Discount Labels

If it weren’t for labels, you couldn’t tell a jar of mild salsa from a blow-your-head off-hot variety until it was too late. And, if there was no hang tag to alert a maintenance worker that a malfunctioning valve is on lock out, there could be serious consequences. From eye-catching prime labels to super-durable industrial applications, labels and tags readily adapt to evolving technology and emerging applications, and will remain viable, profitable products well into the future. Some of the most successful label and tag suppliers are those with unique manufacturing capabilities resulting in innovative, value-added products that set them apart from the

1 Ennis Headquarters: Midlothian, Texas Annual Sales $(000): 584,713 Principal Officer(s): Keith Walters, Chairman, President, CEO Employees: 6,200 Locations: 44 2 Champion Industries Headquarters: Huntington, W. Va. Annual Sales $(000): 145,188 Principal Officer(s): Marshall T. Reynolds, CEO Employees: 740 Locations: 22 3 Western States Envelope & Label Headquarters: Butler, Wis. Annual Sales $(000): 117,900 Principal Officer(s): Mark S. Lemberger, President Employees: 731 Locations: 5 4 Printegra Headquarters: Peachtree City, Ga. Annual

1. Winner and Still Champion, Ennis Although not wishing to divulge specific acquisition targets at this time, the Ennis corporate team, headquartered in Midlothian, Texas, is continuing its strategy of acquiring companies that offer complimentary products to its existing line as, well as companies that offer products that could be sold through the existing distributor customer base. The strategy is obviously working, as the company again claims the top spot in Print Professional’s top 100 manufacturers ranking. And, while some in the industry fear the larger consolidators are creating pricing pressures that will ultimately commoditize products and services, Keith Walters, president and

1 Discount Labels Headquarters: New Albany, Ind. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 84,356 Total Sales $(000): 84,356 2 Label Art Headquarters: Wilton, N.H. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 49,000 Total Sales $(000): 49,000 3 Diversified Labeling Solutions Headquarters: Itasca, Ill. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 45,600 Total Sales $(000): 45,600 4 Kay Toledo Tag/Special Service Partners Headquarters: Toledo, Ohio Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 42,750 Total Sales $(000): 45,000 5 Gill Studios Headquarters: Shawnee Mission, Kan. Labels

Rank: 1 Company: Discount Labels, New Albany, Ind. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 76,269 Total Sales $(000): 76,269 Rank: 2 Company: Label Art, Wilton, N.H. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 47,000 Total Sales $(000): 47,000 Rank: 3 Company: Diversified Labeling Solutions, Itasca, Ill. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 39,200 Total Sales $(000): 39,200 Rank: 4 Company: Data Label, Terre Haute, Ind. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 33,729 Total Sales $(000): 33,729 Rank: 5 Company: Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan. Labels & Tags Sales $(000): 31,350 Total Sales $(000): 47,500 Rank: 6 Company: Lancer Label, Omaha, Neb. Labels & Tags

Rank: 1 Company: Ennis, Midlothian, Texas Sales $(000): 559,397 Principal Officer(s): Keith Walters, Chairman, CEO, President Employees: 6,200 Locations: 42 (*Does not include sales figures for Block Graphics, acquired 08/09/06.) Rank: 2 Company: Champion Industries, Huntington, W. Va. Sales $(000): 135,000 Principal Officer(s): Marshall T. Reynolds, CEO Employees: 768 Locations: 22 Rank: 3 Company: Western States Envelope & Label, Butler, Wis. Sales $(000): 111,000 Principal Officer(s): Mark S. Lemberger, President, CEO Employees: 733 Locations: 5 Rank: 4 Company: Printegra, Peachtree City, Ga. Sales $(000): 87,706 Principal Officer(s): Casey Campbell, President, CEO Employees: 822 Locations: 14 Rank: 5 Company: PrintXcel, Montrose,

Upon first examining this year’s Top 100 Suppliers’ sales numbers, the BFL&S staff discovered a $241 million decrease in overall sales compared with last year. This sent the team scrambling for answers. However, deeper analysis revealed a simple explanation. As our readership may have noticed, in 2004 and 2005, Quality Park, Englewood, Colo., ranked number one and two respectively on the Top 100 Suppliers list with sales peaking at $430 million. This year, the Quality Park brand no longer appears on the list at all. In years past, Quality Park consisted of six companies: DealerLabel, Discount Labels, Lancer Label, PrintXcel, Wisco and Quality Park Products.

DMIA’s annual Print Solutions conference and exposition will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The conference will provide three days of educational sessions, including a presentation by this year’s keynote speaker, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and co-author of “Contract with America.” Join Gingrich as he analyzes the current political climate in Washington, DC, and educates attendees on effective leadership. This year’s conference will feature equipment demonstrations, offering distributors better insight into how various applications are produced. In addition, exchange centers will be located on the show floor with more than 34 hours of

Ennis, Midlothian, Texas, has announced the appointment of Terry Pennington as a vice president in the company's print segment. Pennington will join the current management team with a focus on the forms and promotional printing facilities. He comes to Ennis from Cenveo, Denver, where he was an executive vice president with sales and production responsibilities for 13 facilities. Pennington has worked in the printing industry for 25 years. During his tenure at Cenveo, he focused on labels, envelopes and documents for the Lancer Labels, Discount Labels, PrintXcel and Wisco brands. Prior to that appointment, he worked at Bowater, Inc. and Burroughs Corporation. In other

Located in New Albany, Ind., Discount Labels, a Quality Park Brand, was recently awarded the Supplier of the Year Award from Proforma during its 2005 Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla. For the fourth consecutive year, Discount Labels has received the award, which recognizes manufacturers with superior service and quality, consistent pricing, and collaborative efforts such as joint projects. Mike Vejar, vice president of sales and marketing and long-time national account manager for the Proforma account, accepted the award on behalf of Discount Labels. "It's an honor to receive the award from an organization like Proforma, which is ranked as the No. 1