# Gary Burns

> Gary Burns is a Grand Rapids engineer, inventor and repeat founder whose career connects industrial automation, RFID manufacturing and intelligent packaging. With Peter Phaneuf, he launched RF IDentics in 2004, sold it to Avery Dennison in 2006, reunited the team as eAgile in 2009 and led the company into CCL Industries in 2023.

- **Role:** CEO, Founder and Board Member at CCL eAgile Inc.
- **Organizations:** CCL eAgile Inc., eAgile Inc., RF IDentics Inc., Avery Dennison, Siemens
- **Education:** B.S. in Engineering Management, Western Michigan University
- **Known for:** Co-founded RF IDentics and eAgile with Peter Phaneuf., Named as an inventor on U.S. patents involving RFID labels, container seals and RFID/object-recognition systems., Helped develop RFID inlays that earned top honors in independent Generation 2 testing in 2006.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2004** — Held corporate leadership roles at Siemens and worked on large automation projects including Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Concourse and a mail-processing facility at Heathrow.
- **2004** — Co-founded RF IDentics Inc. with Peter Phaneuf in Grand Rapids.
- **2006** — RF IDentics' UHF tags earned top honors in independent Generation 2 testing; Avery Dennison acquired the company later that year.
- **2009** — Co-founded eAgile Inc. with Phaneuf and members of their design and engineering team.
- **2011** — eAgile acquired a healthcare-labeling company and expanded its turnkey RFID capabilities.
- **2014** — eAgile announced a U.S. patent for its RFID-enabled eSeal packaging solution.
- **2015** — eAgile launched the MicroWing UHF inlay and DualWing UHF/NFC inlay family.
- **2023** — CCL Industries acquired eAgile for $54 million; the business became CCL eAgile.

## Achievements

- Co-founded RF IDentics and eAgile with Peter Phaneuf.
- Named as an inventor on U.S. patents involving RFID labels, container seals and RFID/object-recognition systems.
- Helped develop RFID inlays that earned top honors in independent Generation 2 testing in 2006.
- Led eAgile as it expanded to a 40,000-square-foot facility and shipped products to more than 40 countries.
- Led eAgile through its 2023 acquisition by CCL Industries for $54 million.

## Latest updates

- **2023-04** — CCL Industries acquired eAgile for $54 million, and the company became CCL eAgile within CCL Healthcare.

## Links

- Website: https://eagile.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burnsgp
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/eAgile_Inc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eAgileInc/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/gary-burns
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26