Yesterday Hood Container Louisville celebrated receiving not only the Hood Companies Safety Award but also the Kentucky Governor’s Safety Award.
Each Year Hood Companies gives out safety awards to those facilities within the Hood Family of Companies that meet certain safety milestones. Hood Container Louisville was one of several facilities over 100 employees to be awarded.
The Kentucky Governor’s Safety Award is the highest safety award given by the state. To qualify, a company must have over 200,000 hours
worked without a recordable incident. As of December 31st, when the award was officially granted, Hood Container Louisville had 434,841 hours. As of April 21st, they are 870 days safe. Congratulations to all the recipients for your exemplary performance in “Working Safe Together”.
Hood Container Atlanta was recently fortunate enough to connect with a local church whose hope was to fill over 400 food boxes for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity homeowners that have been impacted by Covid-19 through a new food box serving opportunity. Hood Container designed and produced these boxes to help Peachtree Church get closer to reaching their goal. General Manager Mark Boyd said, “Hood is proud to play a small part of the generous work you and your church are doing for the community.”
As they had started to prepare for this project, they had reached out to over 12 different companies requesting quotes to purchase boxes. As they were close to making a decision, Ginny Nickles, Director of Mission Mobilization & Innovation for Peachtree Church, received a call from Hood Container’s VP of Sales and Marketing Jeff Craig. Ginny said, “It was late, after 5pm, and my phone rang. I was driving home and had to pull over to take the call, I answered that call and the gentleman on the other end asked me about the food box project, what we wanted to do with the boxes, and when we wanted to do with the boxes and when we needed them. I told him all about Atlanta Habitat and what some of their families
are experiencing. Then, I will never forget, he said ‘We will take care of this for you.'” Hood Container not only offered to donate the production and printing of the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity boxes, but they also doubled the number we were originally budgeting to purchase!”
Understanding the devastation that some families have experienced this past year, Hood Container is also in touch with Atlanta Habitat and Buckhead Christian Ministry to connect our local plant with those in need of work due to the pandemic.
Hood Container Atlanta Employees: L-R: Eloy Francisco, Martin Salcedo, Santos Amador, Antonio Gasper, Lucio Diaz, Leobardo Gonzalez, John Batemon
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – April 5, 2021 Hood Container Corporation announced today that it has acquired Sonoco Display and Packaging. The transaction includes locations in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois, Georgia, Arkansas, and New Jersey. Sonoco Display and Packaging is a world class provider of point-of-purchase corrugated displays and contract packaging services in the U.S. This strategic acquisition allows Hood Container to expand product offerings to Sonoco Display and Packaging’s existing customer base while increasing Hood Container’s domestic footprint. Hood Container recognizes and is committed to the legacy of Sonoco Display and Packaging’s quality, customer focus, and talent for design. It is an excellent complement to Hood Container’s existing products and services, and there is great excitement to carry on the relationship with its customers and employees. The tremendous synergies between the two organizations and product offerings within similar markets highlight Hood Container’s in-depth knowledge of the unique requirements needed to bring value to the customer supply chain.
Greg Hall, President & COO of Hood Container said, “I am delighted to welcome the team members of Sonoco Display and Packaging to our Hood Container family. We feel the cultures of both organizations align perfectly and we are excited about the acquisition and our combined future growth opportunities. We plan to capitalize this business to ensure we expand our customer base and offer world class service and capabilities.”
Howard Coker, Sonoco President and CEO remarked, “Our U.S. Display and Packaging business has been an industry pioneer with a legacy of providing innovative solutions for complex supply chain challenges. I’m extremely proud of the business that we developed and of our associates who will continue to be part of the business going forward. We believe Hood Container will be able to create a strong, world-class leader in the display and packaging services industry with enhanced capabilities and opportunities for growth into new markets.”
Hood Container Corporation is a family-owned, mill to market company specializing in containerboard and kraft paper, corrugated boxes, high graphic displays and contract packaging. Over the last nine years Hood Container Corporation has grown to become one of the top ten Paper and Packaging companies in the United States with 56 locations nationwide. Hood Container’s integrated company resources allow for a unique dynamic that evolves with every addition to their geographic footprint and allows them to build close relationships with customers, while offering the resources of a large corporation.
Hood Container Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hood Companies, Inc. Hood Companies is a privately owned, closely held holding company and is the parent to operating subsidiaries involved in the manufacture and distribution of forest and wood products, building and construction materials, and flexible and corrugated packaging products throughout North America.
This past year has presented new challenges for so many across the nation. Due to loss of jobs and income for many, the fight against hunger became more challenging as so many communities struggled to provide food for those in need. Hood Container had the privilege of partnering with Extra Table on a very special project. Extra Table is a Mississippi based non-profit organization committed to ending hunger by providing food pantries and soup kitchens with the new and healthy food they need to feed the hungry in their community. Hood Container was asked to design and produce corrugated boxes to package meals and communicate a message of hope. This need touched many of our team members working on the project and we have been very proud to support Extra Table and their needs.
Learn more about this special project here by clicking here:
Hood Container is proud to be the Texas Tackle and Title Sponsor for Paso Robles CAB Collective. This grassroots non-profit organization was formed with the belief that the best red Bordeaux varieties in the world are produced in Paso Robles. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec is grown in the Paso Robles appellation – and the subsequent quality of the wines produced – are worthy of international acclaim. The PRCC is seeking to improve awareness in Texas regarding the distinctive attributes of Paso Robles Cabernet and red Bordeaux wines. PRCC plans to bring the Paso Robles region to life for the consumer through events, in-store tastings, displays, digital advertising, education, in-market visits, media engagement, and more. After nearly 20 years of partnering with clients in the beverage industry, we are excited to sponsor the PRCC and lend our expertise to promoting their efforts with their Texas Tackle Initiative. Hood Container is a world-class producer of corrugated displays and packaging of all types including e-commerce. Our leading-edge digital technology, award-winning displays, and unique designs showcase products across markets including club store, grocery, and retail to create inviting in-store experiences.
As one of our core values, Hood Container is continually focused on sustainability and expanding opportunities to reach our goals. Apart from playing a role in innovative prototypes and the increased need for eco-friendly shipping containers, it is paper packaging’s inherent renewable nature that has brought it to the forefront of the growing need to employ renewable and recyclable solutions. With customer preferences continuing to be focused on sustainability, the beverage industry and paper and packaging are a perfect pairing.
Supporting each other as a team is something every employee does each day, and as an organization we want to say thank you. Over the past year many of us have faced new challenges in every aspect of our lives, but the dedication that our team, the Hood Container team, has shown has been remarkable. Thank you for all your talent, expertise, commitment, and drive to become the best.
Hood Container Corporation recently kicked off another session of its sales development and training efforts. Welcoming our second class of sales representatives to this program is incredibly exciting and we look forward to supporting them with the necessary experience and skills to be future leaders in the corrugated industry.
Jeff Craig, VP of Sales and Marketing said, “I’m personally thrilled to have Haley Melvin, Thomas Phan, and Keenan Sullivan as part of our team. I believe each of them will bring new and creative ideas to our organization and industry. The development of our future leaders is something we take seriously at Hood Container. This program and these individuals will continue to set us apart in the marketplace.”
Our sales training program started fall of 2020 and is designed to develop top talent for sales specific to the paper and packaging industry. We designed a robust year long program in which participants gain an understanding of the goals and needs of the organization through mentorship and their experiences.
First class sales representative Annie Schaubel said, “The sales training program at Hood Container has been a unique and rewarding experience so far. I know that I have all of the tools and resources I need to be successful and learn as much as possible.”
We look forward to many more classes to follow and welcome Haley, Keenan, and Tommy to the Hood family.
Since coming onboard with Hood Container in 2020, Director of Compliance Bridget Hawkins has lead the charge on implementing a code of conduct, enforcing anti- discrimination policies, and bringing Diversity and Inclusion to the forefront of discussions. Today, leadership throughout the organization engaged in roundtable discussion highlighting how diversity in leadership has a connection to innovation and profitability in the bottom line.
Our Innovation Core Value states that “We are forward focused on solutions.” One of those solutions is creating a diverse and inclusive experience for our customers and employees. Diversity and Inclusion undeniably drives innovation. Thought provoking, insightful, and open conversations like these pave the way for implementing policy and changing mindsets that shape company culture. This discussion has been just one of many over the last months helping to educate employees and start a dialogue that promoting Diversity and Inclusion.
Did you know? Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the Father of Black History Month, is a Historian who recognized an absence in the educational system of impacts made by African Americans in the United States and sought to change that fact by creating Black History Week in 1915. Carter kicked it off with the “Journal of Negro History” in 1916. The February week was chosen because it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. The week was celebrated and spread by HBCUs until it grew into a month. Black History Month has been officially celebrated in the US when President Gerald Ford declared it Black History Month in 1976.
Hood Container recognizes Black History month and the many contributions that African Americans have made across the US and at Hood Container.
Hood Container’s very own Jeff Craig, VP of Marketing and Sales, recently participated in International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF)’s VIRTUAL Student /Executive Dialogue Dinner Series, the first of which was hosted on December 16th, 2020. As a response to the pandemic, moving this series to a virtual platform allowed for over 35 students from 10 universities across the country to participate. These students all have education or interest in packaging engineering & production, sales, packaging design, graphic design, chemical engineering, supply chain management and related areas. Jeff Craig joined in the panel discussion and break out sessions in which students were able to gain executive level insight into the industry. Of the experience, Jeff commented “I was thoroughly impressed by the students who attended the virtual event. It gives me great hope for our company and industry. I believe we owe it to the industry to mentor such talent in order to see continued success.”
ICPF’s dialogue dinners are directed towards enabling top students who already have interest in corrugated packaging to learn more about the industry and its operations. Many of the participating students in each of the eight past years were recruited for internships and full time positions through the company contacts they made during the dialogues, and through referral to ICPF’s Career Portal.
Through the ICPF Career Portal, Hood Container has already recruited several hires for our early career programs and we look forward to continuing to provide training and learning opportunities to students. Engaging in these type of discussions to foster new talent in the industry is one of many ways Hood Container is investing in a new generation of corrugated professionals.
