July/Aug 2024 BoxScore: MIdyear Converters Roundtable

MIDYEAR CONVERTERS ROUNDTABLE

Longtime AICC members share their experiences with entrepreneurship and within their respective family businesses

OFFICERS

Chairman: Matt Davis, Packaging Express, Colorado Springs, Colorado

First Vice Chairman: Gary Brewer, Package Crafters High Point, North Carolina

Vice Chairs: Finn MacDonald, Independent II, Louisville, Kentucky

Terri-Lynn Levesque, Royal Containers Ltd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Joseph Morelli, Huston Patterson Printers/Lewisburg Printing Co., Decatur, Illinois

Immediate Past Chairwoman: Jana Harris, Harris Packaging/American Carton, Haltom City, Texas

Chairman, Past Chairmen’s Council: Gene Marino, Akers Packaging Service Group, Chicago, Illinois

President: Michael D’Angelo, AICC Headquarters, Alexandria, Virginia

Secretary/General Counsel: David Goch, Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, Washington, D.C.

Administrator, AICC México: Veronica Reyes

DIRECTORS

West: Sahar Mehrabzadeh-Garcia, Bay Cities, Pico Rivera, Califormia

Southwest: Jenise Cox, Harris Packaging/American Carton, Haltom City, Texas

Southeast: Michael Drummond, Packrite, High Point, North Carolina

Midwest: Casey Shaw, Batavia Container Inc. Batavia, Illinois

Great Lakes: Josh Sobel, Jamestown Container Cos. Macedonia, Ohio

Northeast: Stuart Fenkel, McLean Packaging, Pennsauken, New Jersey

AICC México: Sergio Menchaca, EKO Empaques de Cartón S.A. de C.V., Cortazar, Mexico

OVERSEAS DIRECTOR

Kim Nelson, Royal Containers Ltd., Brampton, Ontario, Canada

DIRECTORS AT LARGE

Kevin Ausburn, SMC Packaging Group, Springfield, Missouri

Eric Elgin, Oklahoma Interpack, Muscogee, Oklahoma

Guy Ockerlund, Ox Box, Addison, Illinois

Mike Schaefer, Tavens Packaging & Display Solutions

Bedford Heights, Ohio

Jack Fiterman, Liberty Diversified International, Minneapolis, Minnesota

EMERGING LEADER DELEGATES

John McQueary, CST Systems, Atlanta, Georgia

Jordan Dawson, Harris Packaging, Haltom City, Texas

Evan Clary, National Corrugated Machinery Hunt Valley, Maryland

ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORS

Chairman: Tim Connell, A.G. Stacker Inc., Weyers Cave, Virginia

Vice Chairman: John Burgess, Pamarco/Absolute Roselle Park, New Jersey

Secretary: Jeff Dietz, Kolbus America Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

Director: Mike Butler, Domtar Packaging, Fort Mill, South Carolina

Immediate Past Chairman, Associate Members: Greg Jones, SUN Automation Group, Glen Arm, Maryland

ADVISORS TO THE CHAIRMAN

Al Hoodwin, Michigan City Paper Box, Michigan City, Indiana

Gene Marino, Akers Packaging Service Group, Chicago, Illinois

Tim Connell, A.G. Stacker Inc., Weyers Cave, Virginia

PUBLICATION STAFF

Publisher: Michael D’Angelo • mdangelo@AICCbox.org

Editor: Virginia Humphrey • vhumphrey@AICCbox.org

EDITORIAL/DESIGN SERVICES

The YGS Group • www.theYGSgroup.com

Vice President, Association Solutions: Craig Lauer

Creative Director: Mike Vucic

Managing Editor: Therese Umerlik

Senior Editor: Sam Hoffmeister

Copy Editor: Steve Kennedy

Art Director: Alex Straughan

Account Manager: Jillian Mengel

SUBMIT EDITORIAL IDEAS, NEWS, AND LETTERS TO: BoxScore@theYGSgroup.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Cindy Huber Director of Conventions and Meetings

Chelsea May, Education and Training Manager

Laura Mihalick, Senior Meeting Manager

Patrick Moore Membership Manager

Taryn Pyle, Director of Training, Education, and Professional Development

Alyce Ryan Membership Marketing Senior Manager

Steve Young, Ambassador-at-Large

ADVERTISING

Taryn Pyle

703-535-1391 • tpyle@AICCbox.org

Patrick Moore

703-535-1394 • pmoore@AICCbox.org

AICC

PO Box 25708

Alexandria, VA 22313

Phone 703-836-2422

Toll-free 877-836-2422 Fax 703-836-2795 www.AICCbox.org

ABOUT AICC

PROVIDING BOXMAKERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO THRIVE IN THE PAPER-BASED PACKAGING INDUSTRY SINCE 1974

We are a growing membership association that serves independent corrugated, folding carton, and rigid box manufacturers and suppliers with education and information in print, in person, and online. AICC membership is for the full company, and employees at all locations have access to member benefits. AICC offers free online education to all members to help the individual maximize their potential and the member company maximize its profit.

WHEN YOU INVEST AND ENGAGE, AICC DELIVERS SUCCESS.

Find Ways to Say Yes

Iam writing this article coming out of the Spring Meeting and celebrating our 50 years as an Association. I hope all of you came back energized by the spirit in the room, connecting with old friends, making new friends, and coming back to your business recharged and wanting to make your business just a little bit better.

It is always healthy to get away from your business for a few days and work on your business instead of just in your business. Our closing speaker at the meeting was Henry Winkler, who is most famously known as “The Fonz” from the hit TV series Happy Days. Winkler’s career struck me as relevant to the box industry because he too has had to continuously reinvent himself and bring new life to new characters over the span of 50 years. As Winkler shared, he lives by two words: tenacity and gratitude. These tenets have allowed him to say yes to new roles and new opportunities.

When I think about the “independent advantage,” I think about how we are the decision-makers and how we can always find the best solutions for our customers. We can say yes and have the ability to pivot nimbly. Of course, the decision-making always needs to reflect the bottom line, but our unique position allows us to keep doors open and say yes. Saying no can open a door for your competition. As independents, we can always find ways to reinvent ourselves and say yes.

Jerry Frisch, owner of Wasatch Container, said it best when asked by one of his largest customers if they have a wood department to make crates. He said, “Why, yes, we do, but we are eight to 12 weeks out.” That is the independent advantage. He recognized a need for his customer that is profitable, and he jumped at the opportunity.

In our business, we like it when customers push us outside of our comfort zone. When we find ways to say yes, sometimes we learn we can do things we never imagined possible, and that can lead to opening new lines of business. Finding ways to say yes is part of the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our companies. The next time a customer challenges you with an opportunity that is slightly outside of your scope, push yourself to find a yes that adds value to your customer and ultimately your bottom line.

Market Insights

Alternative Price Mechanism

BY RYAN FOX

The recent earnings calls of publicly traded box companies revealed an insight that might be of interest to AICC members: Some of North America’s biggest producers have reservations about the standard way price changes are implemented for containerboard and, therefore, boxes.

Problem

Consolidation in the corrugated packaging industry has left five producers with control of about 75% of containerboard production. Many smaller independents that make up the other 25% belong to AICC, and they must compete for market share with “Big Paper,” the group led by International Paper, Packaging Corp. of America, and WestRock.

Since most of the containerboard produced by companies with paper mills are vertically integrated, the open market has been left to determine when the market price, or index, changes. However, the open market is now a small slice of the industry, representing only about 5% of all consumption—the epitome of the tail wagging the dog.

This creates a problem because box prices have long been tied to containerboard prices. Contracts for boxes often stipulate that their prices won’t move until containerboard does.

But what happens when business dynamics change and a company wants—or needs—to raise box prices, yet containerboard hasn’t budged? If your contract follows historical norms, you’re out of luck. The only way to raise box prices is to raise the price of containerboard.

Still, most contracts are worded in such a way that they’re tied to “open market transactions,” as reported by a single

publication. Typically, if demand ebbs and supply goes up, prices fall. Things get more complicated when the cost of making something rises and demand stalls. Recently, demand has been weak, paper supply has grown, and box prices have fallen. Producers need to cover rising costs, but their hands have been tied by the open market.

But Wait, There’s More

So, why did box prices decline in the first place? It wasn’t simply because of a drop in containerboard’s open-market price or global oversupply. Rather, it stemmed largely from greater competition for market share amid waning box demand, compounded by a changing cost curve as companies invested in high-speed equipment and automation. They’ve had to spend to keep up with the competition, address changing workforce conditions, and meet the needs of box buyers.

Potential Solution

A few years ago, Green Markets developed an algorithm to try to understand why and when containerboard prices may move. In a backtest to 2015, the algorithm picked up every box-price change in the period. In August, the algorithm signaled that a $50 price hike would align with historical levels.

Several weeks later, the industry’s benchmark publication reported that prices for containerboard went down by $20 a ton. Ten days after that report, Packaging Corp. of America issued a $70 per ton increase effective January 1. Perhaps unsurprisingly, $50 plus $20 equals $70.

Green Markets noted in its April 25, 2024, market report that the algorithm

indicated that another $30–$40 per ton increase would still fit historical norms. The next day, International Paper announced a $50 per ton hike effective June 1, 2024.

The outlook for containerboard prices is uncertain. However, we believe the future of market pricing may be driven by algorithms that account for input costs and other factors, rather than a survey of a very small group of open-market buyers.

Upside

For independents, this would make the open market essentially irrelevant to contracts, opening the floodgates to more flexible prices. Since openmarket transactions would no longer trigger price moves, negotiations between containerboard buyers and mills could become more amicable. A mill seeking to offer a discount to pick up a new customer could do so without fear that the report of the lower price would affect box prices.

For integrated producers and box buyers, such a method would provide a potential calculator for testing pricing scenarios based on varying assumptions about the algorithm’s inputs.

The industry’s approach to pricing appears to us to be in transition, and we’ve only scratched the surface.

Next time, we’ll talk about how extended producer responsibility laws may help accelerate the change.

Ryan Fox is a corrugated market analyst at Green Markets, a Bloomberg company.

Paper Industry Issues to Follow

BY ERIC ELGIN

Since we’re in the paperboard and corrugated board—or just paper— converting industry, I thought I’d focus this column on the issues regularly tracked by our friends at the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA). After all, AF&PA is the largest paper industry trade association in the United States, and according to its website, AF&PA’s member companies produce 87% of the pulp, paper, paper-based packaging, and tissue products made in the U.S. AF&PA and its more than 100 staff members in Washington, D.C., are, thus, the go-to source for statistics about our industry as a whole and federal and state regulatory and legislative issues affecting our businesses. So, what’s on AF&PA’s mind these days?

For starters, the U.S. Department of Energy’s funding of industrial decarbonization. Under the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2023, up to $6 billion is being made available to energy-intensive industrial sectors to aid in the development of technology to reduce industrial emissions. The pulp and paper industry, being one such sector, has a notable entrant in this category, and that’s International Paper’s “Pulp and Paper Energy Efficiency and Electrification Upgrades.” This project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a thermal process in pulp and paper manufacturing. “That’s very nice,” you might say, “but how does this help my business?” Well, as I see it, we are consumers of paperboard and containerboard in some shape or form, and any technology our suppliers can harness to improve not only the environmental effects but also more importantly the efficiency (cost-reduction) of the process will benefit us and our customers by

enhancing our ability to deliver a more competitive packaging solution.

Another perennial issue that AF&PA continues to follow, and in many cases fight, is so-called extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation. This is currently only a state issue, with five states having an EPR program of some form. What is it? In its simplest form, EPR is a financial scheme whereby producers are taxed on the solid waste of their products, and the revenue from this tax is then funneled back to individual cities and towns to help fund their curbside recycling programs. (Remember that the revenue from selling the recovered packaging waste was supposed to fund these programs locally, but the glut of recovered glass, cans, and other materials has depressed prices and created a disincentive for localities to collect these materials.) In most of these EPR laws, certain packaging commodities are given a pass based on their overall recycling rate in the state. Paper and paper-based products have fared much better because the overall paper recovery rate is in the 60%

range, while corrugated is now tracked at 93%. Compare this with plastics, which had a recovery rate in 2021 of only 13%, according to the U.S. Plastics Pact Annual Report. With that background, Minnesota is the latest state to enact such legislation, and in its communication with members of the Minnesota legislature and Gov. Tim Walz, AF&PA correctly noted that in Minnesota paper-based products are recovered and recycled at a rate of 63%. So why burden producers with a financial liability for a product already in the recovery stream?

These are only a couple of issues affecting our industry as a whole—and eventually each of our businesses. Watch this space for more updates.

Eric Elgin is owner of Oklahoma Interpak and chairman of AICC’s Government Affairs subcommittee. He can be reached at 918-687-1681 or eric@okinterpak.com

Welcome, AICC’s New Members!

NATION CORRUGATED, INC.

JIM BLANCHARD

CEO

5045 Bristol Industrial Way

Buford, GA 30518

770-831-8177

www.nationcor.com

BOX COMPANY OF AMERICA

MATT DANIELS

Partner and CEO

12 EV Hogan Dr. Hamlet, NC 28345

910-582-0100

www.boxcompanyofamerica.com

VALUE ADDED PACKAGING, INC.

TYLER HOOSIER

General Leader

44 Lau Pkwy. Clayton, OH 45315

937-832-9595

www.vapmanaged.com

DIGITAL PRINT PARTNERS

KARIN MANDER

General Manager

999 Belle Lane, Suite A Bolingbrook, IL 60490

630-297-5357

www.digitalprintpartners.com

PREMIER PAPER

CONVERTING MACHINERY, INC.

MATTHEW MUMPER

President

17145 W. Victor Rd. New Berlin, WI 53151

262-754-4767

www.ppcm.net

Our future depends on respecting nature. That is why we source our raw material from sustainably managed northern forests and together with its partners, Metsä plants over 30 million trees every year to ensure that forests grow more than they are used. All the way from the forest to the consumers and with easy recyclability, Metsä Board’s premium products are the natural choice for sustainable packaging. Together we make the perfect package Packaging made with nature

metsagroup.com/metsaboard/

AICC Brings AI to the Forefront in the Windy City

In the spirit of the Xperience, this article was written with artificial intelligence (AI) and then adjusted and augmented by humans. The portions in bold are additions made by AICC staff.

The recently concluded AI Xperience, held from May 14–16, 2024, in Chicago, was a landmark event for AICC members in the manufacturing and supply chain sectors. Over three days, industry leaders, innovators, and practitioners gathered to explore the myriad ways AI is transforming their businesses. This comprehensive article aims to provide you with a vivid sense of the conference’s atmosphere, discussions, and groundbreaking insights, encapsulating the event’s essence.

Over 100 people came together to walk into the future. Many were first-time attendees and part of the technical side of box plants. Overall, the audience was curious about the possibilities that AI can bring. The event began with the Chicago Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry tabletop followed by a joint reception with the arriving AI Xperience attendees.

Innovations and Insights in AI

The AI Xperience kicked off with an in-depth discussion on the role of AI in enhancing box manufacturing and supply chain processes. From predictive maintenance to advanced data analytics, speakers from diverse sectors shared how AI

technologies are becoming integral to operational success.

The session answered questions about why AI is of interest to boxmakers and suppliers, barriers to entry, and data generation and ownership. These insights were shared by AICC’s Innovation & Technology subcommittee—Jeff Putt, DeLine Box & Display; Greg Tucker, Bay Cities; Jim Hawton, Bay Cities; Gokul Gopakumar, SUN Automation Group; and David Wiens, BPS AI Software—during a panel moderated by AICC President Mike D’Angelo.

Tucker also explained how they data warehouse to tag and organize the data before putting it into a data lake. This enhances the data’s usability,

Jeff DeVries of XDS Holding gives the presentation titled “The Elephant in the Room, Industry 4.0/5.0” during the AICC AI Xperience in May in Chicago.

Photos courtesy of AICC.

discoverability, and reliability. This marks the initial step for a practical AI implementation for immediate decision-making.

Key topics such as cybersecurity, data management, and system integration dominated the discussions, with a strong emphasis on the strategic implementation of AI to minimize unplanned downtime and enhance safety measures.

Hawton discussed cybersecurity and how to keep your data safe. Since AI demands huge amounts of data to be shared, this was a necessary component of the Xperience. Gopakumar presented the application of AI for preventive maintenance. This is an early opportunity for AI as so many new machines are equipped with sensors that can relate information. Older installed machines can also have sensors retrofitted to them.

The concept of digital twins was a highlight, touted as a revolutionary tool for optimizing operations and enabling more informed decision-making processes. A particularly engaging session involved the use of digital twins to simulate manufacturing processes, providing a dynamic visual understanding of how AI can predict and optimize production workflows.

Mohamed Azzouz of Royal Containers shared the concept of digital twins and then demonstrated digital twins live on the Xperience stage by bringing in a digitized version of a piece of equipment at Royal Containers and placing it on the stage, at scale, for all to see.

Key Takeaways From the Conference

1. Investment and Growth in AI: AI continues to see significant investment, showcasing its broadening scope beyond traditional industries.

2. Integration Challenges: Effective AI solutions hinge on overcoming data management challenges, a crucial step for successful AI integration across operations.

3. Impact on Design Processes: In graphic and structural design, AI is proving to be a transformative force, offering new efficiencies and capabilities.

4. Advancements in Maintenance and Safety: Predictive maintenance emerged as a prime area where AI can significantly influence manufacturing, promoting better safety protocols and reducing operational interruptions.

5. Data Security: As AI systems become more embedded in core operations, protecting data integrity and securing systems against breaches remain top priorities.

Based on the presentations made and the two panels’ answers to questions, data availability, access, and security are major takeaways from the Xperience. Also, AI-based systems can immediately impact

members’ operations in terms of safety, maintenance, and supply chain management.

The discussions underscored the necessity of cross-functional teams and continuous education to adapt to rapidly advancing technologies, emphasizing that the journey toward AI integration is collaborative and evolutionary.

Decisions and Action Items

The conference concluded with actionable decisions aimed at fostering a more integrated and efficient future:

• A standardized system for data exchange will be developed, recognizing the need for a common language within AI applications.

• AI’s potential in design processes will be further explored, particularly in predictive maintenance and operational safety.

• These initiatives reflect a commitment to not only adapt to AI technology but to also lead in its thoughtful implementation.

AICC President Mike D’Angelo with Terry Carman of StandFast Packaging Group.

Members Meeting

Experiencing AI in Action

From real-time data analysis to AI-powered demonstrations, sessions provided attendees with hands-on experiences of AI tools. Participants could see the practical applications of theoretical concepts discussed in the various presentations.

Looking to the Future

The AI Xperience set a forward-looking agenda for the use of AI in manufacturing and supply chain management. It was not only about understanding current technologies but also about anticipating future developments. Discussions on the regulation of AI, ethical considerations, and the balance between human and machine intelligence provided a comprehensive overview of the strategic direction needed for future success.

Speed of AI development is another consideration. Changes in platforms

and execution are occurring in weeks and months and will continue to do so. AICC members need to make sure they are engaging the correct team members to understand the evolutions taking place.

Engagement and Networking

Beyond the sessions, the AI Xperience was a vibrant hub for networking, with industry professionals exchanging ideas, forming new collaborations, and sharing insights. The energy was palpable as attendees discussed potential projects and partnerships that could shape the future of their industries.

Conclusion

The AI Xperience was more than just a conference; it was a confluence of ideas and innovations that are set to redefine the industry. For those involved in manufacturing and supply chain management, the event offered

not only a glimpse into the future of AI but also a road map for integrating these technologies into their operations. As we look ahead, the lessons and strategies gleaned from this event will undoubtedly influence industry practices, driving efficiency, innovation, and growth in an increasingly digital world.

The AI Xperience showed that AICC members are early adopters and thought leaders that are already laying the groundwork to take advantage of the evolutions that have arrived in AI and that will come. AICC will continue to develop educational programming regarding AI in order to keep members informed and engaged with the advantages the technology offers—and the challenges it can bring. AICC thanks sponsors eProductivity Software and Stambaugh Ness for their support of the Xperience.

AICC’s Innovation and Technology Committee kicks off the conference with a conversation about “Why AI Is Important to Us and AICC.”

MACHINERY SHOWROOM TRAINING CENTER

Ask Ralph

Metal in Corrugated Refreshed

BY RALPH YOUNG

Over the past 15 years, we have been contacted occasionally about metal in containerboard and corrugated boxes. Below is a compendium of published responses to members and Associates that have appeared in BoxScore, the Ask Ralph blog, and white papers. Here is a recurring scenario: “I have a food customer who must send product through a metal detector to ensure metal isn’t in the food. Intermittently, the detector has gone off, and when they send my corrugated box through without product, it still goes off, leading them to the conclusion that metal is in the boxes. We are using recycled liners, and the mill has let us know that they cannot 100% guarantee that no metal will be embedded in the box’s fibers. The mill also provided me with a document from the Fibre Box Association (FBA), saying that during the paper-making process, there is the slight possibility of small metal fibers getting into the paper. Is this consistent with how you understand it to be? Do we have any other options for guiding our customer and ensuring no metal will be in the box? Is there a way to prescreen the boxes to determine which ones may have a trace of metal in them before I ship them? Is there a way to test the boxes to determine where the metal exactly is?”

So, you may ask, how do containerboard mills control and remove contaminants in virgin and recovered fiber as sources for engineering their linerboards and mediums? The information below relates to preventing metal and other unwanted contaminants from coming forward into the finished roll stock. Yes, it is a lot of detail, but that’s what it takes to build an acceptable corrugated component today.

• Origin of the metal fragments: The vast majority of the offending contaminants originates from the old corrugated container streams that are converted into clean recycled furnish. A very small amount can also occur when process equipment in contact with the furnish fails in operation.

• Furnish cleaning process and contaminants barriers: Contaminants and metal pieces larger than 0.625" (15.875 mm) are removed in the pulper detrashing system. Two continuous light detrashers, one grapple hoist, and one ragger perform that duty. The pulper extraction plate acts as the barrier.

º Glass particles, staples, and coarse sand are removed by density difference in the high-density hydro cyclones.

º Contaminants larger than 0.024" (0.61 mm; slotted baskets) are rejected by the coarse screens.

º Fine sand and metal particles are removed by density difference in a five-stage forward cleaning system.

º Contaminants larger than 0.006" (0.15 mm) and 0.008" (0.2 mm; slotted baskets) are rejected by the fractionation and fine-screening system.

º The long fraction is further cleaned with reverse cleaners to remove stickies that may have been accepted by the 0.008" (0.2mm) fine screens.

• The above equipment does an excellent job of removing the contaminants. However, if foil or

metal flakes are smaller than the fine slots or if they are generated after the furnish cleaning, they can end up in the linerboard sheet.

º The paper machine approach screen acts as a final barrier rejecting any contaminant larger than 0.062" (1.52 mm; hole basket) that may have been introduced in the process after stock preparation or let through due to equipment failure.

I must concur with the position of FBA and the nature of the more than 140 domestic paper machines that manufacture containerboard. I have attended enough Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Corrugated Technical Committee meetings over my 40 years to know this concern comes up at every meeting three times a year. Even the sophistication levels at the different recycled mills vary in their ability to remove metals from the recovered fiber.

Ralph Young is the principal of Alternative Paper Solutions and is AICC’s technical advisor. Contact Ralph directly about technical issues that impact our industry at askralph@AICCbox.org

Ask Tom

Capabilities, Capacities, and Choices

BY TOM WEBER

Wow, what a great first half to 2024 we have had, and we have only just begun! As I draft this article, I am reminded of just how fortunate we all are to have the legacy and leadership of the AICC team. They epitomize all that is great in the Americas these days, and they are, by all accounts, a rare breed. I have watched in awe as the team continues to provide us online and on-site education that is second to none and included in our memberships, and now to watch so many of our AICC member manufacturing teams receive focused operational training is, in one word, awesome! This type of support and confidence in all of us for 2024 and beyond is exactly why I want us to take a brief moment and give our heartfelt thanks to Steve Young, our past AICC president and current ambassador-at-large, and Mike D’Angelo, our current president, both of whom have led us into this tremendous growth of services and education. Through their generosity, caring, and business acumen, we have one of the finest teams assembled and most well-equipped associations to serve our industry in North America, Canada, Mexico, and beyond. I am proud to be a small part of this team.

My request, after our salute to the AICC leadership team, is a call to action

for all of us. We have a responsibility to utilize these wonderful AICC capabilities that have been placed in our hands to the absolute maximum gain for our various companies. That means we must approach each minute, hour, shift, and workday with a renewed vim and vigor surrounding the highest quality, greatest sales, best service, and fastest production of each and every order. Our loyal and wonderful clients are kind enough to choose us to produce their key packaging requirements for them. They do have other choices, and we must always remember that as we conduct our daily work activities. Ask yourself the following questions routinely to remain grounded in what is important:

• Am I providing the absolute best-quality product/service I can for my internal and external customers?

• Am I holding myself accountable for my personal contributions to my company, and am I proud of what I have done/produced/made/sold in the past hour/shift/day/week/month?

• What can I do today and tomorrow to better serve those wonderful customers who provide me the means to support my family and my fellow team members?

I know for certain that each one of you reading this article has the capacity within you to be great at what you do for your fine company. Do you believe that? It is essential that every person on your team knows they have the full support of the entire AICC team, and we are here to assist you in any way to excel personally and professionally every day.

As you can imagine, this servant culture in an association such as ours will allow us to move from really good

to great. I urge each of you to find a way to make your capacity and capability to contribute today better than yesterday and to think about tomorrow’s improvement on your ride back to work tomorrow. Challenge yourself, your supervisors, and your management team. You owe it to yourself, your teammates, and certainly your ownership.

Lastly, it is our choice to react, respond, change, adapt, improve, speed up, slow down—you get it! I would suggest to you that, given a choice, you take the high road and err on the side of doing more, listening more, contributing more, adding more input, questioning more, training more—you get it again! We all have choices, and when you explore yours at every juncture, please ask yourself the following quite simple questions: How will my decision/input/recommendation affect this situation in the most positive way possible? How will the outcome and those involved in the process be improved by my approach?

You see, team, we all have untapped and tremendously powerful capabilities, capacities, and choices to make.

Understand them, take your time to think about them clearly each day, and make use of them with the best possible outcome in mind for all concerned because we are all we’ve got!

Here’s to making it a wonderful second half of 2024 and beyond at AICC, at your company, and for all of you and your families.

Tom Weber is president of WeberSource LLC and is AICC’s folding carton and rigid box technical advisor. Contact Tom directly at asktom@AICCbox.org

Selling Today

Seven Questions to Ask Before Committing to an Outsourced Lead Generation Provider

BY TODD M. ZIELINSKI AND LISA BENSON

New business development takes time, a skilled sales team, investment, a defined process, and a supporting infrastructure. While all of these aspects can be challenging to implement, in 2024, finding skilled labor is at the forefront. The Manpower Group reports that 75% of employers struggle to fill positions, and sales and marketing ranks as the third-most difficult technical skill to fill. To combat this, many companies are outsourcing some aspects of their sales and marketing, specifically lead generation. If you are one of those companies, this is a critical decision. Asking the right questions will ensure you are partnering with an outsourced provider that will meet your needs and deliver quality leads.

What Type of Outsourced Provider Do I Need?

There are several types of outsourced providers, and choosing the right type will depend on your sales and marketing needs and budget.

Some companies claim to sell leads, but be wary of any company selling you a list and calling it leads. The companies on the list may fall under a requested industry code (standard industrial classification or North American Industry Classification System) and within a specific geography, but these lists aren’t vetted to fit your specific needs regarding sales potential, product requirements, and decision-makers. Often, these lists contain outdated contact information—if any at all—or in some cases, the emails are spam traps, which can result in consequences ranging from future delivery issues to blacklisting.

If you have the personnel, you can use a service such as D&B Hoovers or ZoomInfo to generate an initial list that your sales support team can research to narrow the list to potential prospects, ensure that the contact information is correct, and confirm that the contact is a decision-maker.

If you need more support than this, decide if your company can benefit from inbound and/or outbound marketing. Inbound marketing pulls in prospects using passive tactics to attract people seeking packaging solutions. Outbound consists of active outreach tactics targeting specific companies and contacts to start the sales process. Most packaging manufacturers benefit from a holistic approach that incorporates both.

Once you know what kind of provider you need, you will have to ask your prospective candidates questions about the approach they take and the results you can expect.

What Is Your Packaging Experience?

Partnering with an agency that not only understands the difference between a corrugated box and a cardboard box but also has a finger on the pulse of the industry shortens the onboarding learning curve and provides confidence that your company will be represented appropriately when its team is speaking to prospects on your behalf. An agency with industry experience will understand the nuances and challenges faced by independent corrugators versus integrated. Additionally, every industry has a unique audience with specific needs, preferences, and pain points; packaging is no

exception. An agency familiar with paper packaging will understand your target audience better, allowing them to tailor their marketing strategies to resonate with them effectively. Since they understand what is happening in the industry, they can adapt messaging to be relevant.

What Is Your Approach?

Having a repeatable process is key. The approach taken to make a box can vary from provider to provider. One may deliver boxes to spec every time, and another manufacturer may have varying dimensions, poor glue adhesion, and inferior graphics. The same is true of outsourced partners. A repeatable process with feedback data will ensure a better outcome.

The approach should also involve best practice activities. For example, some search engine optimization (SEO) providers may focus only on content. A best practice SEO provider should offer technical optimization, improve the users’ experience, build organic visibility, incorporate on-page and off-page SEO, monitor rankings, give suggestions for improvement, and focus on long-term results. When inbound leads come in, your team must determine if they fit your targeted profile and quickly follow up with them. When using SEO alone, it takes months to start seeing results.

An outbound provider’s process involves calling and emailing prospects from lists the agency builds or you provide. They should have a process with a regular cadence for outreach and a means to follow up and prevent opportunities from aging. Because they are speaking

Selling Today

directly to prospects, they should understand the packaging industry and be able to speak at a high level about your services, including having prepared rebuttals to common objections.

A full-service agency provides inbound and outbound services and follows up on inbound leads. Some firms also offer sales support by tracking leads through the sales pipeline, reconnecting with leads that have gone dark, following up on quotes, reaching out to current customers who may have additional spending potential, and finding out why an opportunity was lost or won. These agencies should assist with accountability to ensure that leads move through the pipeline.

How Many People Will Be Working on My Account?

Understanding the expertise and roles of the individuals involved with your account can help you gauge the comprehensiveness and quality of the service you will receive. It gives you an idea of the level of attention and resources the provider dedicates to your business and can indicate their capacity to effectively manage your needs.

You will also want to ask if the team will remain the same or if individuals rotate in and out. When the same team members handle your account, they develop a deeper understanding of your products or services. This familiarity enables them to communicate more effectively and convincingly with potential clients about the benefits and features of what you offer.

How Are Leads Qualified?

How leads are qualified is important, as it directly impacts the amount of work your sales team has to do. Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) often come in through your website, or they may also come from another platform that offers downloadable content—the person may fill out a form in exchange for your e-book or webinar, for example. If the agency

provides MQLs, understand that your team must determine if they are a good fit, which uses resources.

Sales-qualified leads are ready for the salesperson to contact. They have been determined to fit your customer profile and are prepared to discuss their needs. Someone from the agency will speak to the prospect to ensure they meet the qualification criteria. These are much more valuable than an MQL.

How Many Leads Can I Expect and in What Time Frame?

If this question makes an agency nervous or they answer with “there is no way to know,” they are not confident in their processes or don’t have enough experience in the paper-based packaging industry. A company with expertise understands that the results for a corrugated brown box will differ from a retail display, which is different from retail packaging. Using your pipeline conversion rates, they should be able to calculate the number of qualified leads you can expect and how they move through the sales cycle. Remember that the length of your sales cycle must be considered.

Although it’s more challenging for an SEO provider, they should be able to predict how many quality inbound submissions you can expect based on their experience with others in the same industry. You will also want to ensure they use tactics to target leads, including local SEO and targeted keywords. It isn’t helpful for an East Coast boxmaker to get hundreds of website visitors from the West Coast.

Can You Provide a Packaging Case Study and References?

Understanding their past performance is crucial when evaluating an inbound or outbound lead generation agency. Requesting a case study and references allows you to gauge their process’s effectiveness and their client’s satisfaction.

The case study should highlight the client’s objectives, strategies employed, challenges faced, and outcomes achieved. Ensure the case study is relevant to your industry and provides quantifiable results, such as the number of qualified leads generated, the increase in website traffic, or the value of new sales generated. Quantifiable results help in assessing the effectiveness of the agency’s work.

In addition to a case study, ask for client references. Speaking directly to past or current clients can provide insights into the agency’s reliability, communication, and overall service quality. Ask these references specific questions about their experience working with the agency, the agency’s responsiveness to inquiries, and the reference’s satisfaction with the results obtained.

By requesting a comprehensive case study and direct references, you can better understand the agency’s capabilities and the likelihood of achieving your desired outcomes. This due diligence is key in choosing an agency that aligns with your business goals and can deliver tangible results.

Hiring an agency for inbound and/ or outbound lead generation can be a significant investment. Asking the right questions upfront can help ensure the agency’s approach aligns with your business goals, optimizing your return on investment and minimizing risks.

Todd M. Zielinski is managing director and CEO at Athena SWC LLC. He can be reached at 716-250-5547 or tzielinski@athenaswc.com

Lisa Benson is senior marketing content consultant at Athena SWC LLC. She can be reached at lbenson@athenaswc.com

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Leadership

Now Serving

BY SCOTT ELLIS, ED.D.

The late Rev. Billy Graham once said, “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit grows in the valleys.” The complexity of doing business in these times affords independent packaging company leaders with so many opportunities to bear the fruit that comes with adversity. One independent advantage is agility. Many have grown companies that have moved away from traditional autocratic management styles. Many have embraced principles of servant leadership, a philosophy that emphasizes the growth and well-being of employees and other stakeholders. This leadership style not only nurtures a positive workplace culture but also drives substantial operational benefits in manufacturing.

Core Principles

Servant leadership is founded on the idea that the primary role of a leader is to serve others. This approach flips the conventional leadership model on its head, prioritizing the needs of the employees, customers, and community before those of the leader. In manufacturing, where the pressure to maximize productivity often leads to a top-down command-and-control environment, servant leadership introduces an alternative. It emphasizes key principles such as empathy, active listening, stewardship, and a deep commitment to the personal and professional growth of individuals.

Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

One of the most significant impacts of servant leadership is seen in how it enhances employee engagement and satisfaction. By actively seeking to understand and address the needs and aspirations of their teams, servant leaders help create a workplace where employees feel valued and respected.

This approach boosts morale and can dramatically increase employee retention rates. In the manufacturing sector, where job roles can be repetitive and strenuous, recognizing the hard work and dedication of employees can prevent burnout and foster a loyal workforce.

Productivity and Quality

Servant leadership also directly contributes to increased productivity and product quality. When leaders delegate authority and encourage decision-making at all levels, workers are more likely to take initiative and demonstrate greater accountability for their work. This empowerment leads to innovation and efficiency improvements. When employees know they are supported and their input is valued, they are more meticulous in their work, leading to higher-quality outcomes and reduced rates of defects or rework.

Teamwork

Another key benefit is the enhancement of team cohesion and collaboration.

The servant leadership style fosters an environment in which all team members feel they have a voice and that their contributions are important. Such inclusivity reduces workplace conflicts because team members are more willing to support one another and work together toward common goals. Enhanced collaboration under a servant leadership model often results in better problem-solving and more innovative solutions to production challenges.

Beyond the Factory

The influence of servant leadership extends beyond the immediate workplace. In manufacturing, where companies can significantly impact their local

communities and environments, servant leaders often adopt practices that promote sustainability and community engagement. This may include investing in local economies, improving environmental practices, or supporting local education. Such actions not only improve the company’s reputation but also contribute to a more positive public perception, making the company a preferred employer and a respected corporate citizen.

Responsive, Responsible, Resilient

Adopting servant leadership in manufacturing is not merely about changing how managers interact with their teams; it’s about transforming the entire company culture. This leadership style brings numerous benefits, including enhanced employee satisfaction, increased productivity and quality, better teamwork, and a positive community impact. Companies that have adopted this model of leadership provide a robust framework for becoming a more responsive, responsible, and resilient manufacturer. Leaders looking to make significant and meaningful changes within their companies would do well to consider how servant leadership could bear fruit, even in tough times.

Scott Ellis, Ed.D., delivers training, coaching, and resources that develop the ability to eliminate obstacles and sustain more effective and profitable results. He recently published Dammit: Learning Judgment Through Experience His books and process improvement resources are available at workingwell.bz AICC members enjoy a 20% discount with code AICC21.

Design Space

Future of Digital Design

BY CHARLIE SATOSSKY

Imagine a world of high-quantity production runs without tooling of any kind. Imagine sending thousands of personalized boxes with each recipient’s face printed on them with a cutout of their state on the front. This is now a reality. The corrugated industry is experiencing a shift into the digital future with the rise of digital printing and high-speed production computer-aided design (CAD) tables. We will take a deep dive into how these are changing the game and driving innovation in the design world.

Digital Printing in the Corrugated World Conventionally, corrugated converting has relied on more analog printing methods such as flexography and lithography, which require print plates, extensive setup times, and potentially additional operations. The leap into digital printing has dramatically changed this narrative. Digital printing eliminates the need for physical plates, allowing for on-press design changes, shorter turnaround times, and lower cost for small runs. Most importantly for design, it allows for more flexibility and customization by using features such as variable data to create personalized packages.

Designers can now use vibrant colors and complex patterns where it may not have been possible with traditional printing. Graphic differentiation is critical in a market where everyone is doing what they can to stand out. Brands can now tailor their displays or packaging to appeal to specific markets, whether by location, nearest sports team, or even down to the individual. The same display rollout can have an image of the New York City skyline at every store in the Northeast, an image of Malibu at every store in Southern California, and an image of

the World’s Largest Ball of String at the only supermarket in Valley View, Texas. The possibilities are endless.

Production CAD Cutting

At the same time as the rise of digital printing, there has been the rise of production CAD cutting. The same tables that have traditionally been used for prototyping and small-run sampling have evolved to be faster, more automated, and more accurate to handle larger quantities for production with a very tight print-to-cut tolerance. These tables work the same way as traditional CAD cutting tables but are set up to cut faster and automate sheet infeeding and outfeeding to minimize the need for operator intervention. With these, the minimum quantity before a die cut is needed continues to rise, therefore not needing the same tooling investment. From a design perspective, this opens the door to more complex, structurally innovative solutions that may not have been possible with traditional die cutting. Like digital printing, this also means that modifications to a design can be made on the fly without needing to adjust tooling. It can also lead to more customization by pairing a customized graphic marketing strategy with a customized structure. The same display rollout mentioned earlier could have customized cut lug ons for the New York City skyline, Malibu, and the World’s Largest Ball of String. It also allows designers to use their imagination and leave traditional design rules such as minimum slot widths and no intersecting curves in the past. By not falling back on the same die cutting rules, designers can create things that would have been vetoed by production.

Design and Technology Integration

The combination of digital printing and high-speed production CAD cutting has helped realign manufacturing with innovative design to create things that would otherwise be nothing more than a vision. High-quality e-commerce packages with personalized names on the inside are now a reality for large production runs, not just small ones. Minimum quantities for test runs or multiple setups for each print variation are now a thing of the past. This speeds up the design-to-market process and enhances the final product’s accuracy and quality at a decreased cost. As highlighted earlier, it can give designers the keys to execute modular structures and location-based marketing strategies, or even the ability to test different designs in the same rollout to see what impact that has on sell-through.

Sustainability

Another great area of development in the digital future is further support for sustainability. Digital printing can reduce waste by eliminating unwanted minimums for test runs and excess printed material. Similarly, production CAD tables can minimize material waste by optimizing the use of each sheet. Both also help to eliminate some of the complementary waste associated with cutting

dies and print plates. A potential design opportunity is to create logos or patterns with cutouts instead of print. Production CAD cutting can make this possible for some logos and patterns that do not lend themselves to efficient die cutting.

Future of Design in the Digital Environment

Looking to the future, we may see an increase in creativity to match the increase in technology. Digital printers are like cellphones these days and can become outdated every other year. With this rapid progress, we can quickly improve upon what we can do digitally, from smaller print minimums to improved color matching. With the rise of augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the retail world, we may see more predictive design analytics to optimize the performance of packaging design both

in store and through manufacturing. AR can give designers more tools to share what various design options could look like next to each other. AI may help speed up the design process and minimize errors. Increased customization can mean increased design time because new designs have to be created for each option. AI may someday help automate this process.

As brands continue to look for ways to stand out on shelves in a dynamic marketplace, the demand for innovative and customized packaging and displays will likely increase. Technologies such as digital printing and production CAD cutting will be at the forefront, pushing these boundaries. In the same way design was pushed further by the introduction of CAD software from the drafting world, designers will be able to do more with less and will be able to march to the beat of

Design Space

their own drum, bypass industry norms, and do things never done before.

In conclusion, the rise of digital printing and production CAD cutting tables marks a significant turning point in the world of corrugated design. Analog manufacturing is not going anywhere anytime soon, but adding these capabilities not only makes for more dynamic and efficient production but also paves the way for future innovation that could reshape how retail packages and displays are created and presented in an increasingly competitive market.

Charlie Satossky is senior design manager at Bay Cities.

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BYLINE

Events Registration Open for SuperCorrExpo® 2024

Registration for SuperCorrExpo® 2024, the largest event in the corrugated packaging industry, is now open! This much-anticipated event will take place September 8–12, 2024, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Hosted by AICC and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), SuperCorrExpo® 2024 is the leading industry event that draws professionals, suppliers, and innovators from across the globe. Participants can look forward to a dynamic and immersive experience, exploring the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, and insights from key industry leaders.

The theme of SuperCorrExpo® 2024 is “Time Tested. Future Forward.” AICC and TAPPI invite attendees to join the generations of forward-thinking professionals and companies that have stood the test of time with the newest technology, smartest thinking, and freshest insights.

Check out the current sponsors, exhibitors, and the SuperCorrExpo® floor plan on p. 58.

Highlights of SuperCorrExpo® 2024 include:

• Exhibition Hall: Featuring more than 300 exhibitors showcasing working machinery and the latest technologies and solutions tailored for the corrugated packaging sector.

• Conference Sessions: Led by industry experts, offering deep insights into market trends, sustainability challenges, innovations, and the future of corrugated packaging.

• Networking: Providing opportunities to interact and form valuable connections with professionals from across the industry spectrum.

• Innovative Showcases: Exhibiting firsthand demonstrations where you can experience the latest industry technologies and solutions.

• Workshops and Tutorials: Offering hands-on experience so you can enhance your skills in various aspects of corrugated packaging.

• Box Manufacturing Olympics: Celebrating the best in innovation, sustainability, and design within the corrugated industry.

Participants are encouraged to register early to benefit from early bird discounts and ensure access to preferred sessions and workshops. Learn more and register at www.SuperCorrExpo.org

AICC Innovation

Emerging Leaders

AICC Emerging Leaders Engage and Learn in Savannah

BY JOHN M c QUEARY

In the age of social media, economic uncertainty, and seemingly ever-shorter attention spans, how do you get more than 40 leaders under the age of 35 to stay engaged in their workplace and want to be drivers of success at their companies? Well, that is one of the things we set out to find out during AICC’s annual Emerging Leaders (ELs) Workshop.

The 2024 theme for the EL program, selected by EL Junior Delegate Jordan Dawson of Harris Packaging, was “Engage!” This has motivated the leadership of our EL program to focus on ways to educate ourselves and our fellow members on the importance of staying engaged within our respective companies, AICC, and our broader EL community. We put those ideas to the test in Savannah, Georgia!

Traditionally, the AICC vice chair would host a summer workshop, formerly called the EL Field Trip, to connect with the next generation of industry leaders and to promote an opportunity for education, peer training, and networking. To better foster relationship development, the event is designed to be more intimate than large national meetings; therefore, attendance is capped at 40 members. Current AICC Vice Chair Gary Brewer, CEO of Package Crafters and Creative Packaging, took on the challenge. He and his wife, Ginny, worked with AICC and the EL delegates to plan the Savannah event.

AICC Emerging Leader Contribution

Forty ELs set foot on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in Savannah. They came from across the United States and Canada, representing a variety of general and Associate member companies and holding various primary job functions, from customer service representatives and sales executives to managers and the children of company owners. They represented the next generation of leadership and the hope for the future of the independent packaging industry and its related industries.

After settling into their hotel rooms and catching up on work emails, the group met in the hotel lobby and walked along the 18th-century cobblestone River Street, which runs along the Savannah River. From there, they boarded a charter boat that took them about 30 minutes to the 19th-century Old Fort Jackson. There, the members

were greeted by two local reenactors in 1812-era uniforms who shared historical information about the fort and demonstrated period muskets. As the ultimate “dinner bell,” there was a celebratory firing of a Civil War-era cannon. Then, ELs enjoyed a Lowcountry-style meal and time together in this beautiful and historic space that sits right on the river. This low-pressure time of networking is key for the members, many of whom are newer to the industry, to build relationships that will benefit them for the rest of their careers. After this social time together, a great meal, and some cocktails, the members departed via boat.

The next morning, members took a bus to the DS Smith Riceboro Paper Mill, where they enjoyed a thorough mill tour and learned more about the production of linerboard from the team at DS Smith.

Emerging Leaders (ELs) take a ride east on the Savannah River to tour Old Fort Jackson during the AICC’s recent annual ELs Workshop.

Photo courtesy of John McQueary.

After the tour and a bus ride back to the city, members had a networking lunch before sitting down for a deep-dive training session led by Omar Abdullah, Ph.D., of Baroco. Abdullah led a thorough and interactive workshop focusing on the concrete steps the attendees could take to foster engagement within their own teams and how to help these principles overflow into their entire organization. After the workshop concluded and the attendees were sufficiently motivated to help transform their companies and careers for the better, the group headed to a celebratory networking event. Together, they attended a Savannah

Operations Management

Does Your Plant Have a ‘Key Bridge’?

BY DWAYNE SHRADER

At approximately 1:27 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the Dali, a container ship weighing 53.2 million tons, made contact with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Three seconds later, the bridge collapsed onto the floor of the Patapsco River, halting all water traffic outbound and inbound to the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest seaports in the United States. Quick action by the ship’s pilot, the Port Authority, and police saved many lives, yet six souls perished.

The structure, known locally as the Key Bridge, was completed in 1977, and 31,000 vehicles crossed its 1,200-foot main span every day. Much of this was truck traffic from the port and mills at Sparrows Point.

The bridge’s continuous truss design was a landmark and icon of Baltimore. However, its design had one fatal flaw. It lacked redundancy. Each member of the bridge carried its engineered load. If one member failed, no other member was available to take up its load. Therefore, catastrophe was inevitable. In three seconds, the lives of thousands of port workers, ship crews, truck drivers, and commuters would be affected for the foreseeable future. Not to mention all the people who rely on the products that travel through the port daily. For the families of those lost, their lives have been changed forever.

Does your plant or organization have a Key Bridge? Is there a “member” within your organization (human, process, or equipment) that has the potential to halt your operation for the foreseeable future? If there is a

catastrophic event, do you have a plan that minimizes the impact on your business, employees, and customers?

The trend to streamline our businesses often comes with the risk of removing key backup systems. We try to smartly optimize our resources, but in doing so we sometimes, often unintentionally, eliminate the member meant to share the load. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weak points in many operations. Many scrambled to keep their machines running and orders flowing. We have all adapted and hopefully now have processes in place should a comparable situation occur again.

What is your plan to address a similar natural or human-made event? Have you discussed bilateral contingencies with a friendly competitor? Do you have a plan for another plant in your organization to share the load? Do you have a FirstPak partnership you can rely on?

Most operations likely have contingency plans. It’s important to have them and equally important to keep them up to date. Have you reviewed yours lately? Have they been adjusted to meet changes in your business growth, technology, and workforce changes?

I know I’ve asked more questions than I’ve given answers. However, these questions roll through a mind at 3 a.m. I thought I would share. Let’s hope they don’t keep you up at night.

Dwayne Shrader is president of Shrader Studios, a communications consultancy that represents several AICC members, and has four decades of experience in corrugated. He can be reached at dwayne@shraderstudios.com

Oklahoma Interpak: ‘Dividing and Conquering’

BY STEVE YOUNG

The early years of Oklahoma Interpak tell a curious story of oddball, do-whatever-it-takes-to-make a-buck entrepreneurship and being-inthe-right-place-at-the-right-time good luck. Eric Elgin, president and CEO, and Julie Elgin, chief financial officer, now also own the company, which was originally founded in the late 1970s by a local man in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Now in its fourth decade of operation, Oklahoma Interpak is a nationally recognized specialty supplier of corrugated and chipboard partitions, selling directly to end users and the corrugated packaging industry as a trade partner. The company employs 45 full-time and approximately 15 temp-to-perm employees working three shifts in its

50,000-square-foot facility on 19 acres in Muskogee.

Julie related the story of those early years. Her father, John Schilt, had his own company—Professional Packaging, or ProPack—which began in 1979 with a disparate product mix of corrugated pallets and contract packaging services. “We made corrugated pallets and assembled and screen-printed coffee pots,” she remembers. “We started in a barn at our house, but later he needed more space because the building he was in at the time was being sold.”

It was at that point in 1984 that Schilt, in his search for more space, learned of Lloyd Webster’s desire to sell Oklahoma Interpak, a corrugated partition maker with only one principal customer, a glass

Company: Oklahoma Interpak

Established: 1980

Joined AICC: 2005

Phone: 918-687-1681

Website: www.okinterpak.com

Headquarters: Muskogee, Oklahoma

Owners: John Schilt and Eric and Julie Elgin

manufacturer in southeast Oklahoma. So Schilt bought the company, adding partitions to his eclectic service menu. Schilt ran Oklahoma Interpak single-handedly until the early 2000s. Eric and Julie Elgin, meanwhile, were successful in their own careers—he in selling medical services and she as an accountant for a major firm in Tulsa—with no real thought about the company. But as Julie explains, the events of September 11, 2001, prompted them to reevaluate their plans. “Well, it was after 9/11, and you know that kind of shook everybody up a little bit as far as what’s worthwhile in your life,” Julie says. “Eric and I always knew we wanted to work together in our own business. That’s when my father asked us if we’d have any interest.”

Photos courtesy of Oklahoma Interpak.

The Oklahoma Interpak leadership team (from left): Julie Elgin, owner and chief financial officer; Eric Elgin, owner, president, and CEO; Becca Beaty, receptionist and customer service; Andrea Eaton-Steele, customer service representative; and Anita Brown, customer service and purchasing manager. Not pictured: Trent Bennett, plant supervisor.

3 Minute Set-ups

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Adds Eric, “We were living in Tulsa, but my company had a branch down here in Muskogee, and I was down here calling on customers. And he said, ‘Come on by; let me show you the place.’ So I came down, went through the plant, and he was telling me all about it. I think in about three weeks after that, I was working here.”

Julie, for her part, left her position at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and they both started working at the company on October 29, 2001.

With the Elgins’ arrival at Oklahoma Interpak as employees—not yet owners—a newfound energy was felt in the company, prompted primarily by Schilt’s declaration to Eric that he would receive no compensation on any existing partition business, which at the time was due to that single customer, the glass manufacturer in southeast Oklahoma. “No. 1, right when I started, Julie’s dad told me you’ll never

get a commission off my customer,” Eric recalls. “And he told me they might be out of business in five years anyway.”

With that revelation, he devoted himself to working in the plant, learning processes, and running machines to be better equipped for sales—what he was best at doing anyway. Eric remembers how his father-in-law provided further guidance for him as he hit the road. “I asked him, ‘So who do I call on?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know; I haven’t made a sales call in 10 years.’

“I know our primary customer is a glass factory, so I’m going to start calling on glass factories,” he says. “It did not take long for me to realize that this was going to be a long, hard road; you just don’t go into a glass company and start selling partitions.”

So, in the category of being-in-theright-place-at-the-right-time good

luck, Eric called on a Hiram Walker bottling plant in Arkansas, where he was immediately shown the door. “I didn’t get past the entry gate,” he says. “So, then I walked into a [corrugated] box plant in Fort Smith, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m Eric from Oklahoma Interpak. Do you guys ever need partitions?’ And they were, like, ‘Yeah.’ And that’s when I really learned that a good strategy for us might be to sell into the trade.”

While Eric was learning the ropes, Oklahoma Interpak continued to manage an active but shrinking contract packaging segment, a part of its entrepreneurial, do-whatever-it-takes-to-make-a-buck service. “When [Julie and I] got here, we were still contract packaging for a company called Crosby McKissick,” he says. “They made cable clips consisting of a U-bolt, base, and two nuts. And then there were the discs. We used to

get 40,000 pounds of metal discs —you know, like canning lids. And basically, we would get 40,000 pounds of these and package them in 50 lb. boxes. These were used as roofing washers—the metal discs that keep the nail head from pulling through the roofing paper. That was probably our last contract packaging job, which ended in 2019.”

Eric’s entry into the company gave Schilt a unique partner in the company’s future vision. As Julie explains about her father’s personality, “He was an engineer; he wasn’t a people person. He was super smart, and he and Eric were like yin and yang because Eric is a people person and my dad was the machine person. So together, they really did work well. They weren’t cut from the same cloth to where they would butt heads. In fact, Eric was the buffer most of the time between me and my dad.”

Schilt’s machine aptitude appealed to Eric and his vision for the growth of the company. In his early work in the plant, Eric experienced firsthand the inefficiency of the older corrugated partition equipment long in the company’s possession. And Eric, in his entrepreneurial sales mode, saw an opportunity for the addition of chipboard partitions to the company’s product offerings and thus a new avenue to profit from a growing market.

“I desperately wanted to get into the chipboard partition business because all we made were corrugated partitions, and every time I’d go in to make a sales call they’d ask, ‘Do you make chipboard partitions?’ And every time I’d say, ‘No.’ So I spent a lot of time trying to convince somebody to use corrugated partitions, but they’re generally more expensive and sometimes they’re just not the right option. So, the solid fiber partition was the thing I really wanted us to get into.”

His instincts were well-founded. The paperboard partition manufacturing

sector, a subset of folding carton and corrugated packaging industries, is a $6.5 billion business. According to a report from Future Market Insights, the industry is expected to grow from its current level to more than $10 billion in 2033. The sector is dominated by a few large publicly traded players such as Sonoco, International Paper, and WestRock and then a number of independents focusing on service, quick turnaround, and quality. Key markets served include agriculture, glass and beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, electronics, and automotive, among many others, and demand is expected to continue to grow as product manufacturers look for more sustainable product protection alternatives such as paperboard and corrugated.

In their effort to modernize the company, improve efficiency, and tap new markets, Eric and Schilt put their heads together, looking into chipboard paper supply and machinery. Schilt had shied away from the chipboard business early on because of his doubts about the vertical integration of the industry and reliability of paper supply. “I don’t know whether he was correct or not,” Eric

recalls. “But we researched getting paper supply and machinery, and we ended up ordering a brand-new partition assembler and a stripper machine.”

Admitting their inexperience, Eric adds, “John and I ran the first order; it took all day, and the invoice was only $300.”

As the company grew, along with its profitability, Julie’s financial and accounting background came into play.

In 2005, she, Eric, and Schilt created a new entity, EJ Leasing LLC, as an ownership vehicle through which the company could purchase its new equipment. “I’d say during that time—2005 to 2010—we did the most amount of investment in a very short period of time,” Eric says. “And that was to just get efficient or into the chipboard industry.”

In 2010, the EJ Leasing vehicle would also play a critical role in the Elgins’ eventual ownership stake in the company. As Julie recalls, her father was asked by their corporate accountant at one of the company’s annual meetings what his future plans were about ownership transition. “‘I don’t know’ was his response,” she says. “But then he really liked the idea they presented of our owning half of the business.”

Eric and Julie Elgin alongside one of their two Premier Paper Converting Machinery full auto line chipboard partition machines.

Member Profile

Eric adds, “So when we started talking about ownership in the company for Julie and me, we took our equity in EJ Leasing and rolled it into Oklahoma Interpak.”

Partition equipment being a very specialized capital purchase, the number of domestic and even international suppliers is limited. For its initial investment in the chipboard partition market—the years being 2005 to 2010— Oklahoma Interpak chose Premier Paper Converting Machinery of New Berlin, Wisconsin. Its full auto line machines take two rolls of chipboard, cut, and assemble partitions using only one operator. The addition of this capacity allowed Oklahoma Interpak to expand production and reduce the number of employees at its partition machine centers and assign them to other operations. The company now has 14 Premier Paper assembler and stripping machines, plus two of Premier Paper’s full auto lines

under roof; the second of these full auto lines being their most recent machine addition in 2022. The full auto lines are two machines “we always run 24 hours a day,” says Eric.

In the succeeding years, Eric and Julie eyed a further expansion of the business, this time adding 10,000 square feet of production area. In this part of the plant, the Elgins added two Solema assembler machines and one Solema A-style six-cell assembly machine. Solema is based in Pedrengo, Bergamo, Italy, with a North American sales office in Crawfordsville, Indiana . Eric says the addition of the automated chipboard lines from Premier Paper Converting and Solema machines has improved efficiency and throughput and reduced labor needed in the partition production process. “We have a competitive business,” he says. “We are competitive through automation and lower overhead.”

The Elgins rely on a core group of key members of their team to keep the business running smoothly. In the plant, Trent Bennett is the supervisor for the first shift, serving as Eric’s eyes and ears on daily operations. He’s been with Oklahoma Interpak for over 10 years. Anita Brown, a 20-year veteran, specializes in customer service, purchasing, and shipping, watching eagle-eyed over everything coming in and going out of the plant. Andrea Eaton-Steele, seven years with the company, is the principal customer service representative and resident expert with computer-aided design and the sample table, while Becca Beaty, six years, handles the office, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, and assists Julie.

All agree that Oklahoma Interpak’s key to success is its laser-focused customer service built on the personal relationships cultivated with customers. Says EatonSteele, “You build a rapport with these people and then you get to know them on a personal level, not just business-related.”

Beaty adds, “When I answer the phone and it’s one of our customers calling, you feel that 95% of the time they know us on a personal level. They’re like, ‘How was your weekend? How is your family?’”

This sensitivity to customer service comes from the top, and it was born out of the Elgins’ experience early on in the company when only one principal customer existed. Since then, they have carefully sought to ensure that no one customer has any more than a single-digit share of their business.

“It’s not a criticism of my father’s way of doing business,” says Julie, “because when he had that one customer, it was a very profitable company. But we’ve always made it a goal that no one customer can dominate.”

A specialty product used by consumers and original equipment manufacturers, assembled partitions, whether corrugated or chipboard, are a key value-added component of a final package assembly. Eric and Julie have diversified and grown a small producer into a national presence, expanding and investing in innovative technology to be more competitive. This year, they are eyeing an expansion of the building to accommodate work-in-process and raw material inventory, freeing up floor space for manufacturing capacity.

Oklahoma Interpak’s slogan is “We Divide. You Conquer.™” And indeed, that’s what the Elgins have done for their diverse customer base. Asked if he had a formal elevator speech to elaborate on that slogan, Eric, after thinking on it a while, says, “Well, I don’t really have an elevator speech for Oklahoma Interpak, but I have sold a lot of partitions on elevators.”

Steve Young is AICC’s ambassador-at-large. He can be reached at 202-297-0583 or syoung@AICCbox.org

Eric points to the column of purchase orders he’s been keeping in his office since 2005, when the company installed its first chipboard partition machinery. He estimates the stack to contain about 19,000 orders.

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MIDYEAR CONVERTERS ROUNDTABLE

Longtime AICC members share their experiences with entrepreneurship and their respective family businesses

At a unique session at the AICC Spring Meeting in Palm Desert, California, attendees were treated to an insightful and highly engaging panel discussion. Moderated by Joe Morelli, vice president of sales and marketing at Huston Patterson and Lewisburg Printing Co., and Jeff Pallini, CEO of Fosber America Inc., the panel discussed entrepreneurship, family business dynamics, and more. That session has been transcribed and edited, and the following is the majority of the discussion, presented exclusively in BoxScore.

MODERATORS

Joe Morelli Vice President, Sales and Marketing HUSTON PATTERSON AND LEWISBURG PRINTING CO.

Jeff Pallini CEO FOSBER AMERICA INC.

PARTICIPANTS

Chad Wagner CEO and President PEACHTREE PACKAGING

Larry Grossbard Co-president PRESIDENT CONTAINER GROUP

Richard Grossbard Co-president PRESIDENT CONTAINER GROUP

Bill Akers CEO AKERS PACKAGING SERVICE GROUP

Jim “Jake” Akers Chairman AKERS PACKAGING SERVICE GROUP

Andrew Akers Managing Director AKERS PACKAGING SERVICE GROUP

Moderators Joe Morelli (far left), vice president of sales and marketing at Huston Patterson and Lewisburg Printing Co., and Jeff Pallini (far right), CEO of Fosber America Inc., lead a multigenerational panel discussion during the AICC Spring Meeting in California.

Photos courtesy of AICC.

The Wagner Story

Joe Morelli: Chad, I want to start with you. And if anybody listened to the [Breaking Down Boxes] podcast, you know his story well. Chad did not grow up in the family business. He’s unlike the other gentlemen on stage. He was outside of the family and started sweeping the floors when he was young. And as he mentioned, he met the owner of Peachtree on the golf course.

When you were 14, 15, sweeping the floors, when you came out of the U.S. armed services and went to work, could you ever picture yourself sitting here as an owner of a business, giving a talk on entrepreneurship?

Chad Wagner: No, that wasn’t part of the original plan. The opportunity to go from $4 an hour to $6 an hour—that was a big opportunity.

Morelli: So tell me. When was it that you had the idea of buying into the business during your journey?

Wagner: I would say in the first five years that I was there, I started to understand the landscape of the business. The business was built in a way that it allowed all of the key employees or the star performers to be shareholders there.

That wasn’t given; that was earned. It was a merit-based almost fraternity. It’s the who’s who of the business, and if you got an opportunity to get into that club, that was pretty important. So I set my sights on that very early on, worked very hard, hoped an opportunity would come along to get invited into that club, and ultimately, it did.

So that was the very first step toward how I thought what we would do with this company and how we could buy into that company. When we got into that, I had gone to the shareholder meetings and started to align myself more with some of the other shareholders. I found a few peers in that group.

One stick is weak, and a bundle is not. I felt like if we could gather in a line in

“You have to be willing to look in the mirror and you have to be willing to evolve because things change. And with change, if you don’t evolve, you’ll get left behind quickly.”

—Chad Wagner, CEO and president, Peachtree Packaging

that group, maybe a second generation of ownership could be born out of that.

Morelli: How many initial stakeholders were there in those early years?

Wagner: I think there’s always been somewhere around a dozen or so shareholders in the business. The names have changed, but it’s normally just all the key roles: the CFO, CEO, leader of our design, leader of production, customer service manager. It’s kind of always been that way.

Jeff Pallini: So we just heard Jerry Frisch speak. What an interesting story. A lot of those stories are in this room. What advice would you have for someone young who might be in an executive position and would love to own the business sometime on their own?

Wagner: I would just say that if it’s something that you really want to do and you have a passion for, you need to jump in the deep end, both feet first. Don’t be scared. And I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned so far, since we’ve been in this—this ownership group, me and my two business partners—is that you have to be willing to look in the mirror and you have to be willing to evolve because things change. And with change, if you don’t evolve, you’ll get left behind quickly. Pallini: And did your military experience help you as well? Because you kind of had that stint in between. Did that give you a lot of either confidence or direction as you moved forward?

Wagner: I definitely had confidence from the military time, without a doubt. The

ability to manage time and the ability to be organized and be prepared for a good day every day are kind of what I learned in the military. And that is definitely forward and applies to each day today. Morelli: Chad, what during the years where you were a minority stakeholder, what challenges were you facing that made you want to take more and more ownership? Were there certain moments where you said, “Man, I gotta take the bull by the horns here and take the lead on this”?

Wagner: Yeah, so the two gentlemen that I aligned myself with were salesmen there as well. We were all in the sales field, and all of us had opportunities inside of some of our biggest customers that we couldn’t capitalize on. What we saw in Peachtree was a great company full of hardworking people, but maybe it lacked in equipment capability. And maybe it lacked in systems, whether that be quality control systems or maybe prepress stuff on the front end. These opportunities were there, but they were always things that we couldn’t capitalize with. So, our initial business plan was to try to advance the capabilities of the equipment when we bought the business and advance the systems behind the new equipment. And that’s what we have been busy doing for the past seven years.

And I think it’s an easy way for everybody to understand to grow your business if you’re already there—land and expand. And that’s what we were

constantly chasing the owners for, to do. And that’s ultimately what ended up for the transition of the business. They knew that the capital needed to be spent. They knew at that point in their career that they weren’t really going to spend the capital. And so they told us, “Why don’t you guys buy the business? And then you can do all this great stuff that you want to do.”

Morelli: You’re a sales guy. You’re talking about process improvement. You’re talking about operational changes. Where the hell did you learn how to do that? Who did you lean on? Were there people outside the business that maybe you looked to to help guide you through that whole process?

Wagner: We quickly surrounded ourselves with a couple of really excellent, talented consultants. Chris Heusch helps us a lot with manufacturing equipment and process. And Mackie Davis helps us a lot with our business analytics; I would say all the numbers and preparing all the numbers and reports and distributing those reports to the staff. So those two people were great mentors for me. Like Jerry [Frisch] talks about, surround yourself with mentors for sure.

And then this industry has been a big help for me. My business partner, Eddie Davis, is here for the first time. I’m sure he’ll tell you he’ll find great value when he walks away from this meeting. But I’ve tried to come religiously since we took over. I’ve met countless people and have built great relationships, and the business is very cooperative. And people have been willing to open doors, and we’ve learned a lot.

Morelli: Can you touch on that, maybe as a last question here? You know, sometimes, those types of deals can be hostile. Those can get ugly. In your experience, how did you manage through that to make it a peaceful transition during those times?

Wagner: The way we approached that was, we gave the five remaining founding fathers of the business an opportunity to present to us what they wanted.

Instead of us coming with any kind of presentation, we just showed our hard work, our dedication to the company, and our willingness to help them build the business over 30 years’ time. We would all have been there almost 30 years, and they valued and trusted us. And we just allowed them to tell us what they wanted and how they wanted to exit. And then we said, “If you’ll give us that information, then maybe we can get together and figure out if we could.”

Make a plan, and if there’s something reasonable that we can execute on, then we’ll be back in touch and we’ll present what we can do. We did that, and the owner financed some of it for us. A few of them left immediately. Some of them stayed behind and worked for a few years. And so it was just an opportunity for them to kind of paint a white canvas the way they wanted to exit the business. And that allowed it to be very amicable and fruitful for all.

Morelli: I’m far from an expert. I just listened to the experts talk, but in our experience in the podcast, the way you just outlined, that has happened to half a dozen or seven or eight of the people that we’ve talked to and seems to be the easiest way to transition when you ask them what they want, rather than tell them what you need, right?

Wagner: Yes.

Morelli: Chad, thank you very much for your time on entrepreneurship.

The Grossbard Story

Pallini: So, we’re going to turn to [President Container Group] now. Larry and Rich, you guys can split these questions up any way you want. I’ve been through some of the journey with you, so I think what might be interesting is your areas of expertise. It’s innovation that we’re asking you to speak about, but your journey from Moonachie up to New York and all the investments you’ve made in

Bill Akers of Akers Packaging Service Group.

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the past 10 years, which are unmatched. So, just tell us a little about that journey. Larry Grossbard: President was started in 1947 by my father. We moved to Moonachie, New Jersey, in 1964. Fastforward to 2007. I’m walking around the plant, everything is going great, the machines are humming—it’s a dangerous place to walk through.

But I look around and I go up to Richie’s office and I said, “Is this it?” We’re in our mid-40s. “Is this all we’re going to be going forward?” We had raw stock coming from one building. We had a sheet plant in another building. We had to pack out an assembly in a third building in manufacturing. And I said, “There’s got to be more to it. We’ve got to do something.”

It was at that time we decided to embark on a journey to find another facility in order to combine all the factions under one roof. It was very risky. It was very expensive, but we decided to either go big or go home. We made the decision that we’re going to find a new facility.

We have a 625,000-square-foot facility today. We have miles and miles of conveyors, all of the latest equipment. And one of the nice things that it did enable us to do, by making this move to go to New York, was—and I do sound like I’m from New York, I know that. Everybody loves to build enterprise value. And what this gave us, it gave us the opportunity, if we ever wanted to get out, which we’re not gonna do, it gave us the opportunity because we could sell in a heartbeat to any one of the companies who would want a facility our size. That was what made us want to make the move. We were just done—at 40 years old, done. You’re not done at 40 years old. We’re at 60, and we just did another expansion.

We’re looking to continue, but I just wanted to just take a moment to congratulate AICC on its 50th anniversary. What this group has accomplished is truly amazing. I’m very happy that President

was a founding company, and my father, Marvin Grossbard, was a founding member. I’ve been coming to AICC’s meetings for 40 years now, and my son went through the Emerging Leaders, and we’re looking to have our future generations be part of this great organization. So thank you to everybody for all you’ve done and provided this for us.

Morelli: Guys, I’d like to know, sitting around the table, talking about growing to that point is the easy part between the two of you guys: How did you drive the innovation through the organization? Culturally, what did you do to really make everybody buy into your vision?

Richard Grossbard: Let me tell you a little bit about innovation and what we’ve done and how we drive it with our team. Innovation is key today in order to run a corrugated carton company. Yeah, we have a large company up there. We’re currently at 600,000 square feet. We have two files per 110-inch corrugators. We have a lot going on in one plant. And in order to continue the growth and continue to keep it all under control, you have to have innovation. Now, what is actually innovation? It can be many things.

In equipment, the innovation to allow you to run more efficiently, to try and

run with less people. You know, people is a killer in our industry, we all know that. We all need them, but innovation will allow you to run a little bit more efficiently and give you an opportunity to increase your throughput without increasing the head count.

There’s a lot of different kinds of innovation. It could be equipment. It could be computers. I’ll give you an example. We utilize a tool right now called Power BI. For any of you who are not familiar with Power BI, it’s a Microsoft product. Not a tremendous amount of money for the product, although you do have money having people developing it. But what that product will do, it’s an analytical product. When you run a company like we’re running, you know, we have a goal to hit 3 billion feet. God help us, but that will be the goal. When we go and we try and hit that, you need a lot of tools and part of our innovation. We integrated the Power BI to help analyze, whether it be payroll, whether it be managed inventory for our customers, whether it be paper stock analysis. There’s so many different things. We could tailor-make and create the program to what we need, not to what a software company will tell you what you need. It’s a great tool, not too much money, but a good opportunity

Jim (left) and Andrew Akers of Akers Packaging Service Group.

to get what you need for your individual operation.

Larry Grossbard: Just one thing to add to what Richie is saying. The first time we went to the bank, and we had this pro form and what we were going to do, and they said, “Let me ask you a question: Do you have the business to support this expansion?” I look at it, I’m like, that’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard. Of course, I don’t have the business. I said, “Our philosophy is very simple. We’ve all seen the movie Field of Dreams. ‘Build it, and they will come.’” And that’s what I told the banker. And thankfully, they did come.

The other thing we did that really changed the look, the feel, and the culture—and if anybody’s ever gone through, the hardest thing in the world to change is the culture of a business, and especially the culture in a factory—we spent a four-year investment on 5S. We had our consultant, and I don’t want to give any unnecessary plugs, but Les Pickering did a great job. He came in every week, and we redesigned every workstation. We built every apparatus. And the biggest compliment we ever had: We had Aluf Plastics, one of our biggest companies, come for a plant tour. They’re walking around the facility, and they were so impressed. They went back, and he started a visual workplace, 5S, at their company. And they asked me, my son, and one of our managers to come speak and give a presentation. And that’s how you build the camaraderie with the customer and the relationship.

Those two things were huge that we did. It’s not just machinery. And remember one thing about machinery, today’s machinery is a two for one—you guys did it, and we did it. You take out two old legacy machines, you put in one high-speed machine, and it’s two for one. We do setup times, increase productivity, increase quality. The jump in today’s machinery from 10 years ago is night and

day. So don’t be scared of the investment. It’s well worth it, and it’s a twofer. Pallini: I’ll give one final question on innovation, and just real briefly from a high level, what do you see a future box plant looking like? Five to 10 years from now, anything big that you see that’s gonna change a lot in the design or layout or machinery side of the business?

Richard Grossbard: Well, if I could touch on that a little bit. The future of a box plant is unique to each individual company. You know, part of AICC and the independent, moral independence, right? In our case, PCG (President Container Group), we looked at it where we do a lot of the specialty work, but we’re bigger in volume.

We look to compete with the big integrated plants, and we go in that route. But the future and talking about what a box plant would be doing and how they will

succeed. You’ve got to do more with less to the best of your ability. As I mentioned before, labor, labor, labor, labor is the killer. Nothing we can do about it.

On top of the high pay, you have benefits, you have everything else that would go with paying the staff. So the future in a box plant, try and do more with less, whether it be innovation through equipment, through technology. But one thing’s for sure, a lot of people in this room have done very well.

We have a great future. There’s no better product than corrugated. It is biodegradable, recyclable; it will not be replaced. And the future for a corrugated box plant, be innovative. One thing we do in this room, which is very different than a lot of the integrated companies, we’re customer-oriented. We make sure we take care of what they need. We’re adaptable to change quickly, and we will continue to succeed.

Chad Wagner of Peachtree Packaging (left) and Larry Grossbard of President Container Group.

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“Don’t be scared to take a chance. Don’t be scared to grow the company. A little bit of risk never hurt anybody.”

—Larry Grossbard, co-president, President Container Group

Look how many people are in the room, and look at the future. Futures are very bright. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yeah.

Larry Grossbard: I agree with Richie on everything he said. And just one thing I would want to share with all the next-generation people out there. I used to sit back early on in my career. I’m like, “Oh, how are we going to do better than what Dad did?” He built this company. We have all these buildings. We have all this machinery. It’s doing great. But you know what? It can be done. Don’t be scared to take a chance. Don’t be scared to grow the company. A little bit of risk never hurt anybody.

Jerry talked about the risk and the financial aspect. Just one quick story, and I’ll finish. We’re doing it. We just made the move to New York. We’re running two plants, two manufacturers, two maintenance staff, two of everything, which is really not a good thing. Two of everything. And we get our financial statements. And I hear Richie screaming. I’m screaming, “How do we lose $2 million in one month?” I said. “That’s impossible!” But, another milestone, we accomplished it. We lost $2 million in one month. A few months go by, and Richie comes in and goes, “Yes! We did it! We did it!” I look at the financials. “We lost $120,000! We’re on our way! This is gonna be great!”

So, don’t be scared. I’ve never been happier to lose money than that time. It was like, we’re on the right path. We will get there. And I told Richie one day, “We’ll look back on this, and we’ll laugh that we made it.” And that’s what we do

every now and then when we want a good chuckle. So that’s our story, and anybody can duplicate it.

The Akers Story

Joe Morelli: Well, last but not least, a family that has 15-some plants now across the Midwest. I gotta ask, with so many family members being a part of your company, a number of years ago, AICC put together a presentation on family business, had an oil tycoon come in and talk about how dissension ripped apart their family. How do you prevent that from happening? How do you sit around the Thanksgiving table and keep that work and family balance healthy enough to succeed?

Bill Akers: I don’t think we see each other much outside of work.

Jim “Jake” Akers: We don’t have Thanksgiving together. This is a credit to AICC, too, but maybe 40 years ago, our father was a chairman of AICC. At that time, one of the themes was to have family business consultants be speakers for the Association. We had a couple. John Ward was one from University of Northwestern. Another one was, I think, Warren Rustland. But anyway, the theme was that it’s important to have a business plan—you know, financial and economic business plan.

But it’s more important, if you’re going to have a lasting business that’s going to succeed for multiple generations, to have a family business plan. So as a result, my dad had the foresight to say, “Let’s hire a family business consultant to kind of steer us through this process.” And he asked me to do

it, and I just got names out of The Wall Street Journal

There’s an article that day about family business consultants. So we interviewed him, picked a guy named John Messervey. He sat down with every family member and spouse individually to find out what your expectations were for and from the business. And that’s really important because if you have passive shareholders, what do they expect from the business?

That led us into strategic family business planning. It led to a pretty extensive shareholder agreement. And it kind of flushes out all those issues about maintaining and continuing a family business and working through different shareholder interests.

Pallini: Great. I’m going to send one to Andrew. Andrew, as you know as one of the newer members of the family and the business side of the family, just tell us a little about how you work to earn the trust of the employees and find your way to fit into such a great, already successful organization.

Andrew Akers: Yeah, it was interesting. I came into the business about nine years ago, worked outside of it for about 10 years, and had an opportunity when we had a retirement to actually come into our Middletown office. So I was in our headquarters there, and with that, similar to what Jerry was saying, I’m working with people that have been doing this for 25, 40 years, and I’m new. One of the core values that our business has in our culture is help first. I think, growing up, I always saw that as being one of the tenets. And so, carrying that forward, I started to ask people, “How can I help? What can I do to, to help you?” And I think, through doing that, I was able to learn a lot from what people have grown in their experience.

One of the things my grandfather always would talk about was the four-way rotary test. That was something that was

instilled in us very young and is instilled in the business. One of those is, how can this be beneficial to all parties involved? And so I think that’s where I would just go, and when working with people, I didn’t know a lot. But I wanted to learn. I was hungry, and so I think by being able to jump in there and, like we said, get in the deep end, it was one of those “I’m going to push the broom. I’m going to do exactly what you need, and it’s going to help me learn, and we’re going to learn together, and it’s going to be beneficial for both parties.”

I think I still try to do that today, even when we bring in new people, try to work with them and try to just see how we can all grow together. I think every person has a special ability we can all learn from. I’ve been very fortunate.

Pallini: Well said. Thank you.

Morelli: Bill, if you wouldn’t mind taking this one. A couple years ago, you guys made the decision to go outside of the family—to hire a member for your executive management team. My stunt double. Yes, my big brother in the industry. So don’t speak poorly about him. But what went into that decision? Obviously, many people here are part of family businesses, and the executive team is made up of just family members. Can you explain what went into that decision, and why you guys went that route?

Bill Akers: For one, we don’t have too many family members.

Jim “Jake” Akers: I was going to say, we ran out of family. It made it easy.

Bill Akers: But, you know, as we grew, we knew—I guess we were taught by our father—that if you find good talent, hire it. And that’s what we’ve done for the past 60-something years.

Gene [Marino] has been a wonderful addition for us. And I think probably the toughest thing is for Gene—because we’re sort of set in our ways in how we run a business—I think it’s probably tougher to

have family members than someone from the outside. My personal opinion. Morelli: Clearly, if somebody comes in from the outside and it’s been your entire life, you have been a part of the business forever and have somebody come in and give new ideas. How do you receive that? Is that a difficult thing, for you to do what he recommends? Any kind of change to what you all are typically used to?

Bill Akers: I don’t believe so because I think we learned through YPO. You know, people can skin a cat in a lot of different ways. I know when Jake and I got in the business, we wanted to do different things. We wanted to have more people, have our employees participate more, and my dad was totally opposite. He just told everybody what to do.

Jim “Jake” Akers: We didn’t encourage our children to come to the business, Billy and I and even Andrew were box plant rats. You know, we grew up in the box business. We worked there in high school and college. But you know, that’s tough to go right from school into the business. So I didn’t encourage any of our kids. Plus, I saw some other train wrecks where kids came to the family business. They felt entitled. It was like a safety

net for them. We didn’t want that. We only wanted people who had established success somewhere else. And back in those days, too, they could probably get better training at big companies.

Andrew worked for SCA out of Sweden and worked for PepsiCo in New York, WestRock. He got big-company training. But the other thing, we wanted them to stand up and establish themselves so when they came in, people respected them, what they had accomplished.

But because of that, our kids are very successful. They embarked in other careers they enjoy so much that they aren’t coming back to the box business. But Andrew wanted to, so that’s great that we did that.

We know what we know. We don’t know what we don’t know. And we knew that we wanted to go to the next level in terms of growing a company. We had always maintained a really thin bench. We said we’re going to have to develop a bench and a company professional management development program, and we’re going to have to hire people and create positions we never had before. So it would become a mid-market company, and that we have a CFO, we have a director of human resources, and we have an outside

Richard Grossbard of President Container Group.

X

X

X

“We found that the owners that we’re talking to a lot of times, we end up wanting them to run the facility. So we have to make sure that we all have that relationship, that we get along well with one another.”

—Andrew Akers, managing director, Akers Packaging Service Group

president—that we’re attracting a talent that complements what we know to help us become a great company.

Pallini: If I can continue that conversation then, just one last question, then we’ll open up to some questions from the audience. How about organic versus acquisitions? I mean, you all have grown a lot. You’ve done both sides. What’s the philosophy on when to do one versus the other? And this is for any of you. Bill?

Bill Akers: Well, we’ve grown more by acquisition than we have organically, but basically, I think what we do is, the opportunities come around and we look, we do analysis, and run the numbers. And if it works out, we make the acquisition and move on. But we’ve been fortunate. I mean, our strategy started back when Jake and I got out of crystal tissue.

We used to travel all over the world. I mean, we’d go to China, be on the West Coast, go everywhere, and we were flying down to I think it was Texas. Look at a box down there. We both were flying back and said, “Texas? We’ve got to stay in the Midwest.” So from then on, we just said, “All right, we’ll buy something if we can drive there and get back in the same day.”

And so that was our goal. We ended up having plants in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Jim “Jake” Akers: First of all, if you were in the session yesterday afternoon, you’ve seen our industry has only grown 0.7% or 1% compound annual growth rate since

1990. So, it’s tough, it’s difficult to grow organically. In fact, we always tell our plants, you have to budget 10% growth because you’re gonna have attrition every year—customers that move, you could lose business—but for various reasons, you gotta plan for that.

Growing by acquisition in a consolidating industry is important for us as a strategy for everybody here. And then the other thing we did was, maybe 15 years ago, we said we have to be proactive, rather than just being responsive or reactive when an opportunity presents itself, and we saw what Welch Packaging was doing, We said, “You know, Scott [Welch] works on that half the time, so that’s how they get these acquisition opportunities, so we need to do that.” So for a while, I did it, but not very well, because I’m guilty, and I’d always encourage the Yale people to work on the business, learn how to work on the business instead of in it, because I get so immersed in it.

I have the job to do the acquisition. I didn’t do a very good job, developed a couple opportunities. And that’s one of the reasons we hired Gene, too, when we said we needed somebody full time to scout out acquisitions. The other thing Gene did for us initially was develop an internal management development training program, but I think you can wait for opportunities. You can wait for investment bankers to contact you. That’s a slow way to go. If acquisition is going

to be part of your strategy for growth, then like anything else, you have to be purposeful about it, and you have to be proactive about it.

Andrew Akers: Yeah, that’s what I was just thinking—being intentional about it. And I think we’ve had success with the acquisitions that we made; it’s also looking at, does the culture fit? We found that the owners we’re talking to a lot of times, we end up wanting them to run the facility. So we have to make sure that we all have that relationship, that we get along well with one another. So I think that’s what we look for, that we can all sit around the table and break bread together and be able to come together at the end of the month as well.

Jim “Jake” Akers: I think the other thing, too, the old saying, “slow to hire, quick to fire,” that’s true for acquisitions, too, because they didn’t all work out. We had two that didn’t work out, and thank goodness we slogged it out for a year. And then when we finally said, this just isn’t going to work. Either our premises were wrong, or we misread it. Different things happen, but we said, OK, pull the plug quickly.

And I remember one time, we bought a company that my dad liked. I learned then, too, to villainize that. Look, we love our dad, but we also got to learn to speak up when we disagree. And we bought this company that Dad liked.

And from the beginning, I said, “Man, I don’t know how this is going to work.”

So it lost about a million dollars in a year. And we had a shareholder meeting, got my two sisters, and said, “OK, everybody’s going to stroke a check for $250 because we’re going to pay off all the creditors, close this thing.”

So those are the bitter sides of acquisition. We have a high batting average, but we’re not perfect.

Morelli: Thank you all for your time. Pallini: Yeah, I just want to thank everyone again. This was very helpful.

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GROWTH BY ASSOCIATION

AICC Canada and Mé xico are ensuring their members have the information and opportunities needed to be more productive

BY ROBERT BITTNER

Since its founding in 1974, AICC has grown to include a wide range of members representing independent manufacturers, printers, and suppliers throughout the corrugated community around the world. It has also inspired the creation of two other AICC associations in greater North America. AICC Canada and AICC México are equipping their respective members with networking opportunities and educational and training resources tailored to their countries’ unique needs.

AICC Canada

AICC Canada began as a direct extension of AICC International, according to Jeff Abbott, director of sales for Moore Packaging Corp. and current AICC Canada president. In fact, both associations were launched the same year. Canadians Hugh Cameron of Cameron Containers, Dan McKeon of Select Carton Service, and Keith Munt of Pro-Pak Ltd. were charter members of AICC—often referred to as AICC International outside of the United States—when it was founded in St. Louis in 1974. They also happened to be Toronto-area independents. Inspired by their experience in St. Louis, the trio went home and created AICC Canada. Fifty years later, AICC Canada has about 40 general members and 20 Associate members, including suppliers and industry partners.

The characteristics that define AICC International also apply to AICC Canada. “For the boxmakers, it’s an opportunity to belong to a like-minded group of independent corrugated manufacturers,” Abbott says. “We can meet together, network, share ideas, and discuss problems.

We’re all in this business together, so we look at ourselves as ‘friendly competitors.’ We’re more than willing to help each other, whatever the situation may be—including advice or help with a machine part or a bucket of ink. AICC Canada really promotes accessibility among the membership and the opportunity to network with manufacturers who share the same mindset for doing business.”

One of the biggest challenges to growing AICC Canada, though, is geography. “I believe we’re a strong proponent for the industry across Canada, but at this point, the bulk of our membership continues to be manufacturers in Ontario, Québec, and the Maritime Provinces,” Abbott explains.

While some members are in eastern Canada, that isn’t the case in the west. “For corrugated manufacturers in Vancouver, for example, Seattle is much closer to them than we are in Ontario. So when it comes to in-person meetings and networking, they tend to gravitate to the AICC International opportunities there,” Abbott adds.

The English-language educational and professional development publications and programming created by AICC International provide the bulk of the resources available for AICC Canada members. (While English and French are Canada’s official languages, a 2022 survey estimated that around 87% of all Canadians have a working knowledge of English, with 76% considering it their mother tongue.) However, to help ensure the members of AICC Canada have the Canada-specific information they need, AICC Canada has developed relationships with two other Canadian associations: the Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC) and Canadian

“We’re all in this business together, so we look at ourselves as ‘friendly competitors.’ We’re more than willing to help each other, whatever the situation may be.”

—Jeff Abbott, director of sales, Moore Packaging Corp., and president, AICC Canada

Corrugated and Containerboard Association (CCCA). “PPEC helps our members stay current with what’s happening in the industry from an environmental and recyclability standpoint,” Abbott says. “CCCA is the national voice for manufacturers, both integrated and independent, that have corrugators and mills. All three organizations work very closely together.”

Looking ahead, Abbott intends to increase member awareness and use of AICC’s many benefits, including seminars, webinars, advisory groups, the Emerging Leaders program, industry reports, and online education. “Those are some very

students, and help them really understand and engage with the idea of careers in corrugated and packaging. It’s a real pleasure to go into classrooms and speak to students who are eager to soak up as much information as they can, or bring them into our companies as co-ops and interns and give them the opportunities to learn the various roles and to meet people who know this business.

“I’ve been in the industry for 32 years,” Abbott says, “and over time, it’s easy to forget how much we know and how much we have to share.”

AICC México

wonderful tools for keeping abreast of what’s happening in the industry and for training new employees,” he says. “I don’t think our membership leverages them well enough, yet those are the things that membership dues are paying for.”

He also wants to see greater awareness of the value that comes when manufacturers partner with local colleges and universities. For example, he says, “AICC Canada has a very good relationship with Conestoga College in Ontario, which offers a two-year packaging engineering program. [That relationship] gives us the opportunity to meet with the next generation of young people, mentor

“AICC M xico was founded in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 2001 by Humberto Treviño to focus primarily on serving Mexican boxmakers,” says Sergio Menchaca, co-founder and CEO of Eko Empaques de Cartón and current AICC M xico president.

“AICC México began as a very small organization,” Menchaca says. “Manufacturers in the cardboard industry were very far from each other,” making networking and communication with prospective members difficult.

In addition, the very idea of a cooperative association was unfamiliar and, initially, worrying. “Companies in Mexico weren’t used to being part of any organizations or associations,” he says. “I remember Humberto telling me that at the beginning, everybody was very cautious of what they would say to each other because they were in competition and they saw others as a threat. So it was very difficult for the members to grow the association in the beginning. That situation was very different to what it is now.”

Now, AICC México is vibrant and growing, with 72 boxmaker members and 18 supplier members. “Last year, we grew 16% in boxmaker members, but we had a 78% growth in suppliers. I believe that is because suppliers are seeing that AICC in Mexico is growing a lot, the content is

very useful for the boxmakers, and they want to be part of it.”

Menchaca says several key factors are driving the organization’s growth. “A few years ago, AICC México was mainly about the annual meeting. We had one annual meeting where everybody met; we had seminars and networking. But that was it. Since then, we started having more events within the year, including seminars, webinars, and many important training courses. For instance, this year we had a two-day training seminar on lean manufacturing, focused on the corrugated industry. We also had a seminar on best practices for flexographic printers, presented by Kern Cox from Clemson University [in South Carolina], that provided a lot of information and brought a lot of value. We also have higher expectations for the annual meeting now. Members are seeing that in the quality of the seminars and speakers and the increased value they are receiving. All of these help boxmakers to believe that being part of AICC is going to help their businesses grow.”

Boxmakers in particular have been drawn to AICC México due to a shift in the organization’s target audience, Menchaca believes. “In the past, most of the training and seminars were focused on the owners. If you went to a session at the annual meeting, you only saw owners or CEOs there. Now we’re focusing on having all of the people trained—human resources,

flexo operators, salespersons, and so on. We’re trying to add value to the whole organization, not only the high-ranking members of the company,” Menchaca says.

To help deliver that training, AICC México is working closely with universities and institutions, including the University of Monterrey and Universidad Panamericana.

Spanish is the dominant language in Mexico, so AICC International resources in English have limited value for Mexican manufacturers. As a result, AICC Mé xico has, for the most part, been developing and presenting its own programming and publications for members. Even so, Menchaca points out that he would like to encourage more member involvement with AICC International. “We are doing more to promote AICC International, encouraging more people from Mexico to go to U.S. events,” he says. “The first time that I went to an event in the U.S., I was the only Mexican boxmaker there. At the last event that we had in the U.S., there were 20 people from Mexico. I think it’s great to see more Mexican boxmakers participating in U.S. events.”

As he looks to the future, Menchaca sees several challenges on the horizon for AICC México members. The country likely will confront an energy problem within the next few years due to a lack of energy distribution and availability. “We’re starting to see droughts in many

“The first time that I went to an event in the U.S., I was the only Mexican boxmaker there. At the last event that we had in the U.S., there were 20 people from Mexico.”

—Sergio Menchaca, co-founder and CEO, Eko Empaques de Cartón, and president, AICC México

parts of the country, so we are starting to face a water problem,” he adds.

And then, not surprisingly, there is the issue of labor. “Labor is scarce,” he says.

Despite these hurdles, Menchaca is optimistic, saying, “They’re not a big deal.”

That is because, in some ways, the challenges are being offset by new opportunities. “We’re seeing a new geopolitics in terms of economic nearshoring. Many companies are coming to invest in Mexico because they are finding that when you are close to your customer, you will not have the logistics challenges that we had in the pandemic,” Menchaca says.

He thinks the growth of nearshoring will lead to growth within manufacturing. “Our expectations are for 2% growth for the next year, which is pretty good for our country,” Menchaca says. “And I believe the industry will grow a lot with the new investments that are coming—and that will require more boxes.”

A growing industry will highlight the need for companies to provide the kind of training and professional development that AICC Mé xico delivers. “My main focus is on training companies to become more productive,” Menchaca says. “We’re going to see companies from all over the world—China, Asia, the U.S., Europe, South America—come to Mexico and make big investments in the country. My goal is that these companies are prepared. We want to prepare the boxmakers to be as efficient as possible, to have access to the best technologies available in the market, to connect with the best and most reliable suppliers. We want to make sure they have the knowledge and training to grow and to be more efficient. That’s the objective for AICC Mé xico.”

Robert Bittner is a Michigan-based freelance journalist and a frequent BoxScore contributor.

Minnesota Gov. Tim

welcomes AICC members to AICC’s 2007 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis.

Larry Montague (center right), president of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, and AICC President Steve Young (right) thank an exhibitor at Corrugated Week in fall 2010 in Baltimore. Looking on is Neil Fyfe (center left) of Shipmaster Containers, Markham, Ontario, Canada.

AICC’s Packaging Design Competition in 2009 in Las Vegas.

Pawlenty

AICC and Fibre Box Association members pose at Capitol Hill before visiting their lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate during the Corrugated Industry Washington Fly-In, circa 2005.

Photos courtesy of AICC.

50 YEARS OF AICC

2004–2013:

ADAPT and Grow

The year 2004 marked a significant milestone as AICC and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) celebrated the success of their second SuperCorrExpo®, a testament to their collaborative spirit and industry leadership. Amid the festivities, AICC commemorated its 30th anniversary in Atlanta, reflecting on three decades of innovation and camaraderie under the stewardship of Chairman Larry Cooper.

As the dawn of a new era beckoned, AICC convened a long-range planning session in 2005 in Scottsdale, Arizona, setting the stage for strategic initiatives and organizational growth under the guidance of Chairman Lee Shillito.

In 2006, AICC embarked on a groundbreaking endeavor, commissioning an economic study to assess the competitive landscape facing independent packaging manufacturers in light of increasing consolidation and economic challenges. Led by

AICC Sales Managers’ Forum in spring 2010.

Fred and Nan Harrison of Hycorr Machine comment on their induction into AICC’s Hall of Fame in spring 2007.

Students at AICC’s inaugural Science of Paper School gather for a tour at Kapstone’s North Charleston, South Carolina, containerboard mill.

PAST CHAIRS

Lee Shillito, 2004–2005*

Triad Packaging Inc. of Tennessee

Cindy Baker, 2005–2006

Scope Packaging

Brian Buckley, 2006–2007*

Brian Thomas Display

Brad Morphy, 2007–2008

Morphy Containers Ltd.

Jerry Frisch, 2008–2009

Wasatch Container

Kim Nelson, 2009–2010

Royal Containers Ltd.

David Urquhart, 2010–2011

New England Wooden Ware

Andrew Pierson, 2011–2012

Mid-Atlantic Packaging

Charles E. Fienning, 2012–2013

Sumter Packaging Corp.

*Of happy memory

Chairwoman Cindy Baker, this initiative underscored AICC’s proactive approach to addressing industry dynamics and supporting its members’ resilience.

The partnership between AICC and TAPPI flourished with the successful co-sponsorship of the third SuperCorrExpo® in 2008, under the leadership of Chairman Brad Morphy. Recognizing the importance of financial stewardship, the AICC board earmarked funds from SuperCorrExpo® to bolster the Association’s long-term financial health, a prudent step toward ensuring sustainability and resilience in an ever-evolving industry landscape.

In 2009, AICC embraced a spirit of inclusivity and diversification, looking to folding carton and rigid box manufacturers to expand its membership base. Chairman Jerry Frisch spearheaded efforts to broaden AICC’s reach, reflecting the Association’s commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation across diverse sectors of the packaging industry.

The year 2010 heralded a significant transformation as AICC formally adopted the moniker “AICC, The Independent Packaging Association.” Under the leadership of Chairwoman Kim Nelson, this symbolic change reflected AICC’s evolution beyond corrugated packaging to encompass folding carton and rigid box manufacturers, embracing a more inclusive vision of industry excellence.

In 2013, under the leadership of Chairman Chuck Fienning, AICC embarked on a journey toward greater transparency and accountability with the simplification of its financial reporting. This strategic initiative aimed to enhance board members’ understanding of AICC’s financial position, fostering greater confidence and cohesion within the Association.

Cindy Baker of Scope Packaging, Orange, California, served as AICC chairwoman in 2005–2006. She was the first woman to hold the position.

Michael Feterik of Orange County Container Corp. in Californa speaks at AICC’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

AICC members pause at the Great Wall during AICC’s second industry study tour to China in 2007.

A member of the “Afterburners” fighter pilot squadron charges up AICC members at AICC’s 2006 Annual Meeting.

AICC’s Packaging Design Competition in 2011 in Salt Lake City.

A History of Corrugated Excellence

With almost 40 years of experience, SUN Automation Group® continues to form strategic partnerships and expand its range of trusted solutions, building on its storied past towards an even brighter future.

TIME TESTED. FUTURE FORWARD.

Join the generations of forward-thinking professionals and companies that have stood the test of time with the newest technology, smartest thinking, and freshest insights at SuperCorrExpo®, September 8–12, 2024, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Keynote speakers Greg Gumbel, Emmy award-winning sports broadcaster; Jake Hall, “The Manufacturing Millennial”; and Shawn DuBravac, futurist and author of the New York Times Bestseller Digital Destiny —along with the innovations found on the show floor—will bring you into the future. Learn more and register at www.SuperCorrExpo.org

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PLATINUM SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

Corrugated Chemicals 2042

Corrugated Gear 1749

Corrugated Replacements 2062

Corrugator Belt Service (CBS) 2577

Corrugator Training and Services 856

CR Meyer 2676

Cristini 2722

CST Systems Inc. 1943

Cuir Corrugated 1040

Dasong Corrugating Roll 1722

Diansuply 1682

DICAR Inc. 1349

Dieco-Graphic 2 Press 862

Digitech 2301

Domino 2701

Doneck Euroflex S.A. 1173

Dongtai Dingxing Machinery Technology Co., LTD 2642

Doyle Printec 2811

Ducker-Ringwood Automation 2115

EAM- Mosca Corp 2031

Eco-Paper Machinery LLC 2377

EFI 2707

EMBA Machinery AB 2313

Emmepi Group SRL 2763

Empire Corrugated Machinery 2245

Engico SRL 901

Engineered Recycling Systems 1331

eProductivity Software 1977

Erhardt & Leimer Inc. 1449

Essential Products 2077

Excelitas Noblelight America 1279

FARO Bearings USA, Inc. 2340

Felins USA 1676

Flint Group 1523

Fosber America 1431

Freeman Manufacturing & Supply Co. 1176

Friese GmbH 2171

Fuchs Lubricants 1170

Geo. M. Martin Company 2331

Georgia-Pacific 2835

Global Box Machine 1456

Global Box Machine 1557

GMG Color 2823

Goepfert Machinery 2277

Graco Inc. 2819

Guang Dong Taiyi Precision Machinery 2563

Guangdong Fengchizh Printing Machinery Co., Ltd. 2821

GuangDong PinLong Precision Technology 1243

Gulf Atlantic Packaging Corp. (Gap-co) 1177

HAECO 2801

Haire Group 915

Hanglory USA 1923

Hansen-Rice, Inc.  2543

Harmax RollCon 1140

HarperLove Adhesives 1649

Hebei Dinghao  838

Hebei Paiken Trading Co.,Ltd 2807

Hengting Machinery 2563

Henkel Corporation  830

Hitek Equipment 2871

Hocker 1711

HP 1055

Hummingbird 2835

ICASA 1137

Ikarton SRL 2583

Ingredion 1957

INNOVEYANCE  1321

Inspire Automation 2731

Insun  1241

International Baler Corp. 2857

J.M. Fry Printing Inks 1131

J.S. Corrugated Machinery Co. 2649

JB Machinery Inc. 2249

JDengineers B.V. 1471

Jiangsu Newkuani Technology 2817

JJC Services LLC  1577

JKSP Services 2257

JML 1083

Jonco Die Co Inc. 1519

Kadant Johnson Inc. 1916

Kaska Robotics 2863

Kento Digital Printing 2770

Kernic Systems Inc. 1711

Kiwiplan and Advantzware 1931

Koenig & Bauer 1046

Kohler Coating 1743

Kolbus 2319

Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems 2301

Kunshsan Youyuansheng 1843

Lamina Systems 1462

Laserclean 840

Lubcon Turmo Lubrication, Inc. 2571

Macarbox SL 1971

Magna Products Corp. 1248

Magnum Inks & Coatings 1378

Mainline Conveyor Systems Inc. 1371

Maren Balers & Shredders 1236

Matec Logistica 1724

MaxDura International Co., Ltd. 2557

MCTRON Technologies 1376

Mercury USA INC 2371

Micron Fiber-Tech 860

Mid America Paper Recycling 1171

Miller Valentine 846

MINDA 2177

Miron Construction 2875

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America 2357

Moffitt Corp. 2276

MoistTech Corp. 2364

Monroe Rubber & Plastic 2078

Muhlen Sohn Inc 1963

National Roll Kote 2531

National Steel Rule Co. 2176

NE Engineering 961

Newtown Packaging 2713

Nextwire, LLC. 1617

Northland Chemical Inc. 1618

Oasis Alignment Services, Inc. 1718

Olympic Wire & Equipment 2362

OMP 2449

OpSigal 2241

Oxytech Systems 2813

Pace Manufacturing 2271

Paper and Dust Pros 2663

Patrick & Vernon Equipment 1058

Pentatech SRL 2677

PIC-Precision Industrial Contractors 1343

PIVAB Machinery AB 2843

Policart 1549

PowerHandling 2471

Premier Paper Converting 1271 Printron 1030

Proden 1549

Qingdao Yonghui Packaging Machinery 1933

Quantum Ink 2839 Quest7 2283

Quingdao Aopack On Demand Packaging Co. 855

RaeCorr Industries 2671

RapidBond 1362

Re-USA 2670

Redlist Lubrication Management 2783

Rigorous Technology 2678

Robatech Gluing Solutions 861

Rochester Midland Corporation 848

Rodicut Industry s.a.u. 2057

Rota Laser Dies 2583

Safari Belting 834 Samadhan 858

Samuel Packaging Systems Group 1771

Sauer System 1849 Serra 2457

Service First Processing 1079

SEW-EURODRIVE 2162 SGS 2657

Shandong Jinfu Tools Co.,Ltd. 2881

Shang hai All -

KaTranmission Equipment Co. Ltd 1077

Shanghai Shicheng Packaging Machinery 2243

Shanghai Yoco Printing Machinery 2849

Sharp International 2070

Shenzhen Imjaie Intelligent

Tech Development 2563

Shenzhen Sunthinks Technology 1671

Signode 2101

SINO 2883

Smart Inks 2683

Solema USA 2513

SRC America 1136

SRPACK 870

Stafford Corrugated Products Inc. 2057

Stafford Cutting Dies 2063

Stitching & Gluing Solutions 800

Stitching & Gluing Solutions (2) 831

Straub Design Co. 841

SUN Automation Group 1731

Sun Chemical 2757

Sunrise Pacific Co. 2283

Taiwan Endurance Co. Ltd. 2631

TAPPISAFE 1583

T-Buck, Inc. 2827

TCY Machinery 1301

tesa tape 2851

TISCO/ HARPER/ALLTEK 1501

Tribco Inc. 1270

Troism 1383

Two10 Technologies 1571

Valco Melton 1247

Valmet, Inc. 2334

Valsider 2682

Walla Walla Environmental 1683

Weducon 2257

WEIMA America, Inc. 1034

Wenzhou Youbond Machinery 2807

Wenzhou Youbond Machinery  1272

Wexler Packaging Products 1676

Witipack 2278

WPR Services 2623

WSA USA, LLC 2341

Wulftec International 2537

XDS Holdings 2249

Zefco Inc. 1913

Zenith Cutter 1483

Exhibitor list as of June 3, 2024

EXHIBITOR

The Associate Advantage

JOHN BURGESS PAMARCO VICE CHAIRMAN JOHN.BURGESS@PAMARCO.COM

TIM CONNELL A.G. STACKER INC. CHAIRMAN TCONNELL@AGSTACKER.COM

JEFF DIETZ KOLBUS AMERICA INC. SECRETARY JEFFREY.DIETZ@KOLBUS.COM

MIKE BUTLER DOMTAR PACKAGING DIRECTOR MIKE.BUTLER@DOMTAR.COM

GREG JONES SUN AUTOMATION GROUP IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN GREG.JONES@SUNAUTOMATION.COM

Step Up to the Plate

BY JOHN BURGESS

Ifeel that in previous articles, I have given you my point of view of a great industry that continues to prosper and take advantage of the changing world and latest in technology, and my view of a fine Association in AICC that does that most important thing an association can do: listen to its members and act upon their needs and direction.

It is a privilege to sit as an Associate on a board of peers that represents all Associates in our organization, and it’s even more of a privilege to have an Associate board within such a group of owner-operators that gives us a voice.

The unsung heroes are the companies we all work for and their support of these activities. We are aware of the costs of attending these conferences, summits, and seminars, but the unknown cost is the time taken to attend board meetings, take part in conference calls, and the like. It’s significant.

My employer, Pamarco, has always supported industry causes and associations, and they felt my inclusion on the board was a natural progression in continuing our support to the industry.

Pamarco was one of the first AICC Associates to pledge to the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation. We partnered with JB Machinery, Absolute, and Printron to create a lesson plan to aid converters in improving print quality, and alongside Absolute, we were an initial donor to the Foundation for Packaging Education.

After nearly 80 years in business, we realize the true value of these associations by diving in feet first and not just turning

up when the registration for a given event looks promising.

Pamarco is one of many businesses that have done this, and I am sure the family of converters we service appreciate the continuity this can bring to their business as well as the access to the latest in technological developments.

I strongly encourage any company joining AICC to take the same attitude and get involved. The reward from this is certainly commensurate with the effort put forth.

My last soapbox before I sign off will be for the Foundation for Packaging Education. Several members had this concept of creating a fund to underwrite educational opportunities within the corrugated industry.

AICC pledged a significant amount to the fund and then went to the industry to garner matching donations. While this has been very successful, fewer than 40 member companies have pledged to this fund, either general or Associate members.

Quite frankly, I think we can do better than this.

We know the challenge of bringing people into the business, and we are acutely aware of the problems of retaining talent. This fund is earmarked to create the educational opportunities to help companies in this retention effort. If you haven’t yet stepped up to the plate, I encourage you to do so.

John Burgess is president of Pamarco’s flexo division and vice chairman of AICC’s Associate board.

What the Tech?

Training Your Team for Optimal AI Interaction

BY SIMONA GEORGESCU AND RITA

In an era when artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, the corrugated box sector stands to gain significantly from its adoption. Integrating AI into daily operations, however, presents unique training challenges. Many teams struggle with the technical aspects and the strategic communication necessary to utilize tools such as ChatGPT effectively. Clear intentions and a deep understanding of AI’s capabilities are of utmost importance for successful implementation. We’ll explore how corrugated box leaders can leverage AI to enhance efficiency and drive innovation across their operations. This article is a product of the collaboration between me, Simona Georgescu, president and founder of Adduco Communications, and Robot In Training Assistant (RITA), an AI assistant created and trained by Adduco using ChatGPT. Together, we examine the crucial role of effective communication and training in leveraging AI for daily business operations.

Understanding AI and Training Challenges

While AI is a transformative force across industries, it presents unique challenges in training and integration. AI systems such as ChatGPT learn iteratively from each interaction, requiring clear and strategic inputs. Training often encounters hurdles such as unclear communication and imprecise instructions, leading to inefficiencies and errors that may hinder AI’s potential benefits. Effective prompting can be particularly challenging for more junior associates or those unaccustomed to teaching or

managing others. Without the necessary self-awareness and experience, managing AI interaction can expose underlying communication weaknesses. This scenario presents challenges and opportunities. For instance, tools such as ChatGPT serve as a low-cost, low-risk training ground for enhancing communication skills. Through structured interactions with AI, employees can develop and refine their ability to convey clear and actionable instructions, improving overall performance and results.

Strategic Communication With AI

Productive communication with AI requires a strategic approach that aligns with its unique linguistic processing capabilities. To harness the full potential of AI, users must be explicit and precise in their instructions. For example, when directing AI in tasks such as data analysis or customer support, specifying the exact nature of data to be analyzed or the tone of communication can drastically improve outcomes.

Additional examples include:

• Business development and planning: When leveraging AI to assist with business development, clarity in strategic objectives can improve output—for instance, specifying which market segments, key competitors, and types of data (financial, demographic, consumer behavior) should be included to ensure AI tools focus on relevant data to yield actionable results.

• Sales communications: Specificity is paramount when using AI to generate sales emails or proposal

drafts. Instructing AI on the desired tone (formal, persuasive, friendly), key points to highlight, and any unique product details or promotions ensure communications that resonate better with the target audience and enhance the effectiveness of sales pitches.

• Marketing communications: For marketing content creation such as blogs or social media posts, outlining the topic, angle, key messages, target audience demographics, and call to action help AI generate content that aligns with your brand’s voice and marketing goals, ensuring consistency across all communications.

Practical Training for Effective AI Collaboration

Practical training is essential for harnessing AI’s capabilities effectively. Companies should focus on educating teams about AI functions and how to interact with AI to achieve the best outcomes. Developing standardized protocols for AI interactions can guide employees on best practices and help maintain consistency across departments. Role-playing scenarios and case studies that illustrate successful AI interactions are particularly valuable for highlighting both the process and the benefits. However, effective AI training extends beyond initial protocols and simulated scenarios. Managers play a crucial role in continually guiding and refining AI interactions. It is important to recognize that even with the best prompts and guidelines, AI often requires ongoing direction to adjust to new data or correct errors. Developing AI capabilities is not a one-time

event but a continuous process that benefits from consistent managerial oversight.

For instance, the creation of this article itself exemplifies the iterative process of AI collaboration. Throughout the development of the content, there has been a dynamic exchange between human input (me) and AI (RITA). This backand-forth has been crucial in striking the right balance and filling in content gaps. Initially, RITA provided a draft based on the instructions and data available, and my feedback helped refine the output, ensuring the final product aligns with strategic objectives and communicates effectively. This ongoing interaction highlights how AI, while powerful, often relies on human expertise to achieve the best results and adapt to complex tasks.

Looking Forward

Training humans to effectively train and collaborate with AI is pivotal in maximizing the potential of technological integration in the corrugated box industry. By focusing on clear communication, practical training, and advanced techniques, companies can enhance their operations and foster a productive partnership with AI. As the industry evolves, the ability to adapt and learn alongside AI will be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge and driving innovation. Embracing these challenges with strategic training initiatives ensures humans and AI can succeed together.

Simona Georgescu is president and founder of Adduco Communications.

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Strength in Numbers

Going Back to Basics – Part Three: Building a Comprehensive Reporting System

BY MITCH KLINGHER

In the last two articles, we discussed many ideas, all of which are actionable and important in their own right:

• Take an active role in defining contribution and do not leave it up to the software consultant (you all know that my view of the word is to simply use material margin).

• Keep your general ledger buckets pure by not comingling costs.

• Put your financial statements into “estimating system format” at least down to the contribution line.

• Define and create meaningful cost centers to help you understand and manage your business.

• Separate manufactured from nonmanufactured goods and their related activities on your income statement.

• Define and create profit centers within the various manufactured and nonmanufactured goods categories, and track profitability within them.

• Keep the face of the income statement clean, and utilize subschedules to add details.

• Add nontraditional performance metrics to include color and analytics to your results.

These are all considered to be best practices in financial reporting, and although none of what I have written is terribly expensive to implement, it can be time-consuming and will cause significant changes to general ledger architecture, financial reporting, and the ability to compare with prior periods, product code reporting, and possibly estimating system design.

The question is, why is the benefit of implementation greater than the associated costs? The answers are as follows:

1. Facilitate reconciliations between actual and estimated results. While you may currently be able to do a “big picture” reconciliation of

contribution between actual and estimated results, it is almost impossible for you to tie in any of the details. Understanding where you are making the highest margins and comparing that data with where your estimating system thinks you are making the highest margins is just about the most important information that a converter can have at their disposal.

2. Ability to understand the profits generated by various business segments. While converting paper into packaging will always be at the core of what you do, most independents tend to focus on value-added and niche business because that cannot compete with the low-cost structure of larger mill-based companies.

3. Gain a greater understanding of the costs of various endeavors. If you don’t report on departments in any meaningful way, it is almost impossible to know what they really cost.

Strength in Numbers

Table 1: ABC Sheet Plant – Income Statement for the Six Months Ending June 30, 20XX

4. Looking at expenses on a percentageof-sales basis can often lead you to the wrong conclusion because the higher the sales price, the lower the cost looks as a percent of the sale. Two companies with a similar-sized plant, workforce, and equipment could have the same dollar cost of a particular expense, but on the books of the company with the higher sales price, the expense will have a lower percentage of sales. This is why many companies like to express their costs as a function of the footage shipped. The problem with this is that from a manufacturing perspective, what matters is footage produced. You

Table 2:

can have a high production month, when a lot of the goods produced get shipped in the following month, so looking at expenses solely on the basis of footage shipped can yield flawed data.

With all that said, let’s look at what some improved financial reporting might look like for you. Start with the face of the income statement in Table 1. This is typically what you see with expense listings as the subschedules.

As you can see in Table 2, the face of the income statement segregates manufactured sales from nonmanufactured sales and provides many subschedules

that can contain all kinds of statistics and analytics.

This statement also provides some insight into the estimating system, which is apparently overestimating contribution on manufactured and labor-only sales. This would be considered problematic because most converters want to have confidence that their estimating systems are predicting profitability conservatively. Estimating system contribution should always be lower than actual contribution.

If you are interested in learning more about creating an enhanced reporting system for your company, stay tuned for the next part in this back-to-basics series titled “Enhanced Financial Reporting – Part One.” Or better yet, join us for AICC’s School for Financial Managers and Controllers course, which will be given in the fall of 2024.

Mitch Klingher is owner of Klingher Nadler LLP. He can be reached at 201-731-3025 or mitch@klinghernadler.com

Sheet Plant – Income Statement for the Six Months Ending June 30, 20XX

ABC

AICC ADVISORY GROUPS

CEO ADVISORY GROUP

Members of each group focus on real-world experiences, best practices, and the pitfalls to avoid. You are held accountable and helped by your peers.

AICC WOMEN IN PACKAGING GROUP

Our vibrant community is dedicated to championing women's voices, fostering growth, and propelling you toward new heights.

PRODUCTION LEADERSHIP GROUP

Our vibrant community is dedicated to championing women's voices, fostering growth, and propelling you toward new heights.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT GROUP

Share best practices for the advancement of each member company’s success, productivity and for group members’ career development.

SALES MANAGEMENT COHORT

Share best practices for the advancement of each member company’s success, productivity and for group members’ career development.

Questions? Contact Taryn Pyle at tpyle@AICCbox.org or 703.535.1391

Foundation for Packaging Education

Join the Culinary Extravaganza in Napa Valley

The Foundation for Packaging Education’s second fundraising event, scheduled to take place from Tuesday, July 16, to Thursday, July 18, 2024, at the luxurious Silverado Resort & Spa in the heart of Napa Valley, California, is rapidly approaching full capacity. If you’d like to join your fellow AICC members in supporting packaging education, consider the program:

• Dinner on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Embark on a memorable journey aboard the historic, meticulously restored Napa Valley Wine Train. Participants will enjoy a scenic wine country tour, indulge in a sumptuous three-course dinner, and savor exquisite wine tasting throughout the evening.

• Golf at the Silverado South Course. Golf enthusiasts can take advantage of a morning round at the Silverado South Course. Surrounded by the

picturesque landscape of Napa Valley, this experience is sure to be challenging and rewarding.

• Hands-On Cooking Experience, Lunch, and Wine Tasting at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Nongolfers will take in the culinary arts with a hands-on cooking experience at the renowned CIA. Following the cooking session, participants will enjoy a delectable lunch paired with exquisite wine tastings.

• Napa Valley Winery Tours, Tastings, and Lunch. Explore the wineries of Napa Valley with guided tours, wine tastings, and a delightful lunch. This segment of the event promises a rich and educational experience, providing insights into the art and science of winemaking.

“Don’t pass up the opportunity to spend time with friends and colleagues

while enjoying experiences in the breathtaking Napa Valley in support of the Foundation for Packaging Education,” says AICC President Mike D’Angelo. “The Foundation for Packaging Education is your future.”

Visit www.AICCbox.org/fundraiser to secure your place at this extraordinary event. For questions, contact Cindy Huber at chuber@AICCbox.org or Laura Mihalick at lmihalick@AICCbox.org or 703-836-2422.

Our Purpose

The Foundation for Packaging Education will help create a stronger workforce in corrugated, folding carton, and rigid box manufacturing plants by funding educational opportunities throughout the industry geared toward those already employed and embarked on careers in packaging manufacturing. Invest in your future!

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International Corrugated Packaging Foundation

ICPF Strengthens Existing University Outreach Programs and Initiatives

The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) has been working this year to strengthen existing programs and services, while expanding to address other critical needs in the industry. The foundation is following a road map it created with short-term objectives for the foundation and developing effective strategies to strengthen existing programs, initiate outreach, increase industry exposure, and evaluate impactful partnerships.

One focus has been strengthening existing relationships with higher education institutions. Since its inception, ICPF has worked with colleges and universities to expand corrugated curricula and promote careers in the corrugated packaging industry. This past year, ICPF has rebuilt and strengthened those relationships and generated renewed interest and engagement from partnering institutions through a University Awards Program, sponsorships, and direct outreach by visiting schools.

University Awards Program –Asset Donations

Through ICPF’s University Awards Program, 10 universities submitted requests for 2024 funding that included equipment for packaging design and graphic media printing, state-of-the-art research materials, and resources to grow packaging coursework. The ICPF board approved five proposals, and ICPF is in the process of fulfilling those awards at Bowling Green State University, University of Wisconsin–Stout (UW–Stout), Rutgers University, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State University.

ICPF also worked to place boardapproved Zü nd cutting tables at Cal Poly

and Clemson University for coursework, student projects, and to enable participation in many packaging competitions. The donations allow expanded knowledge and increased exposure for students pursuing various degrees, helping ICPF’s mission to grow the corrugated packaging industry labor force.

To date, ICPF has donated over $13 million to universities for corrugated packaging design and testing equipment and curriculum support.

Sponsorships – Software Donations, Pack Jam, and Phoenix Challenge Competition

ICPF was a platinum sponsor of this year’s Pack Jam, an annual student-led conference connecting packaging students with industry professionals, held April 7–9, 2024. Students from packaging universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada connected with industry professionals and alumni to showcase the impact that packaging has on the world.

ICPF has also partnered with Arden Software to sponsor and donate design software to the University of Northern Iowa and Pittsburg State University.

Additionally, ICPF sponsored and supported the Phoenix Challenge High School and College Competitions. Students from colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada showcased their research, problem-solving, design, and print production skills at the Flexo Xperience Center in Atlanta.

Visiting Schools – Indiana State, UW–Stout, Cal Poly, Clemson

ICPF has visited packaging schools across the U.S. to promote the foundation and industry career opportunities. In November 2023, ICPF visited Indiana State University and UW– Stout. In February, ICPF President Caitlin Salaverria spoke to 150 students and professionals at Cal Poly’s Packaging Symposium. The foundation will visit Clemson University in September 2024 to speak to its packaging club, meet program educators, and perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the newly donated equipment.

Visit www.careersincorrugated.com for more information on the work ICPF is doing. There, you can also learn more about how you can get involved and connect with ICPF.

The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation shares with students information about career opportunities in the corrugated industry during Pack Jam’s recent Networking Fair.

Pack Jam features keynote speakers and breakout sessions that showcase the impact packaging has on the world.

Photos courtesy of ICPF.

Free Online Education

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR CORRUGATED PRINTING

International Corrugated Packaging Foundation

Registration Now Open for 2024 ICPF Holiday Weekend in New York

Please join the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) for the 2024 Holiday Weekend in New York event, December 13–15, 2024. Register by July 31, 2024, to receive the early bird rate and save $200. Support ICPF’s educational programs and initiatives while enjoying New York’s holiday season.

The event will begin with a Friday evening reception, sponsored by Pratt Industries. ICPF guests will then attend a Saturday matinee of The Heart of Rock and Roll , sponsored by BW Papersystems.

Set in 1987 and jam-packed with Huey Lewis megahits like “Do You Believe in Love,” “Hip to Be Square,” and “If This

Scan these respective QR codes to register for ICPF’s Holiday Weekend in New York and to book your reservation at the Refinery Hotel.

EVENT REGISTRATION

Is It,” The Heart of Rock and Roll centers around two 30-somethings figuring out life, love, and everything in between, all set against the backdrop of your favorite Huey Lewis songs. The Heart of Rock and Roll is a smart, funny, heartfelt throwback to the era of big feelings and classic rom-coms.

Saturday evening, participants will attend a cocktail reception sponsored by Fosber America and dinner sponsored by Bobst North America.

Space is limited to a first-come, firstserved basis, so register today! Click the top QR code on this page to register.

The Refinery Hotel

Based on positive attendee reviews from last year’s event, ICPF will again partner with the Refinery Hotel near Bryant Park for 2024.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Located two blocks from Bryant Park, the Refinery Hotel is a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan’s Garment District. Its stylish loft rooms, acclaimed Parker & Quinn restaurant, and trendsetting Refinery Rooftop bar create a fashionable refuge for locals and cultured visitors in present-day New York. Drawing inspiration from the building’s early life as a hat factory, each of the 197 rooms at the Refinery Hotel features industrial details such as 12-foot ceilings, large windows, and distressed hardwood floors. ICPF has reserved Studio King rooms ($649) and

suite Atelier Executive rooms ($799) for the event.

Hotel reservations are the responsibility of attendees. Click the bottom QR code on this page to reserve your room. The cutoff date to make reservations is November 8, 2024.

Event Sponsorships Available

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Since ICPF is a 501(c)(3) taxdeductible public education foundation, the total sponsorship is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Your company will also be recognized for your sponsorship in all event marketing materials. Available sponsorship options include a general event contribution sponsorship.

Reach out to ICPF President Caitlin Salaverria at csalaverria@icpfbox.org or 847-226-2671 if you are interested in becoming an event sponsor or for more information.

ICPF appreciates your support of our educational programs and outreach, and we hope you plan to attend this memorable event.

Caitlin Salaverria is president of ICPF.

Don’t Lose Your FREE

The Final Score

Blink!

Fifty years sounds like a long time, but it is really the blink of an eye.

As more than 800 independent converters, suppliers, and guests gathered to celebrate AICC’s Golden Anniversary, the time span of this Association was on display in so many ways. A Hollywood-style walk of fame, an 8-foot display with the timeline of AICC and industry accomplishments, photos from the founding meeting in St. Louis in 1974, a video celebrating AICC, and the presence of so many living legends in the room. These individuals made a real difference in the lives and businesses of today’s members.

AICC’s wonderful and accomplished staff captured just the right mood and had it on full display throughout the recent event in Palm Desert, California, easily AICC members’ favorite destination. I am always impressed by and grateful for the tremendous work the staff does.

Blink!

And then we were home, hopefully a little smarter and filled with memories and the joy that being together brings us. Now we’ll sift through and share the photos and continue to enjoy the social media posts that are everywhere in the wake of the big party.

What a remarkable journey for an Association of underdogs. When the founders got together in 1974, they were filled with uncertainty. Their businesses and livelihoods were under threat—family businesses with obligations, many heavily leveraged and guaranteed by personal assets. Everything they had, tied up in the businesses they created. They got together, formed AICC, and built their future. If you’re not familiar with these stories, listen to any Breaking Down Boxes podcast. You’ll be moved.

Today, their legacy is alive, well, and thriving. Still some startups, along with second-, third-, and fourth-generation box plant families. Even some second- and third-generation family supplier members. The member milestones presented at the Palm Desert event tell the story, from 40-year celebrants to those marking 110 years. AICC, evolving yet constant, continues to bring them all together—educating them, advocating for them, celebrating them.

Blink!

My takeaway from AICC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration is that ours is an industry that has never been better positioned to succeed. AICC’s Emerging Leaders celebrated 10 years as an entity, and their professionalism, optimism, and camaraderie are inspiring. Your Association is also ready to continue its leadership for the next half-century. Why? Because AICC is member-driven—everything we do has you behind it. That’s how AICC got to where it is today.

When Al Hoodwin was AICC chair, he captured the how behind AICC’s first 50 years and the promise in the next 50 years with an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Blink!

Michael D’Angelo AICC President

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