The Fibre Box Association (FBA) welcomed more than 100 attendees at the 2024 Annual Meeting last week at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida. The theme for this year’s meeting, “Navigating Change,” recognized the current dynamics impacting the corrugated industry and explored regulatory changes including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the effects of automation, electric vehicles and even this year’s US presidential election.
Included in the lineup of speakers was Christian Fischer, President & CEO of Georgia-Pacific, who delivered a compelling keynote presentation on the State of the Corrugated Industry. Fischer is this year’s recipient of PaperAge’s Executive Papermaker of the Year award, and a former chairman and member of the FBA’s Board of Directors.
Jason Stein of Flat Six Media presented the End Use Segment Series: Automotive, and Scott Rasmussen, Co-Founder of ESPN & Rasmussen Reports, shared his analysis of the upcoming 2024 national election. Rasmussen is recognized as one of the world’s leading public opinion pollsters.
Other highlights included an update from FBA President & CEO Bob McIlvaine, FBA’s Rachel Kenyon, who spoke on the Corrugated Industry Promotion Program, and Terry Webber of the AF&PA, who focused on EPR, Regulations and Recycling.
Walmart’s Jim Thomson, Director of Packaging Product Development, shared Walmart’s approach to packaging and provided an overview and update on the company’s four-year plan to automate distribution centers across the country.
(caption: From left, FBA Chairman Tim Bergwall presents the Crystal Eagle Award to outgoing Chairman, Bryan Hollenbach. )
