Durham, North Carolina, United States
Representing a number of package manufacturers as I do offers advantages to consumer product companies...it provides real choices for retailing products, while still working with a contract representative of each company. My customers then do business directly with the manufacturer by purchase order. I am not a broker and do not mark up package prices. Having a choice of top of the line packaging companies allows the type of package to be selected based on it's merits rather than the sales person sitting in your office who may only have a single type to offer. It also allows for integration of substrates while still working with the same sales person. My relationships with each of these producers is 20 years or more. My background in design and production allows me to bring more experience to the creation of new packaging or the improvement of existing items. Making boxes (folding, set-up, formed/die-cut plastic, SBS or corrugated) is part art, part science. I am able to offer some of both and the teams of specialists at the companies I represent complete that offering.
I formed a new company to better describe what I offer customers. I left Driscoll Group with no regrets after 20 very successful years. I simply found that at this stage in my career being a fully independent representative for package production companies as well as offering my own design services better defines what customers may expect from me.
We concepted, designed and produced consumer packaging, displays and products. Although over half of our work was in on-going unit consumer products or displays, we also specialized in promotional work of all kinds.
I was responsible for art preparation, pre-press and proofing, as well as on-press direction and final customer approval for new or revised folding carton paperboard packaging.
In addition to overseeing an extremely fast-paced group of national accounts covering over 48 SKUs, I played a leading role overseeing the successful effort to convert Tylenol packaging from standard folding cartons to tamper-evident structures, working with J&J Marketing, internal structural designers and my own design skills. I was rewarded for this year-long effort by getting the opportunity from J&J to design from scratch the package for the new dosage form of the time: GelCaps.