Keeping an eye on Sales - Association of Independent Corrugated ...

The Comp<strong>an</strong>y That Plays
Together . . . Succeeds Together!
By Tom Nugent
At Volk Packaging Corporation – where <strong>an</strong> enlightened comp<strong>an</strong>y m<strong>an</strong>agement enthusiastically
supports everything from “mock-Olympic skiing events” to “Halloween costume contests” to yearly
award-b<strong>an</strong>quets – they’ve taken “togetherness” to a whole new level.
Victory!
Moments after zooming across the
finish line, the winning skier threw
his h<strong>an</strong>ds into the air <strong>an</strong>d then cut
loose with a joyful shout: “Yes!”
For D<strong>an</strong> Brochu, a 31-year-old
shipping supervisor at one of Maine’s
most successful business enterprises
– Volk Packaging Corporation – it
was a moment of supreme triumph.
“Yeah, it was a struggle all the way!”
said Brochu, who most days is
responsible for shipping out m<strong>an</strong>y
different packaging products at the
Volk facility in Biddeford, Maine.
“I was truly in the battle of my life,
but as I approached the finish line,
I knew I still had a ch<strong>an</strong>ce to win.
“It took everything I had, but my
finishing kick was decisive. And
right now, I’m just grateful to be
savoring the thrill of victory . . .
rather th<strong>an</strong> the agony of defeat!”
For a few seconds, he sounded like
a superstar athlete on Wide World
of Sports. But then a moment later,
the high-spirited Brochu was roaring
with laughter.
Why? Because the “dem<strong>an</strong>ding
course” on which the fun-loving
associate had just defeated five
other hard-charging Volk “Olympic
skiers” was exactly 20 feet long.
Tucked away in a back corner of the
factory, it consisted entirely of naked
concrete, without a single snowflake
in sight.
And the “skis” on which these “Volk
Winter Olympics” athletes had just
competed?
Douglas, Kenneth, Benjamin <strong>an</strong>d Derek
Volk
They were actually crafted from
lengths of corrugated board, right off
a Volk machine.
Like the “Corrugated All-Star
Bowling Championship” <strong>an</strong>d the
“International Fold-Stuff-<strong>an</strong>d-Seal,”
these recent “Winter Olympics”
(inspired by Vice President Derek
Volk) were powerful examples
of the forward-thinking Volk
Packaging Corporation’s remarkably
enlightened m<strong>an</strong>agement philosophy.
That unusual – but also
very effective – philosophy
was recently defined by
President Douglas Volk as
follows:
“If we’re going to work well
together, we also have to be
able to play well together!”
Volk me<strong>an</strong>s it, too. At Volk
Packaging, founded in 1967
by Ken <strong>an</strong>d Benjamin Volk
– two creatively minded
businessmen with a knack
for building “team spirit”
among their associates by including
them in every aspect of their fastgrowing
enterprise – the ethos is
egalitari<strong>an</strong> . . . <strong>an</strong>d the reigning
attitude on the factory floor is playful
creativity.
“Corrugated Hockey Games” . . .
And a Knockout Newsletter
Spend a few hours h<strong>an</strong>ging out
with Douglas <strong>an</strong>d Derek Volk at
their modern, 165,000-square-foot
facility located in southern Maine,
<strong>an</strong>d you’ll soon discover that they
become very serious whenever they
talk about treating their people well.
“At Volk Packaging, we don’t refer
to our people as ‘employees,’ but as
‘associates’,” says the 62-year-old top
exec at the highly successful, New
Engl<strong>an</strong>d-based packaging supplier.
“We’re also careful to never describe
our associates as ‘working for us.’
“Our associates work with us, day in
<strong>an</strong>d day out, in a shared enterprise
where they’re respected <strong>an</strong>d valued
as crucially import<strong>an</strong>t members on a
team of equals.
continued on page 10
Corrugated Ping Pong athletes with their decorated paddles.
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