8 minute read
THE FINAL SCORE
INTERNATIONAL CORRUGATED CORRUGATED PACKAGING PACKAGING FOUNDATION
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For ICPF Corporate Partners, August is the best time to begin posting student internships and career openings for 2022 graduates with majors and minors in packaging engineering, industrial engineering, business, sales, structural and graphic design, paper science and chemical engineering, supply chain management, mechanical engineering, and related fields. Once your firm posts openings on ICPF’s Career Portal, it also has access to the portal’s Résumé Bank, which currently has hundreds of résumés of students and upcoming grads seeking opportunities in production, operations, sales, and packaging design. Each year, 120–150 students and new graduates secure openings in the corrugated packaging industry through ICPF’s Career Portal and its other resources. The following are a few of the hires made through ICPF this year.
Michelle Clayton
(University of Florida packaging science, May 2021, and international business (MIB), December 2021) was hired as a packaging solutions and sales intern at WestRock Corp. “I attended my first ICPF teleconference with a little knowledge I had from a few classes at school. Now, two years and several ICPF events later, I am interning at one of the world’s most prominent corrugated packaging companies. The conversations I had with industry leaders at the Student Dialogue Dinner opened my eyes to all of the infinite possibilities in the corrugated industry. Each executive had so much wisdom to share and also invested in getting to know each student. The Career Portal created a perfect bridge for me to apply to internships. I’m so grateful to ICPF’s community and helpful resources!”
Haley Melvin
(Clemson University packaging science, 2020) was hired as a sales representative trainee at Hood Container Corp. “Shortly after ICPF reached out to me through its LinkedIn corrugated careers system, I was able to network with industry professionals and fellow students in ways that would not have been possible without ICPF. Through ICPF’s mentor program, I was able to gain more insight into the overall experience working within the industry, as well as enhanced confidence when interviewing for potential roles. I learned so much after attending the virtual Student Dialogue Dinner, which also introduced me to executives, including my current boss, and other recent graduates impacted by pandemic hiring freezes. ICPF’s Career Portal made it possible for me to apply to this career opportunity that I would not have known about otherwise. The fact that ICPF was able to make career searching practically effortless during the middle of a pandemic is beyond me!”
Sam Savery-Orton
(Cal Poly industrial technology and packaging, 2021) was hired for a rotational GIFT opening at Packaging Corp. of America. “After being invited through ICPF’s career network to the ICPF’s virtual Student/Executive Dialogue Dinner last fall, I was able to make numerous new connections in the corrugated industry. The Career Portal also allowed me to post my résumé to receive the maximum attention from employers, and I am very thankful for this incredible resource. I was nervous to search for employment during an international pandemic, but the ICPF Career Portal made the process of finding a career in corrugated as simple and efficient as possible. Now having served as an ICPF student representative at my university, I can confidently say that my decision to get involved with this foundation directly led to this special career opportunity.”
Abby Saul
(North Carolina State University paper science and chemical engineering, 2023) was hired as a pulp operations intern at WestRock Corp. “ICPF was and is super helpful in terms of allowing me to network and find jobs within the industry. ICPF’s Career Portal, LinkedIn corrugated career network,
INTERNATIONAL CORRUGATED CORRUGATED PACKAGING PACKAGING FOUNDATION
and various other resources assisted and were integral in allowing me to secure an internship for the summer. I am truly thankful to ICPF and Richard’s persistence in reaching out and ensuring that everything is well taken care of!”
Emily Emahiser
(Bowling Green State University visual communication technology, 2020) was hired as a packaging design engineer at Rex Carton Co. “I cannot say enough great things about ICPF. Throughout my time as a visual communication technology major at Bowling Green State University, we would take part in the annual ICPF teleconference. This teleconference is where my interest in the corrugated industry was really formed. It gave me the opportunity to learn about the industry from professionals, ask questions, and network. While the teleconference gave me tools and information, ICPF’s Career Portal is how I found my position at Rex Carton Co. The portal helped to streamline my process of making applications to reliable companies and positions aimed at what I wanted to do.”
Wesley Smith
(Clemson University graphic communications major and packaging science minor, 2020) was hired as a management trainee at WestRock Corp. “After being introduced to ICPF through its LinkedIn corrugated packaging career network and reading many great things about the foundation, I decided to put my résumé on the ICPF Career Portal. I was later presented with the opportunity to appear in an ICPF trade press article. Within a couple of weeks, I had many companies reach out to me for internships and full-time job opportunities. Thanks to ICPF’s assistance, I reconnected with WestRock, where I had previous internships, and landed a full-time management trainee opportunity.”
Makayla Sarkis
(Virginia Tech paper systems and design, 2021) was hired as a junior structural designer at Bay Cities Container. “ICPF’s industry dinners and multiple teleconferences really helped me to expand my knowledge about the industry, as well as learn about different career paths. The website’s Career Portal was exceptionally helpful to me in securing interviews and a full-time position at Bay Cities Container. The portal is easy to navigate and constantly being updated to help students find internships and full-time positions. I am very thankful for ICPF and Richard for helping me to acquire a career within the corrugated industry!”
Richard Flaherty
is president of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation.
REGISTER FOR ICPF’S 2021 HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN NEW YORK, DECEMBER 10–12
Registration is now open for this year’s Holiday Weekend in New York, scheduled for Friday, December 10, through Sunday, December 12. Join us to celebrate ICPF’s return to New York and enjoy the best Manhattan has to offer during the holiday season. BW Papersystems, Fosber America, Greif, Kiwiplan, Pratt Industries, and WestRock are sponsors for the 2021 Holiday Weekend in New York, which supports ICPF’s educational programs and outreach to students. In announcing Pratt Industries’ sponsorship for 12 years in a row, Brian McPheely, CEO, stated, “As one of the original sponsors of ICPF’s New York event … again thankful and honored Pratt Industries can support this important industry cause in 2021.” “We look forward to the event being the biggest and best ever,” added Jeff Pallini, president of Fosber America. Neal McConnellogue, president of BW Papersystems, said, “Having just recently made a long-term Corporate Partner pledge to support ICPF, BW Papersystems is pleased to also continue its ongoing sponsorship of ICPF’s New York event in 2021.” Kiwiplan President Rodney McGee said, “I hope you’re off to a good start this year! I don’t want to miss signing up for the ICPF weekend in New York.“
Jeff Chalovich, chief commercial officer and president of corrugated packaging at WestRock, summarized. “ICPF’s weekend in New York during the holidays is one of the most unique events and opportunities in the industry. This year’s weekend will sell out even earlier than in past years.”
To download a program and registration form, visit www. careersincorrugated.org, or email registration@icpfbox.org for specifics.
Amat Victoria Curam
My friend and predecessor, Steve Young, would occasionally lead this column with a Latin phrase. Latin gets attention, and using it can make one appear smarter than they may actually be.
I figured I would uphold that tradition as I was thinking about a way to capture all that is going on in our business and your Association lately. It’s been a good run of late. A successful in-person and virtual AICC Spring Meeting in Amelia Island, Florida. A booming box business. There are active and looming challenges such as increasingly anti-business policies being proposed by the Biden administration. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation pending in several states. Ongoing issues with the supply chain and with labor.
Victory loves preparation. Your AICC staff and the convention content committee did a tremendous job of organizing and staging the Spring Meeting. There were multiple options for the attendees, in-person and virtual. Wonderful speakers were booked. The location was ideal. The team anticipated, had a plan, were patient, executed, and delivered. We are grateful to them and to all of you. The theme of the meeting was A Brave Independent World. The team and the attendees proved this to be true. Victoria!
The box business is flourishing. Shipments in 2020 were up 3.4% and, in the first quarter of 2021, up 5.5%. The circumstances behind this happy situation were perhaps not anticipated, but the response of boxmakers and their suppliers was a matter of being prepared and being agile. Your response to the market’s push has nothing to do with luck. Your engagement with your customers and their confidence in you and your people are the result of careful planning, brand-building, and execution. Some execution has suffered under the strain on supply chains, but customer relationships built and nurtured over the years and your partnership with other AICC members have played key roles in maintaining satisfaction. Victoria!
The challenges in the supply of paper and other raw materials and your ability to recruit and hire effective workers will remain for the foreseeable future. Adaptation is a form of preparation.
In matters governmental, victoria is less clear. The government’s extension of unemployment benefits through September and other stimulus brought forth in the American Rescue Plan Act put a definite drag on the available labor pool. The pending PRO Act is another business-unfriendly legislative package, as are the tax implications of the bloated infrastructure proposals beginning to take shape in Washington. Several state legislatures have EPR ready to move. The sustainability track record of paper-based packaging should exempt it from EPR. EPR may make sense for other forms of packaging, especially plastics.
AICC, with its partners on Capitol Hill and our own government affairs committee, will continue to be by your side. AICC, too, has prepared and proved itself to be a trusted partner to members and an ally in their victories. AICC will continue to tirelessly put in the work on behalf of membership.
Et nos tecum sumus. We are with you!
Michael D’Angelo AICC President
