TLMI Awards 2006 — A Family Affair
Suzanne and Bob Zaccone are honored as the 2006 TLMI Converter of the Year.
October 2006
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Progressive. It’s a good term to describe Graphic Solutions International LLC (GSI), a high-tech, multi-dimensional print house led by the brother-and-sister team of Suzanne (vice chairman) and Bob (vice president) Zaccone.
With solid roots in traditional pressure-sensitive labeling, the company has branched out over the past decade into areas that it calls functional printing. These areas include state-of-the-art printing of antennae, batteries, printed circuitry and lamps—real good examples of the evolution in modern printing technologies.
Progressive companies stem from strong leadership and GSI has this in a double-dose. And that’s just the start. “Our success can be attributed to 115 hard-working, entrepreneurial spirits,” credits Suzanne. “Forward thinking, careful planning, long hours, hard work, strong and consistent implementation, and having partners who trust and understand each other are the keys.” These are the ingredients that she says result in “an intense collaboration that digs deep into the company spirit and quickly becomes contagious.”
This contagious spirit has also spilled over abundantly into TLMI. Bob and Suzanne have been active contributors to the Association’s success for more than 16 years. TLMI’s President Frank Sablone says of Bob and Suzanne, “In any of my work experience, I’ve never seen a brother and sister team that complement each other and work together so well. They are an unbelievable duo that can’t be surpassed.”
It is this progressive, dynamic leadership—applied at both GSI and TLMI—that has earned Suzanne and Bob Zaccone the distinguished honor of packagePRINTING’s 2006 TLMI Converter of the Year.
Starting in the business
Suzanne and Bob got their start in the tag and label business by applying complementary skills in their father’s label company. Suzanne was the sales and marketing manager and Bob handled finance until the company was sold in 1984. Of course, a simple thing like not having a company to work for wasn’t going to stop this duo. They wasted no time in starting up a new business, Graphic Solutions Inc., in July 1985.
“Starting the company when we were young was a challenge,” admitted Bob. “GSI started as a three-person company brokering printed, durable, industrial graphics. The business grew quickly and began manufacturing within the first six months, focusing on the Chicago area for sales. The growth was steady and about every six months we added new staff or equipment, added more global customers, or moved into larger facilities.”
With solid roots in traditional pressure-sensitive labeling, the company has branched out over the past decade into areas that it calls functional printing. These areas include state-of-the-art printing of antennae, batteries, printed circuitry and lamps—real good examples of the evolution in modern printing technologies.
Progressive companies stem from strong leadership and GSI has this in a double-dose. And that’s just the start. “Our success can be attributed to 115 hard-working, entrepreneurial spirits,” credits Suzanne. “Forward thinking, careful planning, long hours, hard work, strong and consistent implementation, and having partners who trust and understand each other are the keys.” These are the ingredients that she says result in “an intense collaboration that digs deep into the company spirit and quickly becomes contagious.”
This contagious spirit has also spilled over abundantly into TLMI. Bob and Suzanne have been active contributors to the Association’s success for more than 16 years. TLMI’s President Frank Sablone says of Bob and Suzanne, “In any of my work experience, I’ve never seen a brother and sister team that complement each other and work together so well. They are an unbelievable duo that can’t be surpassed.”
It is this progressive, dynamic leadership—applied at both GSI and TLMI—that has earned Suzanne and Bob Zaccone the distinguished honor of packagePRINTING’s 2006 TLMI Converter of the Year.
Starting in the business
Suzanne and Bob got their start in the tag and label business by applying complementary skills in their father’s label company. Suzanne was the sales and marketing manager and Bob handled finance until the company was sold in 1984. Of course, a simple thing like not having a company to work for wasn’t going to stop this duo. They wasted no time in starting up a new business, Graphic Solutions Inc., in July 1985.
“Starting the company when we were young was a challenge,” admitted Bob. “GSI started as a three-person company brokering printed, durable, industrial graphics. The business grew quickly and began manufacturing within the first six months, focusing on the Chicago area for sales. The growth was steady and about every six months we added new staff or equipment, added more global customers, or moved into larger facilities.”
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