Leroy Baker, a pioneer in the printing industry, established Labels, Tags & Inserts (LTI) through hard work and dedication, and his daughter, Rhonda, has expertly carried on his legacy. From working on farms in the Carolinas to building a family-run converting powerhouse, Leroy exemplified the American Dream.

Leroy opened LTI in 1995, but his journey began quite a bit earlier. Following his father’s passing, Leroy was forced to leave school in his early teens to provide for his mother and eight siblings. He worked countless jobs to support his family. Leroy and his wife, Leoma, were sharecroppers before they moved to High Point, NC. One of his odd jobs began in the printing industry. “He would work as many jobs as he could,” says Rhonda. “My father worked from sunup to sundown, and my mother and I would take him dinner in the evenings. He would let me catch the hang tags off the end of the press.” 

Leroy recognized the need for printing plates while working his printing job. After a four-year stint learning the industry, he made the calculated decision to start his own company, Roto­-Plate,  in 1974.

“We had three rooms in this rented building, and my mom and dad would take the orders. My brother, Dennis, would come over after school, and I would walk from school to the company. Roto-Plate began to grow, and we wound up making printing plates for a lot of companies throughout the East Coast.” In the early days, Leroy also sold cars and owned a local lounge that was in the same building complex as Roto-Plate.

While running Roto-Plate, Leroy became an expert in printing – so much so that he would go to his customers and help them run their label jobs. “They would leave my father there printing and just tell him to lock up when he was finished,” recalls Rhonda. “My father saw what could be done and what needed to be done, and not a lot of printers were willing to invest in anilox rollers and such to do what it took to make a great label. 

“Most printers wanted to use their existing anilox rollers, which were 600 line on cyan, yellow, magenta, and black. He helped bring 4-color process into the world of flexo,” she adds.

From there, Leroy saw an opportunity to enter the label printing market. “He enjoyed going to companies and printing, and he saw that printing plates were evolving to digital,” Rhonda continues. “He thought it was a good time to go into printing, and he worked night and day with our first press, a 13″ Mark Andy 8-color press. He enjoyed printing, and through the process of going to our customers and helping them print, he developed a love for it and knew it was something he wanted for his family – me and my brother – for later in life.

 With Rhonda and Dennis growing up in the industry, they soon joined Leroy in running LTI. While Rhonda did not originally set out to run the business, the role evolved organically. In 2001, Dennis tragically passed away after a motorcycle accident. 

With the family in mourning, Leroy and Leoma stepped back from the business for a year. In that time, Rhonda followed in Leroy’s footsteps and did what was needed to provide for the family and her extended family at LTI.

“I was already working here, but I had to learn everything from income statements to printing inks – everything that went along with running a business,” notes Rhonda. “My father came back after about a year, and he and I worked together with running it. Then in 2007-2008, he got really sick and I had to take over. Those weren’t my plans early in life because I saw how hard it was and how much my father had to struggle with everything a business owner puts up with. But I love my job. It’s all I’ve ever done, and I love coming into the facility and seeing the print every day.

“It wasn’t my goal to run the company, but I had to do what was needed for the family,” she adds. “Dad taught me great work ethic. When I was raising my children and they were young, I had to be at work at 8 o’clock when the doors opened and here when the doors closed. Then on Saturdays, sometimes Dad would say, ‘Meet me at work in the morning, and I’m going to show you how to run a press.’ I learned how to run a Mark Andy 2200 13″ press, and we ran 4×6 blanks. I’ve done almost every job here except for the new digital work. I understand tensions, unwind, etc., because you can’t run a company efficiently and not understand how the whole process works.”

Rhonda, who has been in the industry for four-and-a-half decades, has also taken great pride in emerging as a leader in flexo. “Being a female, I had to learn the technology and know what I was talking about in order to be taken seriously,” says Rhonda. “ I was a young female running a company in a male dominated industry, so I had to really do my homework to learn about the new technologies and processes.”

As a second-generation owner, Rhonda has welcomed the third generation of the family into LTI. Her daughter, Nikki Capps, has played a pivotal role in modernizing the company’s internal operations and now serves as CFO. Meanwhile, Jim Baker, Dennis’ son, is the facility manager and has helped drive technology purchases.

“You don’t necessarily think it’s the path you’re going to take, but once you’re in this world, you couldn’t dream of anything else,”
says Nikki.

Today, Rhonda heads a powerful team of 22 people that serves customers on a global scale. The award-winning converter’s labels adorn a  wide range of consumer products, including food and beverage, health and beauty, nutraceutical, promotion/direct mailing, and apparel, among others. LTI has also added the capability to produce small run cartons.

Pioneering approach

LTI has long been on the cutting edge of technology set to shape the future of labels and packaging. Leroy was never one to shy away from new equipment. In fact, he preferred it.

“It was always a matter of keeping up with the newest technologies, like when plates changed from red natural rubber to nyloprint,” explains Rhonda. “We were very innovative then with buying equipment – distortion machines, step and repeat machines, cameras, and so on. We were always getting the newest equipment, and we were always the guinea pigs. Back in the early days, we had VariTypers. We were installing a VariTyper once, and the gentleman said, ‘Wait until you see the new one they’re coming out with,’ and my father had him box it back up and take it back because Dad only wanted the latest and the greatest.”

That ethos has continued at LTI. The company has been present at each edition of Labelexpo Americas since Rhonda was a teenager, which has allowed management to get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon.

“Around 2005, my father and I were walking around the show floor and I saw that ABG had a turret that also loaded the cores,” recalls Rhonda. “We had a couple of projects that the equipment would have been perfect for. We had rewinders for small rolls, but we didn’t have a turret. I said, ‘I really would like to have that machine,’ and my father just kind of smiled, and we continued walking the whole show. After the second day, he said, ‘Do you want to go look at that machine again?’ And I excitedly said,‘Yes.’ At the time it was a little rich for us when they told us the price, but it was a goal I set. Now we have several ABG turrets, with one that was custom made for us that loads two types of cores.”

With efficiency serving as a core principle of the business model, automation – which includes the turret technology – has always been prioritized at LTI. One Mark Andy flexo press has been customized to take a complex job and reduce it to one step – coming right off the press and going out the door. Previously, the job had to go through three departments.

“As we grew, we always looked at what would make us more efficient,” says Rhonda. “What can we do with less human touch? And that’s when we started adding Martin Automatic butt splicers. We decided we weren’t going to stop. We can run the press and not turn it off until the job is complete. That saves so much time, and you don’t have to stop the press to put a roll on or take a roll off. Automation has always been in our forethought.”

Rhonda has adhered to Leroy’s philosophy of investing in the best technology. For example, Leroy turned to Kodak for LTl’s platemaking capabilities back in 2008, and Rhonda has continued that relationship with Miraclon. “One of Dad’s last investments was getting us into platemaking with the Kodak system,” states Rhonda. “We like it because Miraclon can hold a smaller dot than its competitors. The plates can last for millions of impressions. Not a lot of companies have the Kodak system, but we feel it is the best in the industry so that’s why we have it.”

Back in the late 90s, Rhonda sat in on a seminar about the potential of the burgeoning technology of RFID. However, the technology was still in its infancy. Rhonda recognized the potential of RFID and soon began keeping an eye on it.

“In 1999, Walmart was going to have RFID on every product,” explains Rhonda. “When you spoke about RFID it was almost like a type of rocket science; you couldn’t have RFID equipment near the printing machines because the radio frequencies could interfere with each other. They were still learning how to implement RFID at that time. I knew technology was coming, and so I watched it grow over the years.

“When RFID originally came out, it was only located on truckloads and pallets, not individual pieces,” adds Rhonda. “Not all the sensors worked. They just didn’t have everything worked out until recently. We watched over the years, and I feel like we purchased our machine before some other companies saw the technology was inevitable. We brought the equipment in-house and customized it.”

Going hybrid

While LTI has frequently been early adopters of new technology, the leadership team – from Rhonda to Nikki and Jim – can easily identify when the technology is ready to serve the converter’s customers. In the case of digital printing, they realized that it was not where it needed to be – until now. 

To kick off 2025, LTI installed a Mark Andy Digital Series HighSpeed 1200. This hybrid inkjet digital press operates at speeds up to 480 fpm while delivering 1200 dpi resolution.

“I actually looked at digital years ago, and I just didn’t think it was a good fit for us then,” comments Rhonda. “I felt like there were a lot of logistical issues to be figured out. Now we know the technology is there. I like that the hybrid press is inline, which is something we were waiting for. We print for worldwide companies that insist on their logos to be certain colors. The hybrid allows us to do spot colors for those accounts. We’ll also use the technology for the special varnishes or custom jobs we might need. We were allowed to customize this press to all our needs.”

The new press allows LTI to adapt more quickly to shifting customer demands. From flexible packaging and shrink sleeves to folding cartons, the HighSpeed 1200 will help LTI in numerous markets.

“We’ve had a lot of Mark Andy presses over the years, and we’ve had good success,” says Jim, who was integral in selecting the new press. “Hybrid technology is new to us but not new to them. They’ve worked on it to perfect the technology. For years, we’ve sort of wanted to go in this direction. We wanted a machine we could produce some of our shrink material on. There were a lot of companies doing digital and doing it well, just not in the shrink applications we needed. Once we get it off the ground it’ll really prove its worth. It’s pretty amazing to see.”

Mark Andy has emerged as one of LTl’s top partners. The company has amassed a strong arsenal of key collaborators, though, which has been instrumental to its success. 

“We like to partner with industry leaders,” states Rhonda. “We have a great rapport with Mark Andy. At the moment we have six of their presses, ranging from 2200s, P7s and now the new hybrid. To help with our automation we enjoy working with A B Graphic for our turrets. Martin Automatic butt slicers help us reduce waste and improve efficiency. And with RFID being the future of point of sale, we now have the ability to insert RFID inlays. We also use waste takeout systems from Precision Air Convey that reduce downtime and help efficiencies.”

According to Jim, Nazdar Ink Technologies, hubergroup, and ACTEGA have also been strong partners. The companies have worked hand-in-hand to ensure LTI gets the tailor­-made solutions it needs, in the same way the converter provides exceptional customer service to its clients.“Nazdar has been huge for us,” remarks Jim. “We were with another supplier trying to optimize our shrink, and we went back and forth for a while. It wasn’t until we went with Nazdar that we got everything we needed. The partnership has been a real game-changer for us. They definitely went beyond what other suppliers have been willing to do in the past.”

Leroy’s lessons

Many of the valuable lessons Leroy espoused back in 1974 with the establishment of Roto-Plate still ring true today. Leroy, the founder and third-generation owner, passed away in 2020, but his legacy lives on in LTI.

“There are many times I will quote him, with what he’s said and what we need to be doing to be successful,” says Rhonda. “And it’s still the same principles. He did teach us all great work ethic.”

“He really was the epitome of the American dream,” adds Nikki. “He came from a small farming background, worked really hard, and had a dream to own a company – and he made it work.”

LTl’s philosophy has been crafted on quick turnaround times, quality, and efficiency. Rhonda has also emphasized the importance of offering a full-service experience to the company’s customers.

“We provide artwork, fulfillment, cost control, speed to market improvement, and technical expertise,” explains Rhonda. “We ensure color accuracy and reliability, along with advanced solutions for color management. We protect our customers’ brands with superior quality. You must have a product that stands out above others on the shelf, and we provide that. We offer quick response manufacturing. Excellence in customer service is a central part of the LTI advantage. It separates us from competitors in the marketplace and makes us the vendor of choice for so many satisfied customers.”

Rhonda has also prioritized the culture that was long evident at Roto-Plate, which has enabled LTI to continue growing in 2025. LTI boasts a number of employees that have been with the company for more than 20 years, with some spanning four decades with LTI and Roto-Plate.

“We truly are a family business, and we treat our employees as family,” she states. “I’ve always thought about the value of that, even back when we were making printing plates for a lot of the other family businesses across the East Coast. There aren’t as many family printing businesses anymore, but yet here we are thriving. I think we’re standing the test of time, and our turnover is so little that it says a lot about how people feel about this company and how they’re treated. We are going into 2025 with renewed energy and innovation. We now are working at unprecedented speed and efficiency. We are reshaping the manufacturing process and workforce dynamics.

“We’re so redundant with the processes we do here, and our team knows what they have to do to be successful,” she adds. “We don’t have errors and jobs that are rejected. What’s enabled us to be successful is doing the job right the first time. That was something Dad always said, ‘It takes a lot longer to do it twice, so do it right the first time’.”