Miles Label Co.: It's all in the family

The Marana-based family enterprise has created labels, guest checks, order forms and other types of ephemera for some of the city's most iconic businesses, including Levy's and Jacome's department stores, El Charro, Lucky Wishbone and Baggin's Gourmet Sandwiches, since moving to town in 1962.

On a national scale, its list of past-and-present clients includes the Bob's Big Boy restaurant chain, Kimberly-Clark, Velcro and Precept Medical Products.

It ships millions of labels a month from its 11,000-square-foot headquarters just south of North Cortaro Road.

"We've had produce companies call us on Thursday afternoon wanting half-a-million labels down in Nogales, Arizona, by Saturday," said Paul "PJ" Miles, who runs the business with his father, Paul W. Miles. "We delivered by 3 p.m. Friday.

"If that is what they need, that's what we try and accomplish."

After six generations and 100 years in business, the Miles family has had plenty of time and opportunity to perfect its craft.

Paul W. Miles' great-grandfather, Russell Hubert Miles, started the venture in 1912, as a little print shop that he ran with his son out of his garage in Des Moines, Iowa.

By the time the family reached Tucson in 1962 to escape the harsh Midwest winters, Miles Label had evolved into a full-fledged company with an emphasis on insurance labels and mail-order forms.

"That was a pretty big gamble for us," said Paul W. Miles, who was 16 at the time. "We were worried about shipping costs. Des Moines was much more central and we were shipping all over the United States."

The business not only survived, but thrived and adapted.

As the demand for certain products, such as restaurant guest checks, mail order materials and purchase forms tailed off, focus was put into other areas.

These days, the company's main source of income comes from pressure sensitive, self-adhesive labels, used on everything from cars to electronics.

PJ Miles, 46, joined the family business in the mid-1980s.

He has worked every position, from sweeping the floors to running the machinery, and takes particular pride in the company's relationships with its clients.

PJ says they have been working with some local and national organizations for decades.

"We are still an old-school business," he said. "We believe in a person answering the phone and speaking to customers face-to-face. We want to make sure they know we appreciate them."

He uses a fire that gutted their previous midtown location in 1985, completely destroying all of their inventory and machinery, as an example.

The Miles family called in every favor they had to get back up and running. They were filling orders at their current Marana location within a month.

"We weren't up to code, but we were taking care of customers," PJ Miles said. "That was the bottom line."

While many label houses, including major companies in Los Angeles and Texas, shut their doors during the recent economic downturn, the Miles Label Company actually managed to grow.

It aggressively went after more recession-proof clients, particularly those in the medical and produce fields.

"People have to eat and they still get sick, even during a recession," PJ Miles said.

The company also looked into new technology, investing in an eight-color press and digital platemaking, which opened new doors, Paul W. Miles said.

"We were very lucky," he added.

As the Miles family enters its next 100 years, it is already teaching future generations the tools of the trade. PJ Miles' son, Bobby Miles, 24, is a member of the sales team.

His daughter, Tonya Miles, works in the finishing department.

PJ says teamwork with his family, as well as with the other 20 employees who work at the plant, is a big part of what has made the company successful.

"Do an honest job for an honest dollar," PJ said. "That is how we survive."

More Info

Miles Label Company Inc. is located at 7720 N. Business Park Drive. Visit mileslabel.com for more information.

Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at 807-8430 or ggay@azstarnet.com