Turning the page to the next chapter of my career

At the end of 2016, Walid Boustani and I decided to put together an investment vehicle and build ePac’s first facility beyond proof of concept in Boulder, CO.??

We sought to create something for others that we had yet to experience during our packaging careers and we believed ePac’s intended platform would allow us to carry out our dreams.

We wanted to build a community based business that provided the opportunity to connect with and serve other local entrepreneurs..

We wanted people to be placed on the same playing field as the overall health of a business.??

We wanted to provide an innovative and collaborative space that not only attracted like minded individuals seeking to disrupt a $33B domestic industry?

But more importantly, focus on retaining them.??

Last and most importantly, we wanted to build a business that contributed towards making a difference in its local community.

I step aside as we have achieved our vision in my now home county of Boulder, CO.

We built the business to serve two rapidly emerging industries, natural products and regulated cannabis.?

We had something disruptive that we believed other disruptors would take advantage of, and they did.?

We built the world's largest production facility for digitally printed pouches with (3) HP Indigo 20000s and (5) Totani pouches lines in order to serve a deep customer base of small and medium sized businesses.

We’ve had at least three Colorado based companies launch new products with us and end up on Shark Tank only months later, ranging from natural foods to home goods.

We’ve helped build supply chain infrastructure for North America’s regulated cannabis industry.

Providing single state cannabis operators with the ability to spread their brands custom child resistant packaging across state lines throughout America and into a bordering country in Canada.?

And we’ve built an organization of passionate individuals who we wholeheartedly believe have the ability to lead the company beyond our vision.?

I couldn’t envision a stronger leadership team. They are a collective force filled with passion, empathy, and trust that I am confident will exceed all goals they set their sights on.

They did this in 2021; why wouldn’t they continue to do so?

Over the past 18 months, our team has grown ePac Boulder’s pouching capacity by 150% and revenue is tracking on the same path. We just finished our 5th quarter of profitability and profit distributions for our entire team!?

Josh Tagland, our most veteran sales team member who was the first employee of ePac Boulder remains with the company.??

And the rest of our sales team has a tenure greater than 50% of our company's lifetime.?

Speaking of our sales team, I never worked alongside a tighter-knit crew.? These four have an amazing bond formed in the business that goes beyond it.??

It’s rewarding to see a team literally cover one another’s desk when they’re out on extended vacations and return back without having missed a step.

I met a lifetime friend along the journey who joined ePac’s sales team in early 2018 based on a leap of faith.? He became General Manager of our business in August 2020, led the business to profitability and will drive it beyond a $20MM company in 2022.

When my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2018, I knew I would be spending time away from the business.??

I had recently connected with Tyler over an interview in September/October and told him I was going to decline making an offer to join our company as we couldn’t yet afford him and I didn’t want to provide an embarrassing number.?

But I enjoyed our conversation and felt there were too many commonalities to not strike up a relationship and keep in touch.? So, I asked if he wanted to connect aside from business.??

We got together a few weeks later with our wives for brunch, sat down for 3 + hours and left like we'd been hanging out with friends we’d known for a lifetime.

I shared a path with Tyler that I was comfortable the business could deliver on within a two year period and he exceeded.

I couldn’t ask for not only a better friend but a better business leader to be carrying forward the flag that I planted.

To my business partners, thank you for having faith in me.??

Walid, you’re my brother from another mother.??

We managed through the gauntlet together, lifting one another up when the other was down.? I question whether I’d have made it through to the other side without you.

You’re the only person I have directly worked with who is willing to put in more hours than me when it comes to executing upon a strategic vision.??

And you can ask my wife, I put in a lot of time.

Brother, while there were plenty of days I questioned this, thank you for providing us with the opportunity to build out our dreams.

To the many SMBs in CPG who I've had the pleasure of meeting during the journey, thanks for giving me your time to share our vision for ePac.??

And to those who gave us the chance, thank you for your patience.? Our team in Boulder has worked diligently to maintain our service levels the past 18 months.??

I am confident we have the local capacity necessary to continue to support our joint growth.

To supplier partners who became life friends and industry friends, y’all came through every time we asked.??

My investment thesis was that we could bring the rapidly emerging cannabis industry to ePac and ePac's disruptive platform to it as a trusted supply chain partner.?

You’ve kept us a step ahead of the rest, we not only had CR press to close pouches to market before any other domestic manufacturer.??

We developed and brought to market the first Certified Child Resistant Post Consumer Recycled Pouches and repeated this feat with Certified Compostable Pouches, both achieved in 2021.

To my wife, the one person that has directly had my back since I left a family business in 2011 at the age of 23 with less than a few thousand dollars to my name.??

Thank you for always believing in me.??

Thank you for always being there when I doubted myself.

And thank you for providing me with the confidence and courage to carry on during tough times.

We are onto our next adventure together.?

It begins where we’ve come to love spending our time, in the mountains.

I love you.?

To my inner self, it’s time to recharge, own your accomplishments and life experience and prepare for the next chapter of your life.

Next up????

Playing my part in advancing the global digital packaging industry with like minded individuals who share similar values.

Values revolving around people, diversity, sustainability, innovation, collaboration, industry disruption and culture.

If you’re interested in staying in touch or following along the journey, I’ll be sharing updates via this newsletter every few weeks as well as posting here on LinkedIn.??

Dustin?