Welcome to the NJPEC

Celebrating 40 Years of Service and Friendship

By Janet Herlihy, Editor

The New Jersey Packaging Executives Club has a long history as an organization that serves its members and its industry.

On March 15, 1962, at a meeting at the Canoe Brook Golf Club in Summit, NJ, the NJPEC was started by a group of packaging executives including George Blomquist, Philip Cianci, Robert For­syth, Leon Lightner, Martin Schur and Lloyd Magai. The club elected Schnur its first presidentin 1963. Wanting to be more than a casual social group, the NJPEC received its certificate of Incorporation in 1970 with the goal of providing a forum for NJ-based packaging professionals to network and openly exchange industry-related concepts, news, issues and ideas in a relaxed and fun environment.

Today, the NJPEC is a diverse group of 195 men and women in packaging professions representing a diverse range of market expertise. The club raises funds through a variety of programs, seasonal events and social gatherings, that are then passed on to college-level students currently enrolled in a packaging-related education through the NJPEC Packaging Scholarship and the Dr. Frederick Rimmele Memorial Scholarship. The first scholarship was awarded to a student attending the Rutgers Packaging School in 1972.

The NJPEC also recognizes excellence in packaging through its Package of the Year awards.

Changes Signal Rededication for Future

Mindful of the organization’s original goals, the current leadership of NJPEC has rewritten its bylaws and initiated activities to “take the club back to its roots and stated purposes,” said Ron Cataldo, the organization’s president. “We want to involve younger executives and more women and let them know that the NJPEC is a place to find information and exchange ideas.”

On August 13, the Club will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a summer cruise luncheon.

NJPEC Establishes Packaging Hall of Fame

As a salute to its past and a promise to its future, the NJPEC established the Packaging Hall of Fame at its June 19th meeting with the induction of the first four honorees. The following veteran executives were named to the Packaging Hall of Fame in recognition of their achievements and contributions to the packaging industry: Bob Huff of E.T. Browne for package development; Ann Sisbarro of the Accra Pac Group Inc. for sales; Fred Theile of L’Oréal for purchasing, and Norbert Gaelen, of the O. Berk Company, as entrepreneur.

“We realized that with other packaging awards, the package was given recognition and thought, ‘What about the people,’” explained Cataldo. “We decided to recognize those who have spent at least 25 years in the industry and have made significant contributions. It’s not so much based on being a supplier or a marketer, but rather on the contributions of individuals,” Cataldo stated. “It is not based on being a member of NJPEC or limited by a particular region. We are looking to recognize packaging professionals who have made a significant contribution in the field of consumer products,” he said.

Here’s a look at the inductees.

Packaging is a Huff Family Affair

Introduced by his son Rick and Cataldo as a “Friend, father, mentor and great packaging engineer, Bob Huff is celebrating 40 years in the packaging business this year and even now says he is “hooked on the industry.”

Huff started his career in packaging in 1963 as a packaging manager for Shulton. He left as director of purchasing and packaging in 1973, to serve Faberge in a position with the same title. Seventeen years later, when Unilever acquired Faberge, Huff was vice president of purchasing and packaging. He chose to retire and spent a few years as a rep and a consultant, but was tempted back into the industry in 1996 to serve as vice president of purchasing for E.T. Browne.

“I just can’t let go of it. I love the business,” Huff said. “And my family followed me.”

Between all the Huff family members, there is a total of more than 100 years of packaging. Bob Huff Jr. started in 1978 at Corona Plastics and has been with Henlopen, now a division of Techpack for the last 20 years. Rick Huff, a former board member of the NJPEC for six years, began his career in 1980 with Emson Research (now known as Emsar) and is currently with Cosmetic Essence Inc. (C.E.I.). Bill Huff spent eight years with Polarise Label and is currently representing MHI, a division of C.E.I.. Bill’s wife, Heidi Hubert Huff began her career at Revlon and is now a brand manager at Calvin Klein.

At E.T. Brown Patriarch Huff is currently developing packages, sourcing raw materials and components and as well as sub-contracting. “We are constantly designing new containers, doing upgrades and developing new products—plastic, glass, labels—all the materials.”

Sisbarro, Blazing a Trail for Women to Follow

In 1973, at a time when there were very few women in the industry, Ann Sisbarro began her career as a purchasing assistant for Fluid Packaging, a contract packaging company in New Jersey. Fluid Packaging is no longer in existence, but the career begun there has grown and prospered across decades and job changes. “I really enjoyed the industry and decided to stay with it,” Sisbarro said. Her next position was as purchasing agent for Galmorene, which led her to Mennen where she served as a purchasing manager for contract packaging and returned to the personal care side of the business.

After time spent in purchasing for Lehn & Fink, a consumer products company of household and personal care products, Sisbarro decided to try the other side of the desk and moved to Seaquist Perfect Dispensing as a sales representative. She spent 17 years at Seaquist, eventually becoming accounts manager for the Eastern region.

Sisbarro then joined Accra Pac Group Inc. (APG) in 2002, returning to contract manufacturing as vice president of sales.

“There were very few women in the beginning and I had chosen a segment of the business that was overwhelmingly male dominated,” said Sisbarro, “that has changed and now women are more accepted and hold higher positions. The industry affords women great opportunities. If you work hard and develop strong relationships, you have every opportunity to do well.

“I’ve been very lucky, especially when I made the change into sales. It was a major change but something I wanted to do. Today, it’s common to see women in sales. I was fortunate; it’s all very worthwhile and rewarding. In the future, I want to stay at APG and develop my career here, where there is still much to do,” Sisbarro stated.

Fred Theile, A Purchasing Paragon

An industry veteran with over 30 years experience, Fred C. Theile is that rare executive who continues to brings energy and enthusiasm to the industry after three decades of service. Currently the vice president corporate purchasing and technical package development for L’Oréal USA, Theile joined the company in 1985 as the assistant vice president of the technical packaging group. In 1990, he was promoted to vice president of corporate purchasing and technical packaging. In this position, he coordinates and leads purchasing for L’Oréal’s 10 North American factories.

He is responsible for North American zone purchasing strategy, suppliers, economic planning, negotiations and value analysis programs for components, raw materials, fragrances and subcontracting for outside assembly services for the products made in those factories, including color cosmetics, fragrances and personal care items. He leads the purchasing strategy and value analysis for those operations, focusing on cost savings through various means such as waste elimination.

“Everyone knows I’m an early bird getting to work at 6:30 a.m.,” Theile said. “We start getting things done right away. We work with the L’Oréal global purchasing team in Paris and around the world. We’re involved in thousands of packaging components each year for the L’Oreal brands.”

Prior to joining L’Oréal, Theile served Avon for 10 years, ending his time there as director of cosmetics, fragrances and toiletries. Before Avon, he spent four years at Revlon in sales and marketing management.

Norbert Gaelen, Entrepreneur Based in Tradition

Norbert Gaelen said, “I’m thrilled,” referring to becoming one of the first Packaging Hall of Fame inductees, and added, “It’s totally unexpected.” But considering his accomplishments, it is no surprise that the NJPEC would recognize him for achievement as an entrepreneur in the packaging industry.

Representing the third generation to lead O. Berk Company, Gaelen, currently serving as chairman of the company, took the small, regional company founded by his grandfather and turned it into a national distributorship that serves a wide range of customers as a total packaging resource. Gaelen retired recently, turning over the positions of president and chief executive officer to his son, Marc M. Gaelen.
Norbert Gaelen joined the family business right out of college to work with his father and uncle. “My father was ill and six months later, he died. Then a year later, my uncle died and I took over the business,” Gaelen remembered.

Through internal growth and acquisitions, the company has become the largest full-service supplier of glass, plastic and metal containers on the East Coast. Gaelen realized early on that service is the key ingredient to success and focused the company on total customer satisfaction from conception and selection of components through decoration and delivery.

“The biggest change in our industry since I started is the size of our customers,” Gaelen said. “Through consolidation, many of our clients are huge. Where they once would have needed thousands of a container, they may now need millions. We can delivery the small orders and the large volumes. There are still a lot of customers and still a lot of need.”