Punches, Pivots & Packaging

November 3, 2025

In this episode we talk with Paul Centenari of Atlas Container.

Paul shares the unconventional journey that took him from the boxing ring to the boardroom. With humor and honesty, he recalls early lessons from the ring, the risks that built Atlas Container, and the “can-do” culture that continues to drive its success. Listeners will hear how resilience, learning, and strong leadership transformed a leveraged buyout into a thriving independent packaging business.

About Paul

Paul Centenari is the President and CEO of Atlas Container, based in Maryland, and an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Georgetown University. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School, Paul’s path to leadership has been anything but ordinary—he was quarterback at Wellesley High, a Golden Gloves boxer, and later a Procter & Gamble salesman before entering manufacturing.

Over the past 37 years, he has led Atlas through the acquisition and operation of 19 corrugated box companies along the East Coast, consolidating into two facilities totaling nearly 400,000 square feet in Severn and Curtis Bay, Maryland, and growing revenue fifteenfold.

Married for 35 years to Elizabeth McDavitt, a talent agent for models and actors, with two grown daughters Paul stresses the importance of family. He is also an avid athlete and adventurer. Paul has heli-skied in the Canadian Rockies for 25 years and completed the 4.5-mile Chesapeake Bay Swim eight times, along with three Alcatraz crossings.

About Atlas Container

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This podcast is brought to you by AICC, The Independent Packaging Association. Learn more at www.AICCbox.org. When you invest and engage, AICC delivers success.

Breaking Down Boxes is sponsored by Ox Box, offering strength you can depend on.