2019 Business Leader of the Year: Amherst Label’s Nick Calvetti

Nick Calvetti, Amherst Label, custom label manufacturer in NH
Flanked by his daughter and son, and surrounded by members of the Amherst Label management team and friends, 2019 Business Leader of the Year Nick Calvetti exemplifies the American dream of entrepreneurship and the pursuit of happiness.

The keynote speaker at the 2019 Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner and Awards Celebration, Wendell Davis of the Small Business Association, had some lofty ideas to share about America’s entrepreneurial spirit. Citing French philosopher Alex de Tocqueville, Davis asserted that, “The pursuit of happiness is a necessary component of a successful society.” Davis believes that the American dream is the secret of American success.

“The American entrepreneurial spirit is the building block of the American economy,” he said last Wednesday evening in a crowded banquet room at Hampshire Hills in Milford. Twenty members of the Amherst Label family were in the audience, there to support their boss, Nick Calvetti, one of five nominees for Business Leader of the Year. 

Davis’s ideas are manifest in Amherst Label’s entrepreneur-in-chief, Nick Calvetti, who joined his father’s new company 39 years ago and has led its growth to nearly 50 employees. Much to his delight, his two grown children, Angela Calvetti Hornor and Nicholas Kepka Calvetti, as well as Angela’s husband Nye, have all joined Amherst Label. Nick’s three grand-children are frequent visitors to the plant and get involved with projects. If the pursuit of happiness drives the economy, love of family is a key component of happiness for Nick and others at Amherst Label.

At a Chamber event at Amherst Label in January, Nick told a story about how he had long subscribed to the theory that taking care of the customer is job 1. But he had changed his mind in favor of taking care of employees so they can take care of customers. The efforts Nick initiates toward retaining happy, motivated employees are the reason for his nomination for this prestigious award.

Background about 2019 Business Leader of the Year, Nick Calvetti

Nicholas E. Calvetti earned a BS in Accounting and Finance from Bentley College, now Bentley University, before attending the University of Colorado for an MBA. A two-year stint in the US Army gave Nick experience in the Finance Corps, applying his accounting and finance background. He went to work at Coopers and Lybrand in Portland, ME, as an accountant and went on to become a CPA. After nine years in  accounting, Nick joined the business his father started, Amherst Label, and took the helm shortly thereafter. Nick is in his 39th year at Amherst Label, a manufacturer of custom labels, decals, tags and flexible packaging specializing in flexographic, digital and screen printing for industries throughout the Northeast and beyond.

Amherst Label’s Nick Calvetti

A past board member of the Tag & Label Manufacturer’s Institute, Nick is also a member of Printing Industries of New England, New England Direct Marketing Association, and Flexographic Technical Association.

He is one of the original founders of the Peacock Players and the former Granite State Soccer Club. For many years, he coached his daughter’s recreation and travel soccer teams and his son’s football and baseball teams.

Along with his kids, Nick co-manages the Amherst Label/Calvetti Family Fund which makes grants to area youth organizations through the NH Charitable Foundation. 

He is an avid bicyclist, taking bike adventures to various parts of the country. A fitness enthusiast and familiar face at Hampshire Hills, Nick also golfs in the Amherst Businessmen’s league and plays tennis, wallyball (winter) and volleyball (summer). He’s a proud supporter of all New England sports teams and likes to watch “Jeopardy.”

Amherst Label is proud to be Veteran-owned, family-owned and committed to green printing practices. Ask us for details.

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