About Us
Al Caperna in Inc. Magazine circa 1985.
CMC Group, Inc. originated in January of 1980 when Greg Jackson founded Century Marketing, a small label distribution company in Campbell, California. After experiencing a desire to monitor and control the quality of the labels they were receiving from an outside supplier, Century Marketing brought Al Caperna into the company as third owner. Caperna would be responsible for developing production and printing operations, enabling the company to print its own labels and granting Century Marketing independence from outside suppliers.
At this time, in the summer of 1980, Century Marketing relocated to Bowling Green, Ohio. After developing production facilities, Century Marketing experienced great growth. Between 1980 and 1985, the company achieved high annual sales rates including a sales level exceeding $5 million. In 1984, due to unprecedented popularity and demand for children’s fuzzy stickers, Century Marketing created a promotions business to handle the printing. This creation coincided with the start of Century’s first outgoing telemarketing call center. Due to continued growth, Century placed on the Inc. 500 list in 1985 and again in 1986. Also in 1985, Al Caperna purchased Jackson and Wright’s stock, becoming sole owner of Century Marketing.
The company expanded in 1989, creating DayMark Food Safety Systems as a sales division of Century Marketing. In 1990, after several years of steady growth, Century purchased its largest competitor, Continental Marketing Corporation, doubling the size of the company. Shortly after this acquisition, Century moved Continental Marketing Corporation’s operations to Bowling Green. At this time, Century Marketing took on the name of CMC Century / Continental, although the company later changed its name back to Century Marketing.
By 1991, DayMark Safety Systems had achieved such tremendous growth that it became its own corporation. Specializing in providing solutions for safe and efficient food rotation, DayMark has become an industry leader in incorporating innovative technologies and products to assist food service establishments in meeting FDA and other compliance codes.
Century Marketing expanded again in 1992, creating a thermal printer resale business called Century Systems. In 1993, Century also started a holographic security business called NovaVision, Inc.. NovaVision utilizes a patented process to manufacture holograms for product authentication and counterfeit prevention.
As a result of continual growth and expansion under the leadership of CEO Al Caperna, Century Marketing was named Master Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young / Merrill Lynch in 1995. Mr. Caperna’s business ventures continued and in 1999, he was involved in starting PrivaCash®, a company that makes reloadable prepaid credit cards to protect identity and privacy of spenders. One year later, Caperna also took over management of Capitol Material, a paper resale business.
In 2001, Century Marketing revolutionized its printing capabilities when it purchased its first Indigo Digital press. Once Century became acclimated to the new technology, the digital press enabled them to produce excellent quality digitally printed labels and shrink sleeves in short runs. Century started a business development initiative in 2004 to market their digital printing capacity. This venture led the company to new levels of growth, including implementing web-based sales and acquiring some of the nation’s leading consumer product companies as prototype clients. In 2012, Century Marketing rebranded itself as Century Label, and continued to expand its capabilities with the addition of HD flexographic and more advanced digital printing capability. Today, Century Label proudly serves brand owners in the specialty food & beverage, craft beer, nutraceutical and industrial markets with pressure sensitive and shrink sleeve prime labels.
In 2009, CMC Group acquired Dissolvo® LLC, a company that manufactures water-soluble materials used in DayMark’s DissolveMark™ labels. Dissolvo® became part of a new business unit, DayMark Technologies, LLC, which emerged from DayMark. In 2016, DayMark Technologies evolved once again to become SmartSolve Industries. SmartSolve manufactures and markets a family of environmentally sustainable water soluble paper-based materials that can be produced in multiple thicknesses, coatings, and configurations. SmartSolve water soluble materials have a variety of valuable applications and can be coated with water soluble adhesive that dissolves in water and leaves behind no residue. Heat seal top coating can also be applied to allow the material to be converted into dissolvable pouches, tubes, corrugate, folding cartons and containers. It can also have a direct thermal top coating for use in thermal printers.
CMC Group continues to grow through innovative technological improvements and a leadership committed to customer consideration.
