From tiny garages grow mighty operations

?Guest blog by Beth Smith, executive vice president, Great American Packaging

My grandmother’s garage was the first home of Great American Packaging.? The ethos and company approach that was instilled in the beginning remains core to us now.

When it was established in 1966 it had a strong family feel and a focus on building relationships.

Today, our walls are filled with the sounds of people sharing and laughing - collaborating and succeeding. Our team works hard, but what’s most important is that they enjoy what they do.? That sense of satisfaction and fulfilment transcends across the company to our customers and creates positive and productive partnerships.?

We are fortunate to have developed a capable and effective team built on respect, loyalty, and accountability. Every employee is important; we understand their needs, we meet their needs and, likewise, we expect that they approach each of their team members in the same manner.

It is clearly working as we are now a family-owned-and-operated, multimillion dollar company with multiple extruders, printing presses and converting equipment.

That is why we like to work with partners such as Koenig & Bauer that get to know us, understand us, and support us.

Working closely with partners such as Koenig & Bauer is also part of our ‘white glove service’. This service commitment is to provide short lead times, ensure consistent quality, protect food safety, ensure our customers’ products stand out on shelves, and help improve their sustainability scorecards.

It is a relationship that has worked well with the addition of a Koenig & Bauer EVO XD eight-colour flexo press helping us increase our printed business by an astronomical 78%. We have had to add more shifts, sales support, and additional personnel as a result.

We are delighted to have achieved this against a back drop of highly challenging market conditions. It is a testament to the importance of finding and working with like-minded people that have the same positive outlook and drive that we do.