lyn and Dillon, who traveled the country going to tradeshows and other printing shops to research the newest digital capabilities, arrived at Durst. In September of 2023, Atlanta Label installed the Durst Tau 330 RSC E digital press, along with finishing equipment from Grafotronic in the form of a DCL2.

“We went with Durst for several reasons,” Lyn says. “First, it’s a quality product. And second, Durst was the only manufacturer that gave us the same kind of service we give our customers. Above and beyond, they were the most responsive and worked the hardest for us. When we sent out samples, Durst blew away the competition. Throughout the whole process, they gave us the best product and the best service.”

Throughout Atlanta Label’s research phase, TLF Graphics, based in Rochester, NY, emerged as a key partner. Bob McJury, president of TLF Graphics, welcomed Atlanta Label into his shop and opened up the books to illustrate the value of working with Durst and Grafotronic.

“TLF Graphics served as a demo site for Durst, and Bob gave us access to everything – he let us talk to their operators and anyone at the company, and he wasn’t standing over our shoulder, either,”  Lyn remarks. “Bob was an open book for us, knowing that we needed accurate information to make a huge decision, so he let us talk to the people who run the equipment. I can’t say enough good things about him and TLF Graphics.”

“The team at TLF Graphics is incredible,” comments Dillon. “They’ll still answer our phone calls. They brought us the metrics and we could see where we were going to make money with the Durst press, and that was the answer no other manufacturer could tell us. TLF welcomed us in and allowed us to compare all the numbers, and it was a no-brainer. We’re so excited. We can promise digital lead times of 5-8 days from art approval for all customers, and right now most people aren’t doing that.”

Atlanta Label has not abandoned flexo by any stretch, though. The converter maintains two Aquaflex 13" presses, which help with a wide range of large runs. For example, Atlanta Label runs millions of bag closure labels for major fast food chains.

“There’s been a big benefit having both flexo and digital,” notes Lyn. “There’s always going to be a place for flexo with us. Our next step will be a faster Durst press, which will take a good chunk of the high-end work we run on the Aquaflex. We’ll transition that to digital. Once that happens and we get another Durst press, our flexo presses will be running the long, simple jobs.  There’s always a need for that, too.”

Creating culture

After purchasing Atlanta Label, Lyn Thomas knew he had to change several things about the company – he needed to upgrade equipment and create a new culture among the team. In 2018, he immediately went to work on a couple important initiatives.

Thomas made the employees the focus of the company, working to better improve their situation. “When I bought the company, we didn’t have a 401K, we didn’t have major medical, and we didn’t have vision or dental, and now we have all of that,” he says. “We’ve upgraded the equipment tremendously, and we’ve also upgraded pay across the board tremendously. We try to create a family culture at Atlanta Label. We’re a small family business, and we treat our employees like that, and we treat our customers like that.”

Thomas also emphasizes the benefits of empowering his employees. “Employee turnover was pretty big back when I took over, but not so much anymore,” he comments. “We’ve got employees who have been here more than 15 years and have good tenure. Once we get people here and they’re a good fit, it’s a great place to work. No one is looking over your shoulder. As a pressman, I know all the stuff I hated, so we don’t do any of that here. We give our employees a lot of responsibility, and the cream always rises to the top.”

Following the ownership change, Tanner was also tasked with improving company culture. Atlanta Label has seen the benefits of merging Lyn’s old school mentality with Tanner and Dillon’s new school philosophies.

“I’m still very old school, and Tanner has been responsible for the culture of the company over the past 3-4 years, going from where it was to where it is now,” Lyn explains. “He’s the one who really works on the culture, and he does a great job with it. My sons are the future. I’ve taken the company as far as I can take it, and I know that. I’m trying to help them with their endeavor of taking us to the next level.”

“Culture has to start from the top down,” says Tanner. “We want to work as a group and get out of that twisted corporate mentality. We want people to help other people to help the team. We’ve also pushed harder to bring more transparency to the company. You want to make sure everyone is included in the details of the company, so their opinions are valued.”

Part of the enhanced infrastructure has included quarterly meetings, 1-on-1 sit downs, and an open-door policy for all employees. Constructive criticism and collaboration have also been key tenets of Tanner and Dillon’s leadership strategy.

“Our team realizes that conflict is okay and healthy,” says Dillon. “We’d rather hear how we can improve our operations than just have people say, ‘Yes, you’re right.’ From the warehouse to the office, we’re willing to have the hard conversations to help Atlanta Label be better.”

“We want to create a problem-solving mentality,” adds Tanner. “Find a way to fix the problem.”