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Behavioral Health Care For All Ages

In the Bag: Global polyethylene packaging provider tracks rapid growth

By Clark Miller

SERVICES & SUPPORT FOR EVERYONE

Crisis Intervention Services

• 24/7 Crisis Line 1-833-295-0616

• 24/7 Crisis Welcoming Center at 105 Hall Street, Traverse City

• Mobile Crisis Teams for Adults and Children

• North Hope Crisis Home – Six new adult crisis residential beds opening in Traverse City in June with support from NLCMHA

Integrated Health Services - Northern Lakes Integrated Health Clinic

• Primary health care clinic for anyone in the community, all ages, all/no insurance. Accepting new patients. Call for appointment: 231-935-3062.

Kandu Island Drop-In Center – a safe place to be, for all, on S. Garfield.

Cmh Services For Eligible People

• Psychiatry

• Therapy

• Counseling

• Case Management

• Autism Applied Behavioral Analysis

• Specialized Residential Services

• Long-term Services and Support

• Traverse House & Club Cadillac Clubhouses

• See full list at northernlakescmh.org/services

WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL US!

24/7 Crisis Line: 833-295-0616

Access to Service: 800-492-5742

Customer Service: 800-337-8598

Three things – a diverse client base, an expanding list of products, and forward-thinking leadership – explain the success of Traverse City manufacturer Plascon Group.

Started by David Peterson in 2000, and under day-to-day leadership the past five years by former Graceland Fruit CFO Troy Terwilliger, Plascon has become a global provider of polyethylene packaging. It also sells the machinery and blown film (the raw material) needed by customers to produce their own specialized products.

The company has grown. It now has 95 employees, a 58,000 square-foot plant in Traversefield Industrial Park and a two-person sales staff in the United Kingdom.

Like so many manufacturers, Plascon faced Covid-related supply chain challenges. Remarkedly, though, the company recorded 25% growth in both 2021 and 2022.

“The liners also improve flavor, extend the life of containers and reduce clean-up time,” he said. “They’re popular with quick-serve places and convenience stores around the country.”

The company also has a surprising (and reliable) revenue source – prison work programs and rehabilitation facilities that turn polyethylene film bought from Plascon into various kinds of bags used either on site or by other governmental agencies.

Recently, Terwilliger has added a twist: The company now pays inmates at Miami Correctional near Kokomo, Indiana around $15 per hour to assemble bags that are then sold by Plascon.

Terwilliger is proud of that, and it’s not just about the bottom line.

Troy Terwilliger, president & CEO, Plascon Group

“We set a company record by eclipsing $20 million in sales,” Terwilliger said.

That performance is not by chance. It can be attributed in part to having hundreds of customers spread across different industries, plus Terwilliger, who says he is “constantly” looking for new markets.

He also credits the rapid growth to strong demand from the food packaging sector, which accounts for more than half of Plascon’s annual sales. Plascon also manufactures and sells various sizes of bags and liners used in agricultural harvesting.

Another bright spot has been the popularity of a new, patented product, Saftea Liners. They help prevent bacterial buildup in threeto four-gallon urns holding iced beverages such as tea, ice coffee or fruit drinks.

Sales have been brisk, Terwilliger says.

“Offenders could be sitting in their cells, just staring at their cellmate all day,” he said. “But instead, they learn to work together. And when they leave prison, they’ve built a nest egg.”

His hope is that the program will help reduce recidivism.

Going forward, Terwilliger anticipates revenue growth in the biopharma sector. Employees in Plascon’s newly enlarged clean room are already producing bags used for packaging vaccines, therapeutics and culture growth.

“We’re also focusing on growing our biodegradable film products,” Terwilliger said. “They are just as strong and have the same use characteristics as traditional products.” Interest is growing in the biodegradable sector, he says.

“We don’t want to be part of a floating pile of plastic in the ocean,” said Terwilliger.

The Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council (GTAMC) sponsors this column. Its mission is to support a sustainable and globally competitive manufacturing sector for a stronger economy; makegreatthings.org.

Exposures

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan (Bigs) recently received $2,344.41 from Oryana to support its mission, thanks to Oryana customers who participated in “Groceries for Good,” choosing to round up their bill to the nearest dollar and to Oryana for donating 2% of its profits from sales on June 15. The funds will directly benefit local children, matching them with a caring, positive adult role model to help guide them toward a successful future. Pictured are Caroline Golbeck, Cecilia Chesney, Kris Hoxie and Kirsten Harris.

Will and Bobbi Blanton opened a La Macaron franchise last month at 332 E. Front St. The couple also has a Grand Rapids location and has served and volunteered in West Michigan working with individuals with developmental disabilities. “We have always wanted to be involved in a venture that would be able to create opportunities for people with special needs and be a part of a community. The two seemed to marry together. With our expansion to Traverse City, we look forward to developing our relationships within this amazing community also.”

>> BANKING & FINANCE

1 - Kat Antoine has been promoted to branch leader at TBA Credit Union’s South Airport location in Traverse City. Antoine has been with the credit union for eight years.

2 - Jim Behrmann has joined First Savings Bank Mortg age as a mortgage loan originator and recently opened an office at 830 E. Front St., Ste. 323, in Traverse City. Behrmann previously worked for Wells Fargo as a private mortgage banker for 15 years.

3 - Mary Mulvany has been promoted to branch leader at TBA Credit Union’s Front Street location in Traverse City. Mulvany has been with the credit union for three years.

Dennis, Gartland & Niergarth public accounting firm in Traverse City recently announced the following promotions :

4 - Kelly Brown is now a senior accountant. Brown joined DGN in January 2022.

5 - Courtney Guy has been promoted to senior accountant. Guy joined the DGN team in 2021 as an experienced accountant.

6 - Mickayla Munroe is now a senior accountant. Munroe joined the DGN team in January 2022.

7 - Laura E. Reinhold, CPA, has been promoted to tax manager. Reinhold joined DGN as an intern in 2004 and joined the team full-time after graduation.

>> REAL ESTATE

8 - Karlie Acton has joined the Live Traverse City real estate team with Kyle O’Grady at Re/Max Bayshore.

9 - Rebecca Tippett has joined KW Northern Michigan in Traverse City as an agent. She is also a co-founding member of KIRE Realty Group within Keller Williams. This group was created to be an inclusive provider of real estate services, specializing in the LGBTQIA+ community.

>> OTHER

10 - Dawn Bousamra is the new executive director of ShareCare of Leelanau. Bousamra previously worked for Benzie Senior Resources for 11 years, during which she served as senior center coordinator and then assistant executive director.

11- Chad Lindsey is the new executive director of the City Opera House in Traverse City. Lindsey succeeds Diana Baribeau, who recently retired. His background in the arts includes time as a professional actor and head of a theater and mixed-use arts complex for the Entertainment Community Fund in New York. He also served as the artistic director of Hook & Eye Theater, also in New York.

12 - Sarah Lutz, deputy city clerk for the City of Traverse City, was recently honored with the 2023 Deputy Clerk of the Year Award from the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks. Lutz began her municipal career with Grand Traverse County in 2011. She assumed the role of chief deputy clerk in Grand Traverse County in 2013 and became the deputy city clerk for the city in 2021.

13 - Lena Vander Meulen is the new senior services director for Leelanau County. Vander Meulen’s background includes extensive experience at Medilodge of Leelanau County in Suttons Bay, holding various roles including life enrichment director/resident advocate, admissions director and administrative assistant.

14 - Darryl Washington, director of long-term care and support services for the Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority in Traverse City and the leader of its northern health care management division, has been selected to be a 2024 CQ Fellow. CQ Fellows is a one-year, elite cultural intelligence certification and will extend the training and certifications Washington has received for cultural intelligence and unconscious bias.