For more information, contact:
Mark Moorhead, Director of Marketing
(920) 327-1652; mmoorhead@wspackaging.com
GREEN BAY, Wis., July 20, 2010—An international label industry judging panel has chosen Terry Fulwiler, chief executive officer of WS Packaging Group, Inc., as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award.
Fulwiler, who holds a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, joined his father’s company, Wisconsin Label Corporation, in 1972 when there were eight employees. Since then, he has served in a variety of management positions and was named CEO upon his father’s retirement in 1986, by which time the company had grown to 25 employees.
In 2000, Fulwiler took the company from a midsize player in the tag and label industry to the next level, with the merger of Wisconsin Label Corporation, founded in 1966, and Superior Label Systems, Inc., founded in 1970. The merger created WS Packaging Group, one of the top privately owned label and tag manufacturers in North America.
Fulwiler’s commitment to strategic growth has resulted in WS Packaging making nine acquisitions in the last nine years. The company now has over 1,770 employees at 17 locations across the United States and in Mexico, producing high-quality printing, flexible packaging, and promotional products, as well as continuously introducing new and innovative products to the label and packaging industry. Its major markets include health and beauty, food and beverage, wine, household, promotional, automotive, industrial, commercial, security, and pharmaceutical and medical. Its customers range in size from small businesses to large, high-volume manufacturers and consumer product goods companies doing business locally, nationally and in marketplaces worldwide.
“The opportunity I’ve had to make WS Packaging Group a major player in our market has been extremely rewarding,” Fulwiler said. “My personal and business philosophy is based on the best advice I ever got, which is to take care of your people and lead by example.”
After a lifetime in the label business, Fulwiler’s management style remains “people-friendly.” He believes in hiring good people and helping them to do their best by getting them to enjoy what they do.
“That’s why being chosen to receive the R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award is truly an honor, because I share this award with each of our employees. The success of WS Packaging rests with them.”
WS Packaging provides among the widest array of printing and packaging capabilities, with products and services as diverse as: pressure sensitive labels and coupons (its core business), litho and inmold labels, tags, shrink sleeves, overwrap, folded cartons, printed tape, decals, signage, game and sweepstakes, RFID solutions, commercial printing, specialty packaging and custom application equipment.
Fulwiler believes strongly in new printing technology and business improvements, such as the latest proofing systems or press equipment and lean manufacturing, and continues to reinvest in the business with significant annual capital expenditures as part of his long-term business strategy. His leadership has driven label-industry innovation through web-based ordering systems and customer interface management, as well as through the development of RFID technology, which was expanded to include a joint venture with European-based ASK Corporation.
The R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award is sponsored by Avery Dennison and recognizes the values and vision of Stan Avery, the inventor of pressure-sensitive labels, and his pioneering efforts in the label industry. The panel of label-industry experts made its selection at the FINAT Congress on June 9 in Valencia, Spain. FINAT is a worldwide association for manufacturers of self-adhesive labels and related products and services.
Fulwiler was selected Converter of the Year for 2000 by his peers in the Tag and Label Manufacturer’s Institute (TLMI), the premier trade organization for the tag and label industry, in which he served on the board of directors and is an active member, and supports key company management to participate as active members. He is also chairman of the board for Bellin Hospital; on the board of directors for several area businesses, including the Green Bay Packers; and serves in an advisory capacity for various local organizations and groups.
