On Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 5:15 packaging professionals from across the industry will gather to honor four inductees to the Packaging Hall of Fame Class of 2010. The event – a fundraiser to benefit packaging education – will take place at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.

“As we come together to celebrate the accomplishment of these packaging leaders, we also recognize that the future success of the packaging industry is in the hands of today’s packaging students. They bring vision, innovation and new solutions to the table,” says Maria Ferrante, vice president, education and workforce development, PMMI. “Support from our corporate sponsors is much appreciated as proceeds from this fundraising event are used to fund deserving educational initiatives serving the entire packaging.”

Members of the Packaging Hall of Fame Commission had a wide range of distinguished candidates from which to choose. However, four packaging industry pioneers quickly rose to the top of the list, according to Maria Ferrante, vice president, education & workforce development, PMMI.

“I can’t say this year’s class was an easy choice — because all of the nominees are remarkable professionals. However, the four the commission finally selected are truly pioneers in the packaging industry,” Ferrante says.

The Class of 2010 is:

•    Robert Dodrill; President; Rollprint Packaging Products, Inc. (PMMI member since 2007)
•    Edwin Landon; Landon, Farrey & Associates; Executive Director Emeritus, Institute of Packaging Professionals;
•    Michael Richmond, Ph.D.; Sr. Partner, Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, LLC, and
•    Bill Zito; Vice President, Sales; Enercon Industries (PMMI member since 1994).

“Everyone nominated has done great things, but these people have transformed how the industry thinks about packaging,” Ferrante says.

Profiles of the inductees are below. Members of the 2010 Packaging Hall of Fame Commission are listed at the end of this press release.

Robert K. Dodrill: Inventor
President, Rollprint Packaging Products, Inc.
 In the 1970s, Robert K. (Bob) Dodrill recognized the future for single-use, sterile medical devices — and the tremendous opportunity and challenge of providing packaging for those devices. That vision has propelled his career and Rollprint Packaging Products, Inc., ever since. In 1975, he became a partner in Rollprint, and under his leadership, the company has become a full-service converter for high-demand, high-performance flexible packaging, and a thriving supplier to medical, consumer, food and industrial packagers.

Among the inventions Dodrill has developed and/or brought to market is the first foil header pouch — and its next generation, a clear layer alternative, commonly known as “The Rollprint.” Healthcare professionals turn to “The Rollprint” to confirm the human tissue, bone grafts and other items it typically holds are correct — before they open the package — something they previously could only do with glass jars.

Also in the late 1970s, Dodrill introduced polybutene-based peelable sealants to the medical device packaging industry 10 years ahead of the competition. He also developed RP-1A, a heat-seal coating that was one of the first to provide a visual indicator on packages made entirely from film.
The 1980s included the launch of high-performance, cost-effective silicon-oxide and aluminum oxide coated packaging structures — which included developing adhesives that met U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requirements and the first clear, retortable, high-barrier lidding for shelf-stable food.

In 1994, Dodrill received a patent for Process for Sterilizing the Contents of Sealed Deformable Packages, and in 1997, he installed a five-layer co-extrusion laminator/coater at Rollprint. The installation made the company the first in flexible packaging to extrusion coat polyester sealants on film, and the first to extrusion coat peelable polyester sealants on any substrate.

Dodrill’s gifts to the packaging industry have been broader than just new technologies, however. He served on the board of directors of the Flexible Packaging Association from 1994–1999, and remains active in the group to this day. In 1994, he helped found the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council, and has chaired its executive committee since 2000. Since 2004, Dodrill has served on the board of directors of Opportunity Medical: non-profit medical device manufacturer that primarily employs handicapped individuals.

Edwin O. Landon: Connecting Packagers & Fostering Excellence
Executive Director Emeritus, Institute of Packaging Professionals
 Edwin O. Landon has fostered excellence in packaging throughout his career — as a magazine sales rep, a publisher and the Executive Director of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP).

When the 1983 Tylenol tampering incident challenged the packaging community on a range of issues, Landon responded with a “Tamper-Evident Packaging Supplement,” detailing seven technologies for addressing tamper-evident concerns, for Packaging Engineering magazine.

In 1993, Landon created Independent Publishing Company, which revived the defunct Food & Drug Packaging magazine and launched the first packaging industry website, www.fdp.com, a year later (1994). The site gave online exposure and experience to more than 100 companies in a time when online marketing was not the norm.

Landon and his team also launched Brand Packaging, which defined industry trends and focused on packaging as a marketing tool (1997), and Flexible Packaging (1999), the only magazine to focus on this segment of the packaging converting market. They sold Independent Publishing Company in 2000.
In 2001, Landon and partner Pat Farrey launched Landon, Farrey and Associates, a management company, and Landon took on the role of Executive Director of IoPP. His job was cut out for him: IoPP faced dwindling membership, financial deficit, disconnects with the chapters, little to no educational programming and no relationships with industry media. After addressing the business issues, Landon set IoPP back on track to fulfill its primary mission of providing continuing education to the packaging community.

Now, 10 years later, with great staff, IoPP’s membership has grown from 3,000 to 5,000 individual members. Finances are strong and positive. Education programs are robust. IoPP has more than 1,500 Certified Packaging Professionals, a Packaging Education Scholarship Fund, student awards programs, benefactors and corporate sponsors. Landon created and implemented the benefactor and corporate sponsor programs.

Landon — called one of the forward-leading thinkers in packaging — stepped down from his IoPP post in 2009, but continues as a principal in Landon, Farrey and Associates, where he mentors his teams as they drive forward the interests of packaging as a strategic tool.

Michael Richmond, Ph.D.: Putting Packaging to Work
Sr. Partner, Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions (PTIS)
 Michael Richmond, Ph.D., has enjoyed a spectacular, productive career in food and food packaging science and technology, global technology and packaging innovation, food marketing and packaging strategy. As senior partner for Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions (PTIS), he is an advocate for the business value of packaging, regardless of material or container type.

PTIS research has helped to advance technologies including aseptic packaging, hot fill flexible, non-thermal, minimally processed, convenience food packaging and sustainability to the commercial forefront. PTIS is a recognized world leader in independent research, analysis, strategy, training and education, and development of information and knowledge about sustaining planetary resources for leading companies across the packaging value train.

As president & CEO of PTIS, Richmond built the company by working across consulting project work, and technology and equipment development. His work today has helped many Fortune 500 companies, consumer packaged goods firms and packaging industry suppliers implement programs and projects that will improve bottom line packaging growth. He is directly involved in developing and implementing consumer, science and business-based strategies to recognize the importance of considering packaging earlier in the product development process. He has also been an evangelist for food packaging.

Richmond was instrumental in developing and implementing strategic plans and programs regionally, nationally and internationally for Kraft and Kellogg’s in the R&D component of strategic sourcing. PTIS continues that work for its more than 180 clients today. Early on, he also recognized and promoted the notion that cost reductions were major components of mass reductions — and therefore waste reduction.

Richmond is a leader in package sustainability, and while at Kellogg’s and Kraft , he headed environmental initiatives to reduce package material mass in solid waste streams. During that time, he was also an intense advocate for top- and bottom-line packaging value to enhance the economic status of the companies’ product distribution systems, and as a result, was the leader in developing new, consumer-driven packaging solutions and reduction of package material mass and distribution weight and volume efforts that now sustain and drive consumer goods companies’ strategies.

Richmond’s time at Kellogg’s gave him the responsibility for developing and implementing start-up departments of Technology Discovery and Global Packaging Innovation. Technology Discovery is the search for scientific and technological developments to apply to specific situations — a particular strength of Richmond’s.
Developments credited to Richmond while with Kellogg’s include early development of open innovation in packaging and technology, development of one handed cereal and milk packaging, numerous cost reduction programs, development of packaging value models and new package format development across Kellogg product lines.

At Kraft, Richmond participated in the development of easy open/reclosable reduced oxygen shredded, sliced and chunk cheese packaging (using oxygen barrier packaging) now a universal package that has boosted cured natural cheese sales in North America. He also took part in developing and commercializing the conversion from spiral wound to polyester packaging for grated Parmesan cheese, and he has been recognized for his contributions to packaging of DiGirono pasta, pizza and related Italian-type food products.

Richmond has been a professor in the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, and holds his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in Food Science & Human Nutrition. He has headed the Industrial Advisory Committee for the Center of Advanced Food Technology at Rutgers University, and is an active member in the Institute of Food Technology. He has authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications. Richmond also continues to support the MSU School of Packaging through their PTIS Endowment and he also lectures at both Western Michigan and MSU.

Bill Zito: Mainstream Tamper Evident Solutions
Vice President, Sales, Enercon Industries
When the role of induction sealing in packaging changed forever — in the wake of the Tylenol tampering incident of the early 1980s — Bill Zito was there.

Prior to the early 1980s, induction sealing was primarily a way to prevent products from leaking. In the wake of the Tylenol incident, packagers adopted the technology for its tamper-evident benefits; the FDA recognized it as effective, and Zito became a strong advocate for its use.

Zito’s advocacy has led to many educational contributions: articles in leading packaging industry magazines, seminar and conference presentations, technical presentations at training seminars, webinars, and technical papers.

He’s also been a contributor to industry associations and trade shows, and speaks regularly at packaging schools including Michigan State, University of Wisconsin (Stout), University of San Jose and Ohio State University. He has spearheaded the donations of many cap sealers to packaging programs, too.

Recognizing that induction liner and cap manufacturers would benefit from being able to demonstrate the induction sealing process, Zito worked with Enercon’s development team to develop a table-top induction sealer. The successful sales tool had an unexpected benefit: It became the industry’s leading portable cap sealer, sought after by pharmaceutical laboratories, “mom and pop” operations, test marketers and packaging operations.

Zito continues to pioneer the use of induction for non-traditional sealing applications. He has been instrumental in the development of pressure-belt systems that allow containers with non-torqueable caps to be sealed. Another legacy of his is capless induction technology, a safe, economical alternative to conduction sealing.


A new Packaging Hall of Fame Commission is named each year. The 2010 panel is below:

•    Jack Aguero, Vice President, Business Development & Marketing, Pro Mach, Inc.
•    Joe Angel, Vice President/Publisher, Packaging World
•    Curtis Babb, Director, Packaging Materials & Development, MillerCoors
•    Jane Chase, Board Chairperson, IoPP; Sr. Director Packaging Innovation and R&D, The Schwan Food Company
•    Tom Egan, Vice President, Industry Services, PMMI
•    Maria Ferrante, Vice President, Education & Workforce Development, PMMI
•    John Kowal, Market Development Manager, B&R Industrial Automation Corp
•    Bob Larkin, Director, Packaging & Graphics Development, ACH Food Companies, Inc
•    Rick Lingle, Executive Editor, BNP Media
•    Ben Miyares, President, The Packaging Management Institute
•    Tom Osip, Director, Research & Development, Mead Johnson Nutrition
•    Karen Proctor, Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
•    Sean Riley, Editor, PMT Magazine
•    Dwight C. Schmidt, President, FIBRE BOX ASSOCIATION
•    Rick Schneider , President, Schneider Packaging
•    Nick Wilson, President, Morrison Container Handling Solutions

Corporate sponsorships – at levels between $1,500 and $3,000 – are available. Tickets to the event can also be purchased for $75 each. Contact Maria Ferrante for details: 703.516.0656 or [email protected].

SOURCE: PMMI

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