I feel that in previous articles, I have given you my point of view of a great industry that continues to prosper and take advantage of the changing world and latest in technology, and my view of a fine Association in AICC that does that most important thing an association can do: listen to its members and act upon their needs and direction.
It is a privilege to sit as an Associate on a board of peers that represents all Associates in our organization, and it’s even more of a privilege to have an Associate board within such a group of owner-operators that gives us a voice.
The unsung heroes are the companies we all work for and their support of these activities. We are aware of the costs of attending these conferences, summits, and seminars, but the unknown cost is the time taken to attend board meetings, take part in conference calls, and the like. It’s significant.
My employer, Pamarco, has always supported industry causes and associations, and they felt my inclusion on the board was a natural progression in continuing our support to the industry.
Pamarco was one of the first AICC Associates to pledge to the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation. We partnered with JB Machinery, Absolute, and Printron to create a lesson plan to aid converters in improving print quality, and alongside Absolute, we were an initial donor to the Foundation for Packaging Education.
After nearly 80 years in business, we realize the true value of these associations by diving in feet first and not just turning up when the registration for a given event looks promising.
Pamarco is one of many businesses that have done this, and I am sure the family of converters we service appreciate the continuity this can bring to their business as well as the access to the latest in technological developments.
I strongly encourage any company joining AICC to take the same attitude and get involved. The reward from this is certainly commensurate with the effort put forth.
My last soapbox before I sign off will be for the Foundation for Packaging Education. Several members had this concept of creating a fund to underwrite educational opportunities within the corrugated industry.
AICC pledged a significant amount to the fund and then went to the industry to garner matching donations. While this has been very successful, fewer than 40 member companies have pledged to this fund, either general or Associate members.
Quite frankly, I think we can do better than this.
We know the challenge of bringing people into the business, and we are acutely aware of the problems of retaining talent. This fund is earmarked to create the educational opportunities to help companies in this retention effort. If you haven’t yet stepped up to the plate, I encourage you to do so.
John Burgess is president of Pamarco’s flexo division and vice chairman of AICC’s Associate board.
