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A Farewell Lead Off

This column was my responsibility each month for many years.

Pat Reynolds 2016 Official Less Red

In 2018 I placed it in the capable hands of my successor Matt Reynolds, as plans for my phased-in retirement began to take shape. But with this issue of Packaging World, a magazine I’m proud to say I helped launch in 1994, my retirement becomes official (more on that in a moment). That being the case, we figured it was a good opportunity for me to reclaim this space for one last Lead Off column. If nothing else it gives me a chance to say thanks to the countless packaging professionals I’ve met over the years, without whose input I’d have had nothing to write about.

Also deserving buckets of thanks are the mentors I’ve had the pleasure of working with. A short list would include Lloyd Ferguson, Chuck Winnicky, Bob Heitzman, Sarah Lee Gerrish, Arnie Orloski, Joe Angel, Jim Chrzan, Dave Newcorn, Ben Miyares, Jim Butschli, and Anne Marie Mohan.

Who would ever have thought that packaging could be so endlessly fascinating? Watching the emergence and commercialization of things like servo technology and compostable packaging—not to mention things like predictive maintenance via Artificial Intelligence—has been like having a birds-eye view as the future becomes the now. Digital printing is another one that still just knocks me out. I’ll never forget encountering Indigo for the first time somewhere in the bowels of McCormick Place long before Indigo was acquired by HP and thinking to myself, “Those nut jobs actually think they can print packaging in the complete absence of any kind of plate!”

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What's in store for CPGs in 2025 and beyond? <i>Packaging World</i> editors explore the survey responses from 118 brand owners, CPG, and FMCG <i>Packaging World</i> readers for its new Annual Outlook Report.
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