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 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, October 11, 2021 – Fortis Solutions Group LLC, a leading provider of high impact printed packaging solutions and a portfolio company of Main Post Partners, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Quality Tape and Label. 

Founded in 1979 by Cecil & Myrl Daniels and run today by Rick and Rob Daniels, Quality Tape and Label specializes in providing digital shrink sleeves, flexible packaging and pressure sensitive labels to the craft beer, nutraceutical, food and health and beauty end-markets. Rob Daniels will remain in a leadership role with the company based in Marietta, GA. 

Fortis President and CEO John O. Wynne, Jr. commented, “Quality Tape and Label is a premier provider of digital printing solutions. I’m excited to bolster our offerings in the shrink sleeve, flexible packaging and pressure sensitive labels markets and am looking forward to working alongside Rob Daniels and the entire QTL team as we further enhance our digital strategies across the country.” 

Rick Daniels, CEO of Quality Tape and Label commented, “After 40 years of being a close-knit family operation, it’s hard to let go. But moving the reins to Fortis was a decision I’m very comfortable with. I’m sure the marriage of QTL and Fortis will be very beneficial for all involved.” 

Rob Daniels, Quality Tape and Label President added, “We are very excited for QTL to join the Fortis family! Partnering with the Fortis team will give us the resources and capabilities to service our customers ever growing needs.” 

Employing over 950 employees across fifteen sites, Fortis intends to continue its pursuit of attractive acquisitions to further the breadth of product offerings and locations which can serve its customer base. 

For more information, or to contact a sales representative to learn more about how Fortis can make a difference for you, please call 1-844-FSG-LBLS or visit www.FortisSolutionsGroup.com. 

About Fortis Solutions Group 

At Fortis Solutions Group, we provide a differentiated approach giving our customers a powerful advantage in the marketplace through industry leading lead times, quality control, color management and solutions-oriented approaches. We deliver a breadth of product offerings utilizing our outstanding flexographic, letterpress, offset and digital printing capabilities. These offerings include pressure sensitive and shrink sleeve labels, multi-ply coupon and flexible packaging printing, extended booklet printing, pouches, folding cartons, label applicators and variable data printing. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, the company also has manufacturing and sales offices in Austin, TX, Catoosa, OK, Ellington, CT, Flowery Branch, GA, High Point, NC, Kansas City, MO, Lewisville, TX, Marietta, GA, Memphis, TN, Merced, CA, Orem, UT, West Chester, OH, Whitefish, MT and Wixom, MI. 

About Main Post Partners 

Main Post Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on investing in proven growth companies across the consumer value chain. Main Post Partners invests in both majority and minority positions primarily in first institutional capital 

John Wynne, Fortis CEO and President, discusses acquisition strategy with Label and Labeling Editor, Chelsea McDougall. Read the article in Issue 1, 2021 of Labels & Labeling.

John Wynne hates the word ‘corporate’ as it doesn’t speak to Fortis Solution Group’s entrepreneurial, growth-oriented spirit. It’s still surprising to the Fortis Solutions Group president and CEO that the company grew from a single manufacturing plant just a decade ago, to a nationally focused company with 14 facilities across the US today. 

Wynne first entered label manufacturing in 2010 with the acquisition of Labels Unlimited after a career in finance. The company made its first acquisition, A&M Label in Wixom, Michigan and Memphis, Tennessee, in 2014. In 2015, the company rebranded as Fortis Solutions Group and, with the backing of private equity firm Main Post Partners since 2017, has since pursued a high growth and an active acquisition strategy. Today, Fortis has an annual revenue in excess of 200m USD and employs 850 people.

From its headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Wynne is running a multi-facility company with multi-million-dollar resources but with the same competitive, customerfocused mentality he had when he entered the printing industry ten years ago. 

‘I don’t see Fortis as this big company, or dots on a map with 14 facilities,’ Wynne says. ‘It’s how those dots are connected that is important. At the end of the day, we want empowered people in each of those facilities leading the charge. I still want us to have that entrepreneurial spirit at our core.’

He continues: ‘I don’t feel like we’re one of the bigger companies. I feel like we’re out there scratching and clawing and fighting every day. I never want to be considered a slow and stodgy big company.’ 

Acquisition strategy 
Fortis frequently grabs headlines for its high-profile acquisitions. Since 2014, the company has acquired 11 companies, often taking over family-owned companies while keeping the same teams in place and focusing on being excellent stewards of the acquired businesses. Fortis focuses on acquisitions that can further expand the company in three core areas: geography, product and end-market diversification.

‘We still believe that this business is a local and regional one, and we need to be in our client’s backyard to best support their needs,’ Wynne says. ‘When you look at the benefits that a multi-site platform can bring to bear for our customers with redundancy and the ability to scale their brands, it’s compelling to look at acquisitions to accelerate their opportunity set.’

The company’s most recent acquisition came with Orem, Utah-based Kala Packaging, an early adopter of HP Indigo 20000 and 6000 series digital presses and a dominant player in the short-run flexible packaging and label market. Kala not only adds to Fortis’ portfolio of pressuresensitive labels and flexible packaging products, but it’s just the type of acquisition Wynne finds attractive: one in which Fortis can grow and scale with its customers.

We love the approach of being able to scale with these brands and businesses over time with from digital to our wider flexographic assets,’ Wynne says.

On finding synergy between the 14 facilities Wynne, simply put, doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Local talent is maintained, and oftentimes the former owners of the companies stay on.

‘With any acquisition, you need time to understand who does what, the culture, and the systems and processes that are in place. As our head of sales always likes to say: “No one has a monopoly on good ideas.”

Greenfield operations
Not all growth at Fortis is happening through acquisition, however.

‘People see the headlines about our acquisitions, but the reality is, we’ve got 30-plus business development people that are working their tails off every day to stimulate organic growth,’ says Wynne.

In 2019, the company started a greenfield operation in Napa Valley that caters to the wine and spirits industries. Fortis brought on label industry veterans Brendan Kinzie as president for wine and spirits and James Stone as a director. Both have a long history in both printing and wine.

The company also invested in top-ofthe-line printing equipment with an HP Indigo digital press and a Gallus RCS 430 to further expand its ability to execute intricate wine and spirits label designs.

‘If we’re going to be in it, we were going to be in it in earnest,’ Wynne says. ‘We’ve certainly invested in that business and feel great about the momentum that exists.’

Fortis hit pause on its acquisition pursuits as the pandemic took hold in early 2020, taking time instead to focus on its current business offerings that center on five core products: pressure-sensitive labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, folding cartons and label applicators. 

‘We’re not all things to all people. Frankly, if we’re in it, we’re going to be really good at, we going to excel at it,’ Wynne says. ’We’re not going to be able to do everything that’s out there, nor do we want to. We’re going to stay focused, stay in our lane, and not stray from that. We’ll continue to invest in those five areas and stay true to that. I don’t see us expanding past our core offerings.’

Fortis primarily serves the food, nutraceutical, health and beauty, household chemical, automotive, retail and e-commerce industries.

‘There’s nothing like a pandemic to focus you on where you’re playing to win,’ he says. ‘It made us think about the future of our economy and what markets are going to increase, what markets are going down, and where we need to position ourselves. In our case, it’s nice to be diversified in that regard.’

‘Food is our foundation and when times are tough, people really hunker down and they go to the grocery store, and that’s where you can find our labels,’ he continues. ‘You have to have that foundation, but also other growth markets that allow you to outperform over time. 

‘Going into 2021, we remain focused on keeping our employees safe and our One Fortis culture strong while continuing to outperform the needs of our customers. We have tremendous momentum in the business and are excited to see how the year unfolds.’

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, April 8, 2021 – Fortis Solutions Group LLC, a portfolio company of Main Post Partners, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Total Label.

Founded in 2004 by Janet Farris and Chris Farris with locations in Whitefish, MT and Memphis TN, Total Label (www.totallabel.com) provides complex pressure sensitive, extended content and booklet labels utilizing flexographic, letterpress, digital and hybrid printing technologies. Total primarily serves the agriculture, health and beauty, nutraceutical, home goods, and food/beverage end-markets. Janet and Chris will remain in leadership roles with the company. 

Fortis President and CEO John O. Wynne, Jr. commented, “Total Label is known throughout the industry for its highly engineered, value-added products with quick turnaround times. The acquisition of Total will further augment our product portfolio while expanding our geographic reach to the Pacific Northwest. I’m looking forward to working alongside Janet Farris and Chris Farris and the Total team to continue their growth trajectory.”

“As a family-owned business we have always been very purposeful in how we have built the culture and strategy of Total Label,” said Total Label co-founder and owner Janet Farris. “A partnership with Fortis allows us to continue to grow, provide excellent products, and foster a positive environment for our employees.” 

Chris Farris, Total Label co-founder and owner also added, “Speed.  Quality.  Innovation.  That is the motto we’ve employed at Total Label over the past 15 years, and it was the same way when we helped our father run his business.  We chose to combine forces with Fortis because they will allow us to continue to innovate for our customers well into the future.”

Employing over 900 employees across fourteen sites, Fortis intends to continue its pursuit of attractive acquisitions to further the breadth of product offerings and locations which can serve its customer base.

For more information, or to contact a sales representative to learn more about how Fortis can make a difference for you, please call 1-844-FSG-LBLS or visit www.FortisSolutionsGroup.com.

About Fortis Solutions Group

At Fortis Solutions Group, we provide a differentiated approach giving our customers a powerful advantage in the marketplace through industry leading lead times, quality control, color management and solutions-oriented approaches. We deliver a breadth of product offerings utilizing our outstanding flexographic, letterpress, offset and digital printing capabilities. These offerings include pressure sensitive and shrink sleeve labels, multi-ply coupon and flexible packaging printing, extended booklet printing, pouches, folding cartons, label applicators and variable data printing. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, the company also has manufacturing and sales offices in Austin, TX, Catoosa, OK, Ellington, CT, Flowery Branch, GA, High Point, NC, Kansas City, MO, Lewisville, TX, Memphis, TN, Merced, CA, Orem, UT, West Chester, OH, Whitefish, MT and Wixom, MI.

About Main Post Partners

Main Post Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on investing in proven growth companies across the consumer value chain. Main Post Partners invests in both majority and minority positions primarily in first institutional capital situations where founders, entrepreneurs and management teams are looking for an experienced partner to help build their companies to full potential. With a “Partnership, not Ownership” approach, Main Post Partners works closely with a network of successful executives to provide operational and strategic support to its management partners. Main Post Partners was named to Inc.’s list of The 50 Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs.

Wine labeling – much like the liquid encapsulated within – is a science. There is a premium on diversity, and in most cases, the wine label impacts the sale. Read the article here.

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Fortis Solutions Group CEO John Wynne discusses the company’s acquisition strategy with North America editor Chelsea McDougall.

Contact Us

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, January 14, 2020—Fortis Solutions Group LLC, a portfolio company of Main Post Partners and a leading provider of labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, cartons, and applicators, is pleased to announce that their flexible packaging and label facility in Merced, CA received certification as a Sustainable Green Printer (SGP) from the third-party organization the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership.

Fortis President and CEO John O. Wynne, Jr. commented, “I am incredibly proud of our Merced team for achieving this notable recognition. The SGP certification validates our commitment, both internally and externally, to providing innovative and differentiating sustainable solutions.”

SGP certification takes into account the entire print facility, its process, product, and social areas. SGP certification elevates a printer into an elite group of top sustainable printers, recognized by print buyers and the printing industry. SGP certification is supported by industry associations, including the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) and the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI.)

“Sustainability has been a core value of our company for many years,” observes Fortis President of Flexible Packaging, David Bankson, “The SGP has done a terrific job developing a challenging yet attainable standard driven by data and real-world solutions to the challenges we face as a packaging printer.  We are excited to join the SGP as a certified printer and, I’m proud of the commitment to sustainability our team practices that allowed us to achieve this.”

As a certified SGP printer, Fortis is committed to exceeding sustainability targets by reducing waste, conserving energy, sourcing sustainable materials, creating a safe workplace, continuous improvement, and lowering our carbon footprint. Each year sustainability projects are identified and tracked to document areas of improvement; an audit by the third-party certification organization occurs every two years.

About Fortis Solutions Group

At Fortis Solutions Group, we provide a differentiated approach giving our customers a powerful advantage in the marketplace through industry leading lead times, quality control, color management and solutions-oriented approaches. We deliver a breadth of product offerings utilizing our outstanding flexographic, offset and digital printing capabilities. These offerings include pressure sensitive and shrink sleeve labels, multi-ply coupon and flexible packaging printing, extended booklet printing, pouches, folding cartons, label applicators and variable data printing. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, the company also has manufacturing and sales offices in Austin, TX, Catoosa, OK, Ellington, CT, Flowery Branch, GA, High Point, NC, Kansas City, MO, Lewisville, TX, Memphis, TN, Merced, CA, Napa, CA, Orem, UT, West Chester, OH and Wixom, MI.

About Main Post Partners

Main Post Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on investing in proven growth companies across the consumer value chain. Main Post Partners invests in both majority and minority positions primarily in first institutional capital situations where founders, entrepreneurs and management teams are looking for an experienced partner to help build their companies to full potential. With a “Partnership, not Ownership” approach, Main Post Partners works closely with a network of successful executives to provide operational and strategic support to its management partners. Main Post Partners was named to Inc.’s list of The 50 Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs.

About the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is a non-profit organization that certifies printing facilities’ sustainability best practices, including and beyond regulatory compliance. SGP advocates best practices and innovation among print community stakeholders, aligning the printing industry and its customers in the pursuit of a more accountable sustainable supply chain.