May 27, 2016
This past month, an estimated 90 students from half a dozen campuses joined together at the University of Wisconsin–Stout for a Packaging Jamboree completely managed by students. The Jamboree, which has traditionally largely promoted the operations and careers within consumer goods manufacturers and is often challenged in attendance due to scheduling conflicts among campuses, was extensively assisted this year in promotion and program development by ICPF and its partners. All of ICPF’s university and college partners were encouraged by ICPF to participate, UW–Stout graduate Jerry Frisch (Wasatch Container) was recruited to address students about the “Innovative Business of Corrugated Packaging & Displays,” and FBA’s Rachel Kenyon highlighted the industry’s sustainability during the Jamboree’s closing remarks. ICPF’s program manager, Bari Zimbrick, also promoted corrugated careers and provided tutorials to students on the use of its career portal for applying directly online for corrugated packaging openings. Computer stations were available during the tutorials to enable students to upload their résumés to ICPF’s Résumé Bank right on the spot.
Due in large part to the generous sponsorship support of ICPF and its partners (Fibre Box Association, Green Bay Packaging, Great Northern Corporation, ICPF, Landaal Packaging, and Menasha), it was reported that this year’s Jamboree was the most well-funded, exceeding revenue goals for operations and student travel grants.
Richard Flaherty is president of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation.
