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GBIG News

Night at the Museum

September 21st 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Night at the Museum event

Join us to celebrate the unveiling of the expansion plans of The Children’s Museum of Green Bay with hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

In the heart of Green Bay’s thriving industrial sector, the pulp, paper, packaging, print, & plastic industries are indispensable pillars of our community. It’s crucial that we educate the youngest members of our community about the significant role these industries play in shaping our lives. Discover how your company can become a valuable partner in this remarkable expansion.

Learn more about the ways in which we can join hands to create a brighter future for our community.

Wi5P Social Event at Cocoon Brewery!

Mark your calendars to check out Cocoon Brewery with us!

Monday, July 17th, 5:30 PM.
Come and network with the ladies of the 5Ps while we sip some brews!

Where: 2233 Kaftan Way, De Pere, WI

RSVP to Cassie – Cassie.Diedrick@robinsoninc.com or
Emily – ehaines27@gmail.com

Wi5P Social Event at Cocoon Brewery in De Pere, WI on Monday July, 17th at 5:30pm

Wi5P Presents: Leadership Series. Susan Stansbury: Evolution Not Revolution

Set to talk about her decades in industry and the debut of her e-book 14 Dinners and a Lunch, Susan Stansbury will speak in Green Bay August 30. “Her career is unique with so many assignments as the lone woman in management, and with her breadth of experience,” says Marty Ochs of Green Bay Innovation Group, co-sponsor along with Women in the 5P group. 5P chairs Cassie Diedrick and Emily Haines will act as co-hosts.

“While I did not set out to work in the manufacturing world back in the 70s, the markets and incidents along the way are the stories of my book,” says Stansbury. “I used 14 Dinners and a Lunch as occasions to reveal certain happenings and surrounding times; I was often determined, sometimes distressed, occasionally amusing. I kept many of the details to myself, believing in evolution, not revolution.” Her August 30 speech will include comments on business methods and mechanisms that led to career growth.

A skilled speaker, Stansbury has been a presenter for many years at industry conferences throughout the U.S. as well as in Europe. She plans to include some strategies that served her well during her career. Her working career included jobs at major paper producers, specialty work on healthcare products, flexographic printing, and packaging. She had stints leading a quality process, strategic planning, and product development. During the pandemic, she worked on mask and wipes products as well as materials sourcing. She also originated and owned the Converters Expo at Lambeau for several years. More recently she consulted with clients across the U.S.

Hosts for the Green Bay event:

  • Cassie Diedrick: Cassie. Diedrick@robinsoninc.com
  • Emily Haines: ehaines27@gmail.com

Diedrick and Robinson represent today’s Women in the 5P (Packaging, Printing, Paper, Pulp, Plastics). They will lead with questions after the speech.

For more information about Stansbury’s book release, contact via email: Details@14Dinners.com. Susan R. Stansbury’s short bio is on LinkedIn.

Women Leaders in Industry Series presented by the Women in the 5P Industries January 23, 2023 starting at 1:00 p.m.

Details

Please join us for an industry update on Wisconsin’s diverse business development and upscaling talent featuring: Barb LaMue; President & CEO of New North, Inc., an 18-county regional economic development corporation in northeast Wisconsin.

Speakers (3)

  • Emily Haines – Project Engineer – New Product Integration
    Kohler Company
  • Cassie Diedrick – Business Development Coordinator
    Robinson Inc.
  • Barb LaMue – President & CEO
    New North Inc.

Women Leaders in Industry Series

Women in the 5P Industries and New North are sponsoring a free virtual webinar from 1-2pm CST on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North Inc. will speak about Wisconsin’s diverse business development and upscaling talent. The New North is an 18-county regional development corporation in Northeast Wisconsin.

New Chairs Announced for Women in the 5P Industries

Green Bay, Wisconsin, May 25, 2022

Women in the 5P Industries (Wi5P), developed from the networking association of Green Bay Innovation Group (GBIG), is proud to announce new co-chairs, Cassie Diedrick and Emily Haines. Cassie and Emily bring different backgrounds and perspectives to Wi5P, and both are committed to the power investing in the future leaders of the industry. Wi5P also extends a warm welcome to Ashley Rothmann for marketing support and looks forward to her contributions to the committee.

Cassie Diedrick - Wi5P Co-Chair
Cassie Diedrick – Wi5P Co-Chair

Business Development Coordinator Robinson, Inc.  
cassie.diedrick@robinsoninc.com | www.robinsoninc.com

Cassie is a Business Development Coordinator at Robinson Inc. and supports ideas and activities to grow the business in fabrication, machining, and contract manufacturing. Born and raised in Green Bay, Wis. and a co- founder and co-chair of Women in 5P, Cassie is always looking for opportunities within the network to connect.

Emily Haines - Wi5P Co-Chair
Emily Haines – Wi5P Co-Chair

Project Engineer – New Product Integration, Kohler Company ehaines27@gmail.com | www.kohlercompany.com

Emily is a Project Engineer working in new product integration at Kohler Company and is a co-chair of Women in 5P. Emily is extremely passionate about supporting women in industry and has leadership experience in other women-focused groups in the converting industry. She is looking forward to expanding the reach of Wi5P through networking, collaborative connection, and professional growth opportunities.

Ashley Rothman - Wi5P Marketing Support
Ashley Rothman – Wi5P Marketing Support

Marketing Manager – Appvion LLC arothmann@appvion.com | www.appvion.com

Ashley is a Marketing Manager at Appvion. With a career spanning eleven years, she was co-founder of Wi5P and currently supports the marketing efforts. Ashley is passionate about marketing, branding, and people-first leadership, creating opportunities for emerging professionals and advocating for equity within the industry.

Wi5P’s mission is to attract, grow, and retain women of all ages in paper and paper-related careers in the pulp, paper, printing, packaging, and plastics industries. Today’s career women aspire to be enriched through training and networking opportunities. Wi5P is committed to ensuring women receive what they need and want to succeed. To advance this, the group collaborates with Wisconsin business communities to inspire females by breaking through barriers. Connect with Wi5P on LinkedIn to learn more.

About Wi5P

Women in the 5P Industries (Wi5P) empowers women to excel at every stage of their paper and packaging related careers – from the classroom to the boardroom. As a branch of Green Bay Innovation Group, Wi5P’s  goal is to promote programs, connections, volunteer opportunities, and events that enable the development  of the 5P community. We are driven to support women as they write their success stories throughout their  careers and continue their evolution as 5P industry leaders in Wisconsin.

Women in Business & Manufacturing: Part 3

A Round Table Overview for GBIG

An exclusive interview with Michele Moran, Hoffmaster,

Director of Marketing & New Product Development.

Hoffmaster produces specialty disposable tabletop products.

Hosted by Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant

Michele Moran, Hoffmaster

Susan: How do you see your business outlook and the key issues you are facing this year?

Michelle: We’re seeing good sales results, and we think it’s going to continue on that track.  With all the supply chain issues we are seeing more of a demand for American made products. Our factories in Oshkosh, Clintonville, and GMSP division in Oconto, WI, as well as the paper straw facility in Fort Wayne, IN—are all busy. Of course, there are issues around continuing covid outbreaks, inflation, gas prices, and other factors that could affect growth.

What are some of the other factors and challenges occurring?

Michelle: First, we continue to see raw material difficulties with paper, tissue, and board stock availability. Second, there are labor concerns where we cannot hire enough people to meet our demand. Due to a workforce shortage, figuring out how to further automate becomes increasingly important.

Then, third on the list are freight issues with costs per container going from $4,000 to $20-30,000. Associated with that are a lack of truckers to drive and to pick up product. We are seeing a shortage of people who aren’t entering into the trucking industry, causing more problems with the supply chain.  Finally, inflation has led to rising costs for raw materials, electricity, wages,  and freight.

How did you work during the pandemic, from home? And now?

Michelle: During the pandemic I worked from home for almost 2 years. Currently, I work at the office three days per week, and I think that will continue very similar to what we see with other businesses. Use of cell phones, zoom calls and Team’s calls makes it easier than in past decades to be efficient at home.

Are your products made of recycled materials?

Michelle: We have several napkins, placemats, and traymats that are made of recycled materials. However, with more online ordering and items being shipped to homes, it has led to less recycling in many cases. Normally the corrugate boxes would have been recycled at the store level, and now with people ordering online they aren’t as good at recycling the boxes.  This has caused a shortage of recycled materials and has increased the costs of the tissue and paper.  Inflation has impacted the price of corrugate packaging, and we continue to see increases.

Any other thoughts about the industry?

Michelle: We are optimistic about people continuing to go out to eat, seeing travel come back, and concerts happening.  This is all great for business.  A couple of things could cloud this such as seeing a continued uptick in the COVID variant, or rising inflation, or more supply chain issues with raw materials.

Women in Business & Manufacturing – Part 2

A Round Table Overview for GBIG

Hosted by Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant
Part 2:

Hosted by Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant

Ann Franz, Director, NEW Manufacturing Alliance

Kristin Manteufel, Director of Marketing, Resource One

Amber Schuh, Vice President, Press Color Inc.

Susan: What are some of the key issues you are seeing in 2022?

Ann Franz: As we promote the manufacturing industry, we are focused on employment, and this year, preparing people to rise to higher levels in business. We have heard that many are “data rich, but information poor.” Working with St. Norbert since 2019, more than 200 professionals improved their data analytical skills; and since then, many more have improved their skills, become more efficient and wise in their work.

Kristin Manteufel: We have been looking forward to coming out of Covid restrictions and seeing optimism in the markets. We have been seeing bids and projects that were on hold being revived. However, there continue to be hurdles such as delayed receipt of raw materials needed to manufacture our products. There are still a lot of unknowns for manufacturers such as staffing shortages, materials on allocation and some force majeure. Once these difficulties can be overcome, shipping becomes an issue with labor shortages and weather events affecting large sections of the US.

Amber Schuh: As an ink and coating manufacturer, the largest issue for 2022 is the uncertainly in the supply chain for raw materials. Constant communication with our vendors is essential for trying to reduce disruptions to our customers. The printing industry continues to see growth in flexible packaging and food packaging markets. Additionally, the market continues to look for advancement in the overall safety and environmental sustainability in the products they purchase.

Susan: Ann, what is the latest you offer to your 200 manufacturing members?

Ann: For middle management people, and others, we plan to offer project management training. In addition, we have female high school students on our radar. This includes a range of females, from STEM students to those in various club activities.

Susan: Kristin, what are some of the holdups in obtaining raw materials?

Kristin: In the paper industry, there have been mill conversions and shutdowns that have influenced what is made, the amount and types of papers being manufactured. These changes a have affected the sourcing of where our printing paper come from for wallpaper and gift-wrap at our Waldan division. Therefore, we have to be smart at sourcing and not have single sourced materials.

Susan: Amber, with your PhD in biochemistry, what are some of the developments you are pursuing?

Amber: Although my day-to-day tasks have taken me a bit away from the biochemical pathways my dissertation was on, I continue to use my Ph.D. experience for experimental design in our research and development pursuits. We tailor our inks and coatings for each individual customer to optimize performance on their specific equipment. Whether that is meeting a customer’s end use resistance requirements, CoF specifications, desired gloss, or a variety of other parameters our lab works one-on-one with our customers for optimization of their inks and coatings. Markets ranging from retail packaging and printing support, to business-to-business supplies, continue to be a focus among Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers.


Look for Part 3 next, featuring three more women with the spotlight on the converting industry.

The Myth of Biodegradability…

The Myth of Biodegradability…

And Other Eco Fiction

In industry, some of us are getting frustrated by the lofty pronouncements by marketers promoting their “earth-friendly” products. And worse yet, consumers are increasingly confused, and even skeptical, about those claims. The claims range from “green,” to “eco-friendly,” to “biobased,” and so much more. “Greenwashing” presents obstacles for those making true efforts. 

Often when product labels use terms like “biodegradable,” there’s an especially compelling argument for a good green purchase. Part of the consumer’s reasoning is that terms like biodegradable and compostable have a technical ring to them. It’s like, “Those people must have met a scientific standard when they use these words.” And many of us do not pause to think about what all the eco-terms mean. Do they have a real impact? After all, do our purchases of those green products improve the environment?

At a recent conference on sustainable products, a brand leader in cleaning products explained its target consumers as: 1) upscale buyers; 2) trendy; 3) true green consumers. The question for suppliers is, How do we represent “true green” in ways that are not misleading or lacking in impact, and resonate with buyers? For consumers who are not in the “upscale” category, we need to ask: Can we supply green value products that are competitively priced? 

If we would only stop to think about biodegradability, we would remember that even a phone book covered over in a landfill lasts many decades without biodegrading. Nothing is going to actually happen for a long time in most of today’s landfills. 

It doesn’t matter which definition of biodegradability you reference, whether the product or material has to break down in 90 days or 9 months or whatever in defined conditions of moisture, light and being, as defined by the EPA, “Capable of decomposing under natural conditions.” There are very few situations in which materials are put in piles out in the open air and mixed or turned periodically.

The bottom line is that eco-deliverables are sorely lacking. While it doesn’t hurt to be ahead of your time by offering biodegradable products, there are many other things companies can do to make a real difference right now. Some of the options include:

Designing better products up front rather than trying to remove waste and recycle extra materials and packaging on the back end. Many companies are actively working on designing for improved product-to-package ratios and increased bulk packaging, even removing some intermediate packaging elements.

Source reduction is potentially more impactful than being recyclable. If product designers and converters can cut back on actual waste, there is less need to recycle or compost. And of course, having products made with reduced waste, plus being recyclable covers multiple bases.

Analysis of the supply chain to reduce transportation and associated fuel usage, instead of doing business in traditional ways. Regional alliances are taking some of the bloom off cross-continent and overseas sourcing. For example: Is bamboo the answer in heartland USA converting when it has to be transported long distances? Or are resources nearby, such as those monitored by the Forest Stewardship Council a better approach?

“Being lean and assuring minimal waste streams is very critical to our business,” says a Northeast Wisconsin materials supplier. We have had many successful projects and programs because of our attention to the overall reduction of waste, along with our other efficiency efforts.”

Greening Your Business

Paper, film, and materials converters are in the trenches of manufacturing, not in the fashionable, promotional end where marketers put out their green imagery. However, converters can step up to work more closely with marketers and offer meaningful examples which can be taken further into the consumer arena. However, they need to find a path to assessing, implementing, and communicating their efforts. Converters can also take methodology from their past efforts at quality improvement and strategy development.

ECO-PLANNING INCLUDES:

  1. Developing your vision for sustainable efforts that fit the specific converting business.
  2. Assessing a particular situation to choose steps, corrective actions and paths that fit the business.
  3. Determining factors for evaluation when planning for green initiatives.
  4. Working with suppliers, customers, and others to maximize input and options.
  5. Choosing definitions, resources, and authorities as a framework for your green programming.

By tailoring everything to their specific businesses, converters can deliver authentic results that make sense to their customers and communities.

According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), misleading claims can result in consequences including corrective advertising, mandatory disclosures in future ads or labeling—for starters. (www.ftc.gov/green)  FTC Staff Attorney Janice Podoll Frankle, speaking at a Clean Green Conference said, “Substantiation must be competent with reliable evidence, including testing, analysis and research.” It’s a warning about the kind of eco-fiction that ultimately leads no place useful. Converters are beginning to break through with their roll-up-the-sleeves stories of actual eco-results. They are busy making green progress that also improves efficiencies. No fiction needed. (This Stansbury article was originally published in PFFC and has been updated.)

Women in Business & Manufacturing

Women in Business & Manufacturing

A Round Table Overview for GBIG


This series of three features women in manufacturing and/or allied to industry.

Including in this, Part 1:

Hosted by Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant

Barb LaMue, President & CEO, The New North

Cassie Diedrick, Business Development, Robinson Inc.

Mary VanVonderen, Marketing Manager, The CMM Group

Susan: What is your outlook for 2022? 

Barb LaMue:We anticipate that 2022 will see increased sales growth and capital investment within the region, but unfortunately supply chain disruptions will continue. The number of job opportunities will also continue to increase, but the tight labor market will also remain. 

Cassie Diedrick: We see more collaboration, automation, and custom tailoring to meet market needs. Customization, for example, does not need to be expensive when you consider the gains in efficiency and productivity that result.

Mary VanVonderen: We see markets are opening up in the industries we serve. Money is being spent on long-delayed projects. Companies are spending on new equipment and expanding production in many of our core markets.  We also see an uptick in companies taking proactive steps for preventive maintenance and upgrading existing equipment.

Susan: What do you see regarding workforce issues?

Barb: Companies are investing more in technology and increasing job training to grow from within, along with increased workplace flexibility. Our institutions of higher learning are also increasing the methods of learning with more certificates and shorter-term focused curricula. 

Susan: Not too long ago, the focus on fuller employment was the major workforce issue with companies. Now, with automation and lean manufacturing, the difficulties in finding workers with current low unemployment, may be overcome somewhat.

Mary: While companies are expanding their production, the concerns remain for finding qualified people to fill positions and finding new ways to retain them. We believe in listening, really listening to teams—they have good ideas. I’d advise; Don’t be afraid to try new ideas brought forth from your team. Build relationships within your team.

Cassie: Our approximately 500 employees are more productive than ever by cross training in our segments including robotics, smart controls, and custom tailoring solutions for customers. Our expertise in double stacking items like wipes; product handling that has become automated; and modular metal fabrications—are some of our diverse offerings.

Susan: Where are the growth areas?

Barb: We expect to see increases in the number of diverse business opportunities in our region, as this becomes more of a focus within organizations and corporations. We expect continued growth in transportation and logistics as consumer buying habits trend to on-line activity.  

Mary: We are offering regenerative thermal pollution control systems and industrial ovens and dryers where use of less energy is a major benefit to our customers. Aftermarket services that help customers upgrade; improve their production equipment; and extend the life of existing equipment are another growth area.

Susan: Markets ranging from retail packaging and printing support to business-to-business supplies continue to grow among Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers. With the last two years’ growth in hygiene disposables like antibacterial wet wipes and masks, line extensions will occur as converters branch out into other areas using similar technologies.

Look for Part 2 next, featuring three women with the spotlight on the converting industry.

Green Bay Innovation Group

Bringing Green Bay Companies Together. Green Bay Innovation Group is committed to building an authentic networking experience where innovation can thrive.

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Phone: 608-698-3333 
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