2 Task Industrial Court, Greenville, SC, USA 29607
www.sttark.com

An engineering mindset and a robust culture have positioned Sttark as a leading producer of labels and package printing. The South Carolina-based converter has ramped up its growth efforts in the last five years, meeting demand for where the market is heading. Sttark boasts the ability to deliver a range of solutions to customers, including high-quality labels, folding cartons, and soon to be flexible packaging. The company’s efforts are bearing fruit, as revenue has doubled since 2020.

The roots of Sttark trace back more than four decades. In 1981, Hans Frist established Anker Labelers, a machinery manufacturer that applied product labels to paint cans. Originally based in New Jersey, the company moved to South Carolina in 1987. A hallmark of Sttark’s journey has been its foresight in recognizing industry trends. In 2004, the Frist family identified label manufacturing as the next frontier. Following Hans’ passing in 2004, his son, Dan, created Frontier Label – an offshoot from Anker Labelers.

“Dan is a brilliant guy,” says Kevin MacDonald, CEO, Sttark. “He is the kind of person who gets things done that others thought impossible.”

Frontier Label enjoyed steady, though modest, growth from 2005 through 2020. At that point, Dan recognized an opportunity to take the company to another level and began searching for leadership to guide the next phase. He recruited MacDonald, a finance and operations executive with considerable experience in numerous C-level roles.

“Dan and I were friends through church,” recalls MacDonald. “He approached me one day for some friendly guidance on the company, and I did that for a few months. At that time, I wanted to pivot into something entrepreneurial, and Dan asked if I was interested in leading the company.”

MacDonald officially joined Frontier Label in September 2020, and the organization became focused on intentional growth. That meant expanding product offerings and rebranding the company, which included a significant name change. 

One of the first major steps was entering the folding carton market in 2022. The decision was strategic. 

“We decided to add folding cartons to our portfolio because we believed it would complement labels as opposed to cannibalize them,” explains MacDonald. “A lot of products in a carton still have a label on them. Our desire was to maximize the opportunity to provide both packaging components together.”

The move paid off. Based on the trailing 12-month average, the folding cartons business has consistently delivered a 90% growth rate. Meanwhile, the labels business has been strong as well, growing at close to 20% annually.

The company’s evolution also prompted the rebrand. As they expanded beyond labels into broader packaging solutions, the name Frontier Label no longer reflected its ambitions. 

“With Dan’s German heritage, we chose the name ‘Sttark’ because ‘stark’ means strong or powerful in German,” explains MacDonald. “We added another ‘t’ in there to stand out and be different. We had ‘Label’ in the original name, but when we began offering more packaging solutions than just labels, we wanted our name to reflect that. Dan and his wife came up with the name, and the company embraced it. It represents who we want to be – strong – and it also has an evergreen effect. No matter how our offerings evolve, the name still fits.”

In addition to strong growth in labels and folding cartons, Sttark has expanded the team significantly. The company boasts 62 employees, nearly double the number when MacDonald joined in 2020, and operates out of a 60,000-square-foot facility that is comprised of
two buildings. 

Printing pioneers

Sttark has long been on the cutting-edge of investing in – and creating – new technology. When Dan established the business, he made the calculated decision to go with an HP Indigo WS2000 digital press. The digital printing specialist has served as a key partner of Sttark’s since the converter’s inception. 

“When we started producing product labels for customers, we chose digital printing,” recalls MacDonald. “We’ve never offered flexo, so we’ve been in the digital printing business from the very beginning. HP has certainly been a strong partner for us, and we’ve had A B Graphic (ABG) converting machines alongside them. We consider ABG a strong partner as well.”

Much of the equipment innovation at Sttark takes place in-house. The company created a Manufacturing Technology Center, which is home to some of the industry’s brightest engineers. Dan helms the department, and the team focuses heavily on mechatronics and
process automation.

“There are a number of machines we’ve purchased but have not put into production yet,” says MacDonald. “Our engineering team is creating modifications and automating the processes. 

“For example, we bought core cutters but only wanted hardware,” continues MacDonald. “We built our own controls, and the system automatically feeds the core cutter the number of cores and the sizes needed. The operator doesn’t have to enter dimensions manually; it all happens automatically. This process saves time and keeps the work moving a lot more smoothly. 

“We’ve also built a way to measure the die and automatically set the die gap based on the material we have on the machine and the thickness of the substrate and liner – and the thickness of the die,” notes MacDonald. “And this type of work is accomplished in-house by our Manufacturing Technology team. That engineering capability is a big part of our growth and a big part of what makes us who we are.”

Folding cartons have been a hot topic lately, too, especially as Labelexpo rebrands to LOUPE in order to offer solutions for flexible packaging and cartons. Sttark has been on the cutting-edge of this trend, as well. For Sttark, the strategy is rooted in customer needs.

“We’re always trying to anticipate what our customers want,” remarks MacDonald. “Sometimes they tell us directly. Other times, we try to put ourselves in their shoes and think of new ways to provide a satisfying solution to them when they haven’t even articulated to us that they need it. They themselves may not even recognize it’s something they could benefit from. Innovation for us is always about how we can better serve our customers.”

In addition to HP and ABG, Sttark has benefited from close collaboration with several other suppliers. Wausau Coated Products and UPM Adhesive Materials have been pivotal in supplying materials to Sttark. Plus, Nobelus has been instrumental on the laminate side. Currently, Sttark serves a wide range of markets. However, its core business resides in supplements and nutraceuticals, health and beauty, and food and beverage. Those three segments comprise nearly 65% of Sttark’s business. The remaining 35% is spread across a diverse customer portfolio.

The company is built for high mix and fast changeovers. “We complete roughly 120 orders a day,” states MacDonald. “Our changeovers are quick, short, and they allow us to run a lot of different orders for a lot of different companies and industries. We have a team of strong production operators who take pride in excellence.”

Idea meritocracy

Since its founding in 2005, culture has served as Sttark’s defining feature. Sttark has been systematic in how it attracts and cultivates talent, focusing primarily on cultural fit. The company seeks team members who are humble, motivated, and open-minded. In every area of the operation – customer care team, machine operators, and back office support – character is key.

Sttark, which doesn’t emphasize titles, also operates on an idea meritocracy. The leadership team encourages creativity and an innovative mindset among all employees. 

“In Ray Dalio’s book called Principles, he talks about an idea meritocracy – and we consider it to be foundational to how we want to operate,” explains MacDonald. “Decisions are made based on the merits of an idea, not based on who suggested it. That mindset has helped accelerate our engineering initiatives, many of which have originated from cross-departmental discussions rather than traditional top-down directives. So, we check our egos at the door when we walk in
every day.”

When searching for new candidates, Sttark prioritizes people who fit this mold. “You can’t have an idea meritocracy with close-minded people,” says MacDonald. “If the idea meritocracy is going to be a fundamental and foundational piece of who we are as a company, then we have to hire people who are willing to discuss ideas and don’t always have to be right. And that’s been really important.”

Sttark has redesigned its facility to foster a stronger culture. The original design featured a typical warehouse space with no windows. Upon purchasing the space, Sttark installed windows along a lot of the walls. “From a cultural standpoint, we want our employees, regardless of their role, to know they’re valued,” states MacDonald. “Production shouldn’t be stuck in a warehouse without windows while management sits in nice offices. That reflects how we think about culture.”

A growth mindset is key, as well. “Part of our culture is respect,” says MacDonald. “We treat people with respect, and part of that means we’re going to give feedback that isn’t always comfortable. We give a lot of feedback because we think it helps people grow. 

“We can grow even if it doesn’t mean a formal promotion,” he adds. “We want them to feel like they are further ahead than they were a year ago. Whether that’s learning something new or having more responsibility, we want them to have those growth opportunities.”

Leadership has been instrumental in fostering this culture. In addition to Frist and MacDonald, Sttark boasts an arsenal of strong leaders. Mike Oostdyk serves as CTO, and Courtney Gregory is the company’s director of People and Finance. Meanwhile, Crystal Price is the director of Customer Experience, where she oversees the Customer Care team and Prepress team. Jon Wadsworth is a business director working on a new company initiative. Sttark also has team leaders to preside over each packaging channel. Rickey Edgar serves as the business director of Labels, while Nathan Melchers is the business director of Folding Cartons. Ryan Quinn will lead the Flexible Packaging team when the division is launched later in 2026.

Beyond business success, Sttark places a strong emphasis on giving back. Charitable giving is embedded in the company’s culture, with employees empowered to direct a portion of contributions to causes that matter most to them.

“We’re a giving company,” states MacDonald. “We want to give profits away to organizations that are helping people change their lives. We’re very motivated by that, and it’s a major reason we want to grow – it’s not to enrich ourselves. I want everyone here to have pay and benefits that are north of fair. But we also want to use the profits we generate to impact people’s lives.

“Allowing everyone in the organization to have a voice in where the money goes creates meaning for our team members,” adds MacDonald. “This has been the most meaningful role I’ve ever had.”

In addition to serving as pillars of the Greenville, SC, community, Sttark anticipates a leading role in the label and packaging industries it serves. Sttark recently joined TLMI in order to exchange ideas and learn from other leaders in the space.

“I view TLMI as a resource for the industry players to work together,” notes MacDonald. “I don’t view this industry as a zero-sum game. It’s enormous. I’m happy to share what we are learning, including what our engineering team is doing, because collaboration ultimately strengthens the entire industry and benefits customers. That’s why I joined TLMI. I think there’s tremendous value in collaborating, and I’d love to share with others in the industry who are interested. I view TLMI as an avenue to do that.”

In the future, Sttark will continue adding value for its customers – through packaging channels and new solutions. Sttark recently invested in an embellishment machine to provide eye-catching design features for labels. Features that enable product traceability will also factor into future offerings, alongside flexible packaging solutions.

“Some customers view packaging as a marketing tool,” says MacDonald. “Others view it as purely functional. Our job is to understand what our customers need and go where they need us to go.”