Arlington, Va.(PMMI.org) — PMMI releases the names of the five packaging industry leaders who comprise the Packaging Hall of Fame Class of 2009:
- Patrick J. Helm, Balluff, Inc.
- Mark Jacobson, Econocorp, Inc.
- Dwight C. Schmidt, Fibre Box Association
- James E. Scott, JES Packaging
- Dennis E. Young, Michigan State University
The inductees were selected by the Packaging Hall of Fame Commission, a diverse body that represents all aspects of the packaging community. (See “In Appreciation” for members.)
“The selections were unanimous, but not easy,” says Ben Miyares, vice president, Industry Relations, PMMI. “They were chosen from a group of 21 nominees. The commission agreed these individuals best demonstrate the ideals of the Packaging Hall of Fame — advancing the science, technology and/or practice of packaging; expanding the knowledge and understanding of packaging, and serving as a remarkable volunteer.”
These leaders were inducted into the Packaging Hall of Fame during a fundraising reception Oct. 5, at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Proceeds from the reception benefit college-level packaging education. Short biographies of this year’s inductees are below.
The Packaging Hall of Fame recognizes career packaging professionals for their significant contributions to the education and packaging education. The honor, which PMMI coordinates, has been awarded annually since 1971.
Patrick J. Helm
Business Development Manager, Balluff, Inc.
As an engineer, manager, consultant, business owner and mentor, Pat Helm has made his mark on most aspects of packaging: manufacturing companies, packaging equipment manufacturers, OEM manufacturers, membership organizations and educational institutions.
Helm’s contributions, and his standing in the industry have drawn notice more than once over his 30-plus year career. He’s a go-to subject matter expert for training wage employees, and was recognized by Packaging World magazine as a “Top 40 Packaging Expert.”
In the training arena, Helm brought a new approach to high-level training documentation for operational personnel, employing adult education professionals, degreed technical writers and professional computer animators and programmers, and played an integral role in developing computer-based training materials with testing and scoring. He also taught packaging at the University of Cincinnati for three years, generating greater enrollment each year he taught.
On a technological level, Helm was instrumental in bringing electrical controls such as PLCs, servos and data collection, into the mainstream of packaging technology, and he’s known for his work with OEM suppliers and packaging equipment vendors to improve product performance and application windows. Helm also played a key role in the development of technologies such as vertical accumulators, pioneering air conveying systems and smart belt systems.
Mark Jacobson
Vice President, Econocorp, Inc.
In addition to his success as a businessman and packaging professional, Mark Jacobson is known for the generosity with which he gives his time and energy to benefit the industry and the people who comprise it.
Jacobson’s dedication to packaging education is apparent through his service on PMMI’s Education Committee, his work establishing the Claude Breeden Scholarship fund for packaging students, and his donations of machinery to packaging education programs. Jacobson has also played prominent roles as an Advisory Board member for the South Shore Vocation School (Hanover, Mass.) and a volunteer mentor to the Northeastern University MBA program.
His online efforts made Econocorp an e-commerce leader in the packaging industry, and the first PMMI member to include detailed product information for its entire product line on its Web site.
As an active PMMI member, Jacobson has been on the Board of Directors more than once, including serving as Chairman (1996) and a member of the Executive Committee (1995–1997). As part of the leadership, he played integral roles in PMMI’s decisions to launch PACK EXPO Las Vegas, to acquire the rights to EXPO PACK México, and to expand PMMI membership to component suppliers and materials/containers suppliers. PMMI has also benefited from his input on two Long Range Planning Committees.
Jacobson is a founding member of the New England Packaging Association, which gives packaging machinery manufacturers in the region an opportunity to come together to address resource sharing and performance benchmarking.
Dwight C. Schmidt,
President, Fibre Box Association
Dwight C. Schmidt, President of the Fibre Box Association (FBA), has been serving the packaging community for 40 years.
As Executive Director of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA), he has emerged as an early adopter and promoter of packaging sustainability goals. He also serves the International Corrugated Case Association as Vice President of the Americas, and a member of its board and executive committee.
Before coming to FBA and CPA, Schmidt spent 27 years at Inland Paperboard and Packaging (now Temple-Inland), with roles in technical, marketing, sales and operations management. Prior to that, he was at Bristol-Myers in packaging, quality, market research and product management.
Schmidt’s technical contributions to packaging include tools to determinethe carbon foot-print and primary energy demand for a given corrugated product, an industry-wide standard to improve the supply chain efficiencies of case-ready meat products, establishing industry environmental improvement goals, the first ISO 14040 compliant cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Analysis of corrugated products, and a test protocol standard to validate the repulpability and recyclability of moisture-resistant corrugated for increased recovery and recycling.
For 12 years, Schmidt has served on the board of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, a group that has given over $10.7 million to support packaging education since 1994. At his alma mater, Michigan State University (MSU), he has personally established an endowed scholarship fund for incoming freshmen at the School of Packaging and was chosen by fellow packaging graduates to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2000. MSU honored him in 2002 with the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award — a first for a packaging school alum.
James E. Scott
JES Packaging
The 37-year career of James E. Scott has shaped the transition of packaging from large metal and glass packaging suppliers to today’s diverse end user packaging departments.
When large can companies were broken into smaller units or saddled with large debt, and end users needed to bring packaging development in house, Scott was among the first to tackle the job. The management organizations he established remain models of how to include packaging in the design and development of new products while supporting the day-to-day operations to manufacture the new packaging.
At the same time, Scott displayed a gift for embracing, evaluating, developing and commercializing new ideas and technologies. As a result, he delivered a number of technical innovations and first-to-market commercialization of what’s now considered “standard” food and snack packaging, such as:
- The first commercially successful laminate structures containing EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) for cereal inner liners and cake mixes;
- The first reclosable, stand-up pouch for the snack cookie/cracker market;
- The commercialization of the first cold seal laminates for single-serve packages; and
- The first digital camera clam-shell plastic packaging for retail shelves and peg board displays.
Dennis E. Young
Specialist Teacher, Michigan State University
Dennis E. Young’s impact on packaging combines his impressive academic accomplishments with professional experience in all areas of packaging.
His educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in packaging from Michigan State University (MSU); Master’s degrees from MSU and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT); and completed Ph.D. programs in marketing and logistics & transportation.
Young is on the faculty of MSU and RIT, and has organized and participated in more than 100 seminars, workshops and presentations in the United States and internationally, appearing in China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Singapore.
He has more than 35 years of experience with firms including IBM, Lansmont Corporation and RDP Corporation, and his technical, scientific and research projects have been published in more than 50 educational, industry and government packaging and related publications.
Young’s volunteer leadership includes active roles in the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) — he is a member of its College of Fellows and has earned IoPP’s Certified Packaging Professional designation. Young also serves as Vice President for Strategic Innovation for the International Safe Transit Association.
In Appreciation
PMMI would like to thank the diverse group of industry professionals who served on the 2009 Packaging Hall of Fame Commission:
- Jim Anderson, CEO, Marlen; Chairman, PMMI
- Joe Angel, Vice President/Publisher, Packaging World
- Jane Chase, former Vice President/Packaging, US Foodservice; President, IoPP
- Tom Egan, Vice President, Industry Services, PMMI
- Sandy Hand, Director of Global Packaging Innovation, Hershey Foods Corporation
- John Kalkowski, Editorial Director, Packaging Digest
- David Luttenberger, Vice President/Packaging Strategist, Iconoculture
- Yolanda A. Malone, Director of Packaging Development, ConAgra Foods, Inc.
- Gerald P. Meier, Vice President, Paper Machinery Corporation
- Mark Mikol, Senior Director, Packaging and Applicators, Scotts Miracle-Gro
- Ben Miyares, Vice President, Industry Relations, PMMI
- Kate Putnam, President, Package Machinery Company, Inc.
- Mike Richmond, Ph.D., Senior Partner, Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions LLC
- George Thibeault, President, Constantia-Hueck Foils LLC; Immediate Past Chairman, Flexible Packaging Association
- Nick Wilson, President, Morrison Container Handling Solutions
- Susan Selke, Acting Director, School of Packaging, Michigan State University
About PMMI
PMMI is a trade association with more than 540 member companies that manufacture packaging and packaging-related converting machinery, commercially-available packaging machinery components, containers and materials in the United States and Canada. PMMI’s vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging, and its mission is to improve and promote members’ abilities to meet the needs of their customers. PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and EXPO PACK México. Learn more about PMMI at pmmi.org.
PACK EXPO Las Vegas was held October 5-7, 2009, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was co-located with Converting & Package Printing EXPO and PROCESS EXPO. PMMI also produces EXPO PACK México, the premier packaging show in Latin America. The next edition of EXPO PACK México will be held June 22-25, 2010, at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico. PACK EXPO International 2010 will be held Oct. 31–Nov. 3, 2010, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Visit www.packexpo.com for more information.