Personified Times
November & December 2025
As the year comes to a close, November and December gave us plenty of moments to pause, celebrate, and look ahead. From honoring milestones and retirements to sharing holiday cheer across both locations, these past two months reminded us that PPI is built on people — the ones who show up every day, support one another, and keep things moving forward. As we wrap up the year, we’re grateful for the teamwork, dedication, and community that continue to define who we are and set the tone for what’s next.
Anniversaries
🎉 Celebrating 15 Years with Chris! 🎉
Please join us in congratulating Chris on 15 years of dedication, teamwork, and excellence here at PPI!
As Laura shared:
“Thank you for your outstanding service, dedication and teamwork. Your consistent effort, positive attitude and dependability have made a lasting difference. You are a valued part of our team and your loyalty serves as an inspiration to others. I appreciate all you have done throughout your career at PPI and am grateful and proud to celebrate this milestone with you!”
We couldn’t have said it better — thank you, Chris, for 15 incredible years of showing up, giving your best, and helping make PPI what it is today. 💙
#PackagingPersonified #WorkAnniversary #BuiltByPeople #TeamPPI #PPI50
Retirements
Celebrating Fred’s Retirement
This month, we’re proud to celebrate Fred and recognize the leadership, connection, and lasting impact he’s had during his time at Packaging Personified as he begins his well-earned retirement.
"Fred started with Packaging Personified when we were all wearing masks. It was not an easy time to establish yourself with a new group of people, but one of Fred’s greatest gifts is the ability to create connections with and between people. While never having held the role of Quality Assurance manager in his long career, he quickly went about the effort of understanding our quality system and the metrics that drive our performance. Fred did not drive performance in quality from a technical perspective; he led people to success by helping them gain an understanding and enthusiasm for the existing system. Strengthening the direct Quality Team under him and using his competitive nature and teambuilding skills to lead Packaging Personified to goal for COPQ from May 2020 through September 2022, when Fred left the position to become Sales Manager at PPI. (We remained at goal through July of 2023, the longest continuous stretch since establishing the metric) During his time in sales, Fred helped strengthen the adoption of key metrics and provided strong communication within the Sales and Operations teams. Putting us on the path to a stronger sales organization. While in the Sales Manager role, Fred established a strong relationship as a mentor and collaborator with my son Dominic, ensuring his readiness to take on the role of Sales Manager upon Fred’s retirement. What he built is a sustainable program with clear focus, key leadership, and teamwork that would live beyond his direct involvement. Fred has a way of communicating on any topic that moves us forward with a common goal. Never escalating, always drawing people in to participate in the solution. The attribute I appreciate most is the respect he displays for the people he works with and his ability to build people up, never underestimating or dismissing their input but guiding their development." -Joe I.
"After six years with Packaging Personified, Fred is retiring. During his time with us, Fred brought valuable industry experience and used it to help make our organization stronger.
Fred’s leadership across multiple areas of the business has been truly impactful. He has been a thoughtful mentor to many on the team, helping others grow, build confidence, and develop along the way. His guidance and willingness to share what he knows have made a lasting difference.
Fred will be missed—not only for his contributions, but also for the humor and lightheartedness he brought to the workplace. We are grateful for all he has done and wish him the very best in his retirement." -Dan I.
Celebrating Tim’s Retirement
This month, we’re honored to recognize and celebrate Tim as he begins his well-earned retirement, reflecting on the incredible impact he’s had on PPI over the years.
"After many years of dedicated service, Tim is retiring from Packaging Personified. Tim has been a valuable asset to the Packaging Personified team, not only with the industry knowledge Tim brought in his leadership of our regulatory and SQF systems but also in his contribution to supporting a team culture.
Throughout his career, Tim has been an invaluable resource—bringing extensive industry experience and always making himself available to support teammates when needed. His insight, and willingness to help others have left a lasting impact on our company.
Tim will be greatly missed, both professionally and personally. We thank him for his many contributions and wish him all the best in this next chapter.
Congratulations and best wishes on your well-earned retirement, Tim!" -Dan I.
" After a decades-long career in packaging, we celebrate the retirement of our long-term Compliance Manager, whose impact on Packaging Personified will be felt for years to come. A true expert in his field, Tim led the creation of all our food safety and compliance systems, building the programs in their entirety from the ground up. His efforts over the years not only maintained these complex systems but strengthened our compliance and food safety reputation in the industry – consistently delivering Excellent audit scores year
in and year out. Tim’s deep regulatory knowledge was a trusted resource not only for our internal compliance effort, but all functional units, including the Sales and Marketing Team, who relied on his clear and timely guidance.
Beyond his technical excellence, he was remarkably generous with his time, always willing to share information, mentor teammates, and help others succeed. Anyone who shared an interest in strengthening their understanding of our systems gained an invaluable ally in Tim.
His sharp sense of humor brought levity, and sometimes a little sting, to most any topic, work-related or personal. As the commissioner of our fantasy football league, Tim helped build friendly competition and connection across the organization, while sacrificing personal glory on the fantasy gridiron.
Tim’s dedication and generosity with his time were not limited to his efforts at work; his commitment to the community was obvious, not in what he talked about but in how he dedicated his time to organizations he believes in outside of the office.
As he heads into retirement, he looks forward to traveling and spending more time with his grandchildren, a well-earned next chapter after a career defined by dedication, integrity, and expertise. We thank him for his many contributions and wish him all the best in this exciting new adventure." -Joe I.
Holiday Spirit
Honoring Those Who Served
November 11th, we paused to honor the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Your courage, dedication, and commitment to protecting our freedoms inspire us every day.
A special thank you to our own PPI veterans — Dominic I., Dave S., Rob C., Doug G., John W., and Bob H. We’re proud to work alongside you and grateful for your service.
It’s turkey time at PPI! Feeling extra thankful for our hardworking teams who keep things moving through every season, with more than a few well deserved laughs along the way. Wishing everyone a safe and happy start to the holiday week.
Santa Visits PPI!
Santa swapped the sleigh for something with better turning radius. 🎄🚜
New forklifts have landed in Sparta, and they’re already helping us stack, lift, and load better than Rudolph.
Early gifts are the best gifts.
Spotted in extrusion: one very dedicated snowman keeping the holiday spirit alive.
Turns out even our resin has festive energy this time of year.
Accounting 🤝 Customer Service, holiday edition. 🎄✨
Festive fits, bright spirits and proof that the cheer is officially contagious.
⏳ Last Poll Results: Movie Watching Spots!
When it comes to movie watching, the results were clear. The overwhelming favorite was watching at home, with 83% of votes claiming the couch as the best seat in the house. A smaller but respectable 11% still love the full theater experience. And then there was the wildcard… 6% voted for watching movies on the treadmill, proving there’s always one person keeping things interesting. 🎬🏃♀️