Premium Label & Packaging Solutions (PLPS) appointed Chris Payne as CEO and Leslie Gurland as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Payne and Gurland will work together to transition the company’s technical expertise and capabilities of its eight locations to operate as one company under the PLPS brand. The companies include: Luminer, Overnight Labels, Label Graphics, HP Mile, Label One, and Privateer. 
 
Payne brings three decades of packaging experience driving profitable growth, operational improvements, and strategic business development. He joins the company from InterFlex Group, a global flexible packaging supplier, where he served as president of its North American division for five years. Prior to Interflex, Payne held leadership positions at several packaging suppliers, including Oracle Packaging, Printpak, and Sonoco.   
 
“Over the last few months, I’ve worked with Leslie and the legacy owners to unify our strengths to benefit our clients and employees,” said Payne. “We offer a unique value proposition that is sometimes lacking in the private equity-owned world of today’s label and packaging mega-firms: the personal touch of a small business with the infrastructure of a large organization.  This model allows us to offer an extensive portfolio of conventional, specialty, and custom products, outstanding service, and quicker turnarounds.
 
Gurland brings a wealth of label and packaging experience having previously spent five years at Lux Global Label as an executive vice president of global sales and marketing, and 17 years at Tadbik, where she served as senior vice president of sales and business development and president of the company’s Logitech division. Gurland will work to expand the sales team and shift its focus from selling as individual companies to selling from the PLPS platform. She will also lead the company’s brand and marketing efforts and collaborate with the converter’s technical teams on product development.
 
“Having known or followed the original founders throughout my career, I’m thrilled to join the PLPS team,” said Gurland.  “Our slogan is ‘Changing the Packaging Paradigm,’ and we are extremely focused on delivering just that.  We are committed to maintaining the passion, creativity, and responsiveness customers want while continuing to grow the company in size and unique offerings.”