Beyond Spectacular
October 2005
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A passion for technology and innovation has beenthe key ingredient for success for Walter Dow,
packagePRINTING's 2005 TLMI Converter of the Year.
If awards are a measure of success in the tag and label industry, then Dow Industries can be counted as a very successful company. Walter Dow, CEO/owner of Dow Industries and Screenprint/Dow, is very proud of the awards his companies have won over the years. He notes some of the most memorable awards as the 1992 Massachusetts Quality Award; 1992 packagePRINTING Excellence Awards Best of Show; World Label Awards in 1992, 1998, 2003, and 2004; and the 2002 TLMI Best of Show.
As unfair as it seems, however, business success is not measured by awards, but by performance—year-in and year-out—on the bottom line. Dow Industries and Screenprint/Dow stack up well in this ultimate measure of success, having grown consistently over the years with annual growth approaching 20 percent in some years.
The consistent driving force behind the success of these companies for 36 years has been Walter Dow. His approach to keeping his companies out in front lies squarely in the use of technology and innovation, an approach that is readily apparent to his peers.
"Probably the thing that stands out the most about Walter is that he is a totally committed leader in technology and innovation," says Scott Pillsbury, president of Rose City Label and president of TLMI. "He always seems to be the first to jump on board with new technologies and he loves being able to put himself up next to the competition and show his stuff—with plate technology, press technology, materials. Walter always wants to have the best, and that's why he's been successful."
For his contributions as a technology leader in the label industry and as a "TLMI statesman," as Frank Sablone, TLMI executive director calls him, Walter Dow can add another prestigious award to his collection—TLMI Converter of the Year.
Printing: A career and a legacy
Dow wasn't born with printing ink in his blood; it just came about when the opportunity knocked. After attending college for two years, he was presented with an opportunity to get into the label business.
"At the age of 21, a gentleman asked me if I would like to earn up to $200 a week as a straight commission salesman, selling labels," he recalls. "At the time, I was making $100 a week and thought 'Wow!, what a great opportunity.'"
For the next eight to nine years, he spent his time learning the label business by "pounding the pavement" and at times he wondered where he was going to get the money for his next gallon of gas. Through the experiences he gained selling for three printing companies, Dow developed a passion and commitment to the printing industry that formed the foundation for his future success. "In a very short period of time, I realized that printing would be the career path that I would choose for my life," he says.
packagePRINTING's 2005 TLMI Converter of the Year.
If awards are a measure of success in the tag and label industry, then Dow Industries can be counted as a very successful company. Walter Dow, CEO/owner of Dow Industries and Screenprint/Dow, is very proud of the awards his companies have won over the years. He notes some of the most memorable awards as the 1992 Massachusetts Quality Award; 1992 packagePRINTING Excellence Awards Best of Show; World Label Awards in 1992, 1998, 2003, and 2004; and the 2002 TLMI Best of Show.
As unfair as it seems, however, business success is not measured by awards, but by performance—year-in and year-out—on the bottom line. Dow Industries and Screenprint/Dow stack up well in this ultimate measure of success, having grown consistently over the years with annual growth approaching 20 percent in some years.
The consistent driving force behind the success of these companies for 36 years has been Walter Dow. His approach to keeping his companies out in front lies squarely in the use of technology and innovation, an approach that is readily apparent to his peers.
"Probably the thing that stands out the most about Walter is that he is a totally committed leader in technology and innovation," says Scott Pillsbury, president of Rose City Label and president of TLMI. "He always seems to be the first to jump on board with new technologies and he loves being able to put himself up next to the competition and show his stuff—with plate technology, press technology, materials. Walter always wants to have the best, and that's why he's been successful."
For his contributions as a technology leader in the label industry and as a "TLMI statesman," as Frank Sablone, TLMI executive director calls him, Walter Dow can add another prestigious award to his collection—TLMI Converter of the Year.
Printing: A career and a legacy
Dow wasn't born with printing ink in his blood; it just came about when the opportunity knocked. After attending college for two years, he was presented with an opportunity to get into the label business.
"At the age of 21, a gentleman asked me if I would like to earn up to $200 a week as a straight commission salesman, selling labels," he recalls. "At the time, I was making $100 a week and thought 'Wow!, what a great opportunity.'"
For the next eight to nine years, he spent his time learning the label business by "pounding the pavement" and at times he wondered where he was going to get the money for his next gallon of gas. Through the experiences he gained selling for three printing companies, Dow developed a passion and commitment to the printing industry that formed the foundation for his future success. "In a very short period of time, I realized that printing would be the career path that I would choose for my life," he says.
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