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40 years of putting people first
40 YEARS OF PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST Great Little Box Company
In 2022, the year Great Little Box Company (GLBC) celebrates its 40th anniversary, you might wonder…is this company really so “little” these days?
Today, almost 500 people call GLBC their employer. These talented professionals work across two divisions: Retail Packaging (including labels and folding cartons) and Corrugated & Industrial Packaging (including corrugated boxes, displays, protective packaging, and shipping supplies). In addition to its 250,000-square-foot facility in Richmond, B.C., the company has distribution locations in Kelowna, Victoria, and Abbotsford, B.C., and in Everett, Washington. GLBC’s reputation spans the continent. Its widely admired people-first culture earns the company consistent recognition as one of Canada’s best managed companies and top employers.
It was 1982 when Robert (Bob) Meggy launched GLBC. “I was working for a packaging company, and I figured I could do better,” he says. “So, when another small packaging company went into receivership, I bought it.”
For Meggy, doing better than the guy before him meant weathering a nasty recession while managing people in a particular way. “We started building the culture from day one. It’s about treating people fairly and as equals.”
But despite the growth, the name still fits because it captures an attitude that the GLBC team never intends to drop. Open communication was also key to the innovation that was gradually making GLBC a packaging company of note. At monthly meetings that included the entire company, creative ideas circulated freely.
Brad Tindall, Meggy’s son-in-law and GLBC’s President since 2015, puts it this way, “If you put five people in a room and tell them to come up with innovative ideas, that’s a tall order. But if you have hundreds of people who are always encouraged to think creatively and share what they come up with, then, as a manager, you just have to become a good listener.”
GLBC has a vast array of products to offer their customers. They are AIB Certified (Food Safe Certification), SFI and SFC Certified, and their label division is ISO9001:2015 certified.
They have a Label Manufacturing Division that can manufacture digital and flexo printed labels. The Folding Carton Manufacturing Division can print digital and offset along with a multitude of innovative coatings and finishes. The Corrugated Division can print litho, flexo, and digital. They can also convert all styles and shapes of corrugated boxes and point-of-purchase displays or stands. The Protective Packaging Division protects the product inside the box using custom designed expanded polystyrene, corrugated fibreboard, and hexacomb, and they manufacture their own Earthsaver cornstarch, fully biodegradable packing peanuts. Lastly, the Shipping Supplies Division has a vast array of product offerings.
Robert and Margaret Meggy and the wellrecognized GLBC employees in the box truck graphics.
Second generation Christine and Brad Tindall with founders Robert and Margaret Meggy.
Founder, Robert Meggy and employees at the summer staff BBQ.
More importantly, what makes them truly stand out is their people!
“Our people are the most important part of our business,” says Matt Dwane, VP of the Corrugated & Industrial Packaging Division. “The passion, focus, knowledge, and commitment is unparalleled, and it truly separates us from our competition and allows the business the ability to continue to grow and add value to the marketplace.”
FUTURE PLANS Looking to the future, GLBC plans to continue to learn and develop their resources to be cutting edge for their focus segments which includes the wine industry.
Working through COVID-19 has given GLBC the chance to truly evaluate their capabilities and opportunities. “We have had to improve our processes, improve our speed, and improve our communication,” says Dwane. At GLBC, we truly believe we have the right people and equipment to service our customers and offer a vast array of ideas and innovation in this ever-changing time. o
