An Eye for Diversity
World Pac is primarily a provider of paperboard used in cereal boxes, toothpaste cartons, cake boxes, toilet tissue, pharmaceutical folding cartons, and beverage packaging, among other items. Representing more than 70 paper mills around the globe, World Pac handles the sales, distribution, and supply management for paper products manufactured at these outfits. “Most mills are very interested in keeping their [operations] running and their paper being produced, so they are looking to move that paper into the marketplace,†explains Smith. “They have a number of direct relationships, but they also find it necessary to utilize and count on paper merchants and distributors such as us to continue to optimize the marketplace coverage.â€
Smith, a graduate of Morehouse College, fell in love with the industry during a two-year stint as a sales representative at RR Donnelley, one of the world’s largest printing companies. “Very early on in my career I served and serviced the Macy’s account in New York and we went through tons of paper, probably over 30,000 tons, and it really opened my eyes to the use of paper,†Smith recalls of his experience in the 1980s. “So I wanted to continue my education about paper and the industry so that I could position myself to do what I do today.†Following that position, he worked for major paper products manufacturers James River Corp., Georgia-Pacific L.L.C., and Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. He was also a vice president of national sales with Coca-Cola North America.
By 2004, Smith was ready to launch his venture, initially focusing on supplying paper for catalogs, tabloids, and various packaging applications. It took just a year before World Pac landed its first contracts with a major corporation–some $250,000 to provide advertising paper for Macy’s catalogs. World Pac continues to provide paper products for the retail giant, including corrugated containers, as well as some of its shopping bags.
“When we began the relationship with World Pac, we applied the same search factors as when we’re hiring people internally,” says Howard Thompson, vice president of purchasing and vendor development for Macy’s. “We wanted professional folks who can think out of the box and Edgar fits that model. He’s been a good partner for us, and we’ve been able to grow that relationship with him.â€
When Smith, Baptiste, and the original management team came up with the business plan for World Pac, they had product and service diversification as a part of the strategic plan from the start. “We said, ‘OK, our core is paper and packaging products, but what other synergistic things can we get into that support those industries?’†Baptiste says. “So based on that, clearly we have packaging grades of paper, printing grades of paper, and we have corrugated boxes. Why? Because printed matter needs to go into corrugated boxes to be shipped. We offer tapes because packaging products need to be sealed.â€
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