Your Association forges forward after yet another strong year

The year following AICC’s 50th anniversary was always going to be a tough act to follow. Fortunately, thanks to the engagement of AICC’s membership, your Association continues to lead and flourish.

AICC closed the fiscal year 2025 in a strong financial position with many new and exciting programs launched and with an eye squarely on the future.

National Meetings and Events 

National and regional summit meetings, golf events, and a ski event mark the AICC calendar throughout the year. Events such as these keep AICC close to its members and provide a multitude of education, recreation, and networking opportunities for members.

The calendar opened with the Midwest Golf Outing in St. Charles, Illinois, in July 2024, which remains one of the most popular events on the AICC calendar. It is held for the great cause of funding college scholarships for members’ children.

There was a Northeast Summit in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August, which combines content and golf and draws members from New England to the Carolinas.

The Fall 2024 Annual Meeting occurred at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, last September at the latest edition of SuperCorrExpo. The only corrugated trade show in the Western Hemisphere, a joint production of AICC and the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI), lived up to expectations, displaying the latest in technology, services, and knowledge. Nearly 3,500 attendees saw the latest in technology and solutions.

AICC Canada held its 2024 Fall Members Meeting in Toronto last October at the famed Woodbine Racetrack.

AICC México held its 2024 Annual Meeting and Trade Fair in Querétaro, Mexico, last October at the Grand Fiesta Americana Hotel. The event brought together the fast-growing membership there in another successful meeting.

In February, AICC members went to Montana for the AICC West Coast Ski Meeting, the first big meeting of 2025. The slopes of Big Sky were the backdrop for three days of networking and fun.

AICC’s 2025 Spring Meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida, was a rousing success. More and more members are bringing their children to the Spring Meeting, and AICC launched a Kids in Corrugated program to expose the next generation of membership to the creativity that can be found in paper-based packaging.

As the fiscal year drew to a close, the Southeast Summit in Atlanta brought a members program to Peachtree Packaging and to the TPC Sugarloaf golf course.

AICC’s Emerging Leaders (ELs) had their annual field trip in mid-June in Canada. Hosted by incoming AICC Chairwoman Terri-Lynn Levesque and Royal Containers, the group visited box plants, cruised Lake Ontario, and learned from industry professionals while taking in all that cosmopolitan Toronto has to offer. Activities were capped by the AICC Canada Golf Outing, held in conjunction with the Canadian Corrugated Case Association.

AICC is thankful for all the members that make these events anticipated and successful year in and year out—from those that open their doors for plant tours, to the subject matter experts and speakers who share so openly, to those who attend and eagerly consume AICC in-person programming. AICC thanks the many Associate member companies whose generous sponsorship makes all these events possible.

Education and Training 

AICCNOW (NOW.AICCbox.org) was launched two years ago to better organize and present AICC’s complete archive of webinars, white papers, and member reference materials. AICCNOW also hosts AICC’s Packaging University. This is and should be the AICC member go-to for a variety of topics and self-help materials.

Fiscal year 2025 saw the launch of AICC’s Packaging University as a true university in terms of organization and courses of study. Packaging University now offers courses in the following colleges:

• College of Customer Service
• College of Design
• College of Finance
• College of Human Resources
• College of Leadership
• College of Maintenance
• College of Process Improvement
• College of Production
• College of Sales
• College of Warehousing and Logistics

Online education is a member benefit available to every individual who works for an AICC member company. As of August 1, Packaging University has seen AICC members complete over 26,000 courses since spring 2017. AICC’s education team creates new online courses regularly as well as translates existing and new courses into Spanish, of which there are now 32 across all colleges.

AICC thanks its long-partnering Education Investors: Fosber, BCM Inks, SUN Automation Group, JB Machinery, Pamarco, Absolute, Printron, EFI, Krueger, Bobst, HP, and Stafford Corrugated Products. These Associate members have committed financial and intellectual resources to ensure the continuing education of their fellow AICC members.

AICC’s Breaking Down Boxes podcast continued to educate and entertain members. Aside from the summer hiatus and reruns, AICC brings new Breaking Down Boxes episodes on the first Monday of each month. It is fascinating to hear guests talk about their unique journeys in this wonderful industry. No two are alike.

AICC continues to host education opportunities for other associations through “microsites,” as we maintain relationships with the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) and Asociación de Corrugadores del Caribe, Centro y Sur América (ACCCSA).

We added an amazing new member to the AICC staff, Rebecca Rendon, senior manager of education, in October 2024. Rendon knows many AICC members from her years on the supplier side of the business. She is also a graduate of the EL program, the first AICC staff member to come from an AICC program. She has already had a dynamic effect on AICC education. We expect more from her in the future.

Foundation for Packaging Education 

Launched in fall 2020, the Foundation for Packaging Education is a 501(c)(3) education foundation whose mission is to ensure funding to sustain AICC’s and other entities’ paper packaging education programming. These funds are generously donated for the benefit of existing workers in the paper-based packaging industries, especially AICC members. The donor count has risen to more than 50 pledging companies and individuals. Total funds on hand have risen to over $3 million, and the foundation’s board of directors is actively funding projects.

In 2025, monies have been designated for scholarships for AICC’s Next Gen program, Business Management Certificate Program, and to fund support by third-party contractors to sustain AICC’s learning management system. Please visit www.packaginged.org or scan the QR code on p. 64 to make a pledge. Your pledge will help the foundation sustain its mission. You will be investing in your company’s future. 

The foundation administers two scholarships, AICC’s longstanding Dick Troll Memorial Scholarship and the Steve Narva Memorial Scholarship, which are funded by designated pledges from several donor companies. 

The Foundation for Packaging Education thanks and values all its donors that support the future of the education of the independent through their generous pledges. 

Publications and Advertising 

Since all AICC publications are available only in digital format, AICC’s publications and media past and present are now found at the previously mentioned AICC NOW site. Included are surveys, white papers, Ask the Expert content, past and current issues of BoxScore, all webinars, and so much more. AICC is currently working on making some of this content more “live” through virtual interaction. Stay tuned.

BoxScore remains the flagship publication of AICC. Produced six times a year, the content is always relevant and generated primarily by members. Articles about member companies and articles about the issues that affect the independent, for the good and bad, are the mainstay of this publication. The January/February issue is The Big Associate Issue, dedicated to AICC’s Associate member companies in good standing. Each interested company receives one page of editorial copy for them to speak about themselves. The issue also serves as a de facto buyers guide. 

You can access the AICC Media Guide at www.AICCbox.org to see all the ways to get your message in front of fellow members. 

Governance, Cooperation, and Advocacy 

AICC continues to follow a destination model, which drives all programming. AICC’s board of directors sets strategic goals for the year. AICC’s standing committees—Convention Content; Membership; Education; Government Affairs; Paperboard Regulations and Sheet Supply; Nominating; Innovation and Technology; and Associate Member—translate the strategic goals into effective deliverables and programming. Each committee is chaired by a member of the AICC board of directors, ensuring there is connectivity and accountability both ways. AICC staff execute to achieve the deliverables and programming as identified by the committees. Operating in this manner ensures transparency.

AICC reports progress to the board at the half-year and year-end. There is also monthly reporting on financial and member participation objectives. This model also keeps AICC programming relevant to members’ needs and provides the ability to evolve as members evolve. Committee membership and board of directors participation is open to any AICC member. Please consider signing on to the future of your Association by serving. You can do so by contacting any AICC staff member.

AICC maintains close ties with fellow industry associations such as the Fibre Box Association; TAPPI, with which AICC shares co-ownership in SuperCorrExpo (Orlando, Florida, in fall 2028) and Corrugated Week (Fort Worth, Texas, in fall 2026); and the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). These entities together with AICC also make up the Corrugated Packaging Alliance.

Internationally, AICC is a member of the International Corrugated Case Association. AICC maintains relationships with the Sheet Plant Association in the United Kingdom, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, and the previously mentioned South and Central American entity ACCCSA, as well as the NWPCA. AICC management and staff endeavor to represent member interests at various events throughout the year, and they feed important information back to membership.

AICC’s footprint includes AICC México and AICC Canada. Members in both countries have access to all AICC-generated programming and also receive unique member benefits, events, and information locally. Both organizations are represented on the AICC board of directors. AICC staff and management participate in many member events both south and north of the U.S. border.

AICC also represents its members through participation with several organizations that inform and engage with various government entities at the state and federal level. Among these are the Small Business Legislative Council, where AICC holds a seat on the board of directors; and the Council of Manufacturing Associations, which is a division of the National Association of Manufacturers. Issues relating to paper and paper-based packaging are borne by the AF&PA, which is active in both Washington, D.C., and in state capitals around the country. 

AICC was active in several campaigns in 2025 that saw success, such as delaying the introduction of the Corporate Transparency Act, the expansion of 529 plans to cover trade school participation, the continuity of the 199A deduction for S-Corporations, and 100% first-year deductibility to encourage capital investment.

Membership 

AICC’s members continue to renew at rates higher than typical in the greater association community, once again at a 94% rate. We take this as proof that the destination model aligns well with member aspirations. At the close of the fiscal year, AICC had 514 members in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with general (boxmaker) members totaling 295 and Associate (supplier) members totaling 219.

Financial Results

AICC completed its fiscal year in extremely strong financial shape. AICC’s cash, short-term investment, and long-term investment accounts are all strong. Dues revenue covered AICC’s   administrative expenses as called for in the destination model objectives. AICC programs covered their costs as planned.

Total revenue was better than budget by nearly $140,000, primarily due to strong meeting attendance and administrative revenue. On the expense side, administrative, member, and education expenses came in less than budgeted. Higher-than-budgeted meeting expenses were offset by the higher meeting revenue.

The resulting ordinary (operating) income was better than budget by nearly $215,000. This is the income directly attributable to AICC operations. Below the line, other (nonoperating) income and expenses netted to approximately $190,000, which is $490,000 less than the budgeted amount of $682,000.

Please note the amount on the other income line. Fiscal year 2025 includes the SuperCorrExpo, held in September 2024. This line contains the SuperCorrExpo result along with realized and unrealized gain and loss. SuperCorrExpo income was $886,000 compared to a budget of $700,000. This and investment performance brought in over $500,000 more other income compared to budget. AICC’s board of directors at its spring 2025 meeting approved the transfer from AICC of $990,000 to the Foundation for Packaging Education. This transfer was not budgeted and is the reason for the other expense line being unfavorable compared to budget by a like amount. This resulted in the net income of $409,000, which unfavorably compared to the budgeted result of $685,000. Had the money not been transferred to the foundation, the bottom-line net result would have been approximately $1.4 million. Regardless of how it is stated, fiscal year 2025 was a strong financial performance for AICC.

AICC has an independent auditor, Mullins PC of Bethesda, Maryland, review its results each year. At the time of deadline for this publication, the audit had not yet been completed. The financial information presented here is derived from AICC’s June 2025 financial statement, compiled by AICC’s independent accounting firm, Sikich LLP.

Once audited numbers are received, they are presented to both the AICC Budget Committee and AICC board of directors for review and approval. All AICC activities are fully transparent to the board and to members. Members that wish to receive AICC’s audited financial statements should contact AICC President Mike D’Angelo at mdangelo@aiccbox.org.

When you invest and engage, AICC delivers success.