Art Yerecic

Published: June 01, 2010

• President & Owner of Yerecic Label
• Management style | Passionate
• Heroes | George Washington, Abraham Lincoln & Winston Churchill

• How did you get into the converting business? My dad started our business when I was a teen. I worked with him part-time in high school and joined the business full-time after graduation.

• What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were starting out in business? I wish I had better understood the value of networking with industry peers.

• Is there one association that is particularly helpful? We network with other narrow web converters at the Tag & Label Mfrs. Assn. The TLMI Ratio Study has been a very useful benchmarking tool. We learn new ways to grow and improve at TLMI meetings and through committee service.

• What sustainability efforts have you made? Our Project LIFE committee will apply for certification soon.

• What is your key to retaining good employees? Our lean cellular structure puts an emphasis on teamwork. Office and pressroom cells are zones of responsibility that group our associates in teams working toward a common goal. Teams are “work families” for our associates.

• What is the biggest mistake you made, and how did you fix it? We invested a sizable sum of money for drawings to expand our previous location and avoid the pain of moving. Later we scrapped those plans and built a new facility featuring cellular offices and manufacturing.

• What do you most enjoy about your job? I really enjoy working with our team to overcome challenges and achieve success. As a father in a family business, I also enjoy mentoring my sons and daughters.

• What do you least enjoy? More can always be done to improve!

• Are there any management or business books that have influenced you? We began our lean journey in 1993 after reading The Goal by Eli Goldratt. Kiyoshi Suzaki's The New Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous Improvement is our blueprint for lean improvement.

• What is the best advice you ever got? My first love was production, but my dad refused to let me get too comfortable in the pressroom. He pushed me to learn all facets of the business, particularly sales and marketing.

• Any hobbies? Our family loves sports. We've spent untold hours at baseball fields with our sons and gymnastics or cheerleading events with our daughters.

• Do you have a personal motto by which you do business? There are lots of good label companies; we must deliver compelling reasons for customers to choose us.

About Yerecic Label

• 701 Hunt Valley Rd., New Kensington, PA 15068

• www.yereciclabel.com; 724-334-3300

• Founded 1969; 1 plant; 85 employees

• Specialization | Food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods

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