NJBIZ Manufacturing Awards 2014 Winners

Growth, Innovation & Leadership Award – WINNER

Jackie Daly Johnson
Title: President
Company: Beacon Converters Inc.
Town/County: Saddle Brook, Bergen County
What is your biggest motivator: "The pride on an employee's face and in their voice when they land a key account, create a new product, ace an audit, make a project presentation, master a new skill or take on a new role."

Good leaders know when to get out in front — and when to get out of the way.

Jackie Daly Johnson excels in both roles as president of Beacon Converters, which makes sterilized packaging systems for medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

She has helped catapult Beacon into the ranks of top women-owned businesses nationwide, and has made the company an active player in its industry and in the community. The company supports Toys for Tots, the local Salvation Army chapter, the American Lung Association and other charities.

Daly Johnson also sees her role as allowing others to shine. “My most important job is to eliminate any roadblocks that impair the ability to innovate, to grow, as people and as a company,” she says.

Beacon itself has been growing since 1947. It was founded by Daly Johnson’s grandfather, and run for many years by her father, Bill Daly. She and her sisters, Kathleen and Terri, have owned and operated the company since 2002, guided by the example of their forebears.

“Our parents and grandparents taught us that if you work hard, try your best every day and play well with others, you will succeed,” Daly Johnson says. “We focus on creating and maintaining a reputation as a fair, honest and hardworking company that truly cares about our employees and our customers.”

Over the years, customers have benefitted from an array of innovative products, such as Beacon’s CardioFocus Heart Light Die Cut Metal Tray. The award-winning package cost-effectively protects, and streamlines the delivery of, sensitive device components.

Employees, meanwhile, enjoy training programs that give them the skills they need to grow and succeed in their careers. Daly Johnson welcomes their ideas and feedback.

“The biggest contribution I have made is to champion a culture that creates opportunities for growth, which, in turn, allows our business and products to constantly improve,” she says.