Richard Giesen, former owner of Continental Packaging Solutions, passes away

Richard (Dick) Giesen, former owner of Chicago-based packaging distributor Continental Packaging Solutions, died April 19, 2013, at 83.

Gretchen Edelbrock

Apr 29th, 2013

Continental was acquired in 2012 by Berlin Packaging, Chicago, IL. Founded in 1936 as Continental Glass Co., it initially supplied glass bottles to well-known brands such as Pepsi, 7-Up, Dr Pepper, and Jim Beam.

In 1988 Giesen was part of a buyout team that built a company with branches from coast to coast and mainland China and offered value-added services ranging from component assembly and package decoration to warehousing and logistics management. Prior to his time at Continental Packaging, he served as president and chief executive officer of several Chicago companies.

Survivors include son Mark Giesen, chairman of the National Association of Container Distributors.

Continental Packaging Solutions

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