CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. –

Golden West Packaging Group announced that Mark J. Favre has been named Chief Executive Officer, Brian McDonnell has been named Chief Financial Officer, and Doug Keim has been named Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. They will join the senior leadership team that includes Kelley Wenter, Chief Operating Officer; Eric Gordon, Chief Sales Officer; and Melissa Price, Head of People and Culture. Together, these leaders have decades of experience driving growth and sharp customer focus in the packaging industry.

Favre has been in the packaging industry for 35 years and joins Golden West from GoldenCorr Sheets, where he has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2018. McDonnell joins Golden West following 17 years at Smurfit Kappa Group, where he has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of North America since 2012. Keim has decades of experience driving transformation, innovation and customer experience and joins Golden West after serving as Vice President, Customer Experience, at Honeywell Building Technologies.

“Our plan is to continue to grow Golden West’s position as the premier packaging solutions supplier on the West Coast,” Favre said. “We will drive accelerated growth, provide customers with innovative and high-quality solutions, and expand our offerings and capabilities. Golden West has an impressive reputation and a dedicated team of employees. Brian, Doug and I are eager to help take the company to the next level of growth, quality and service.”

Golden West is also announcing significant investments in new equipment, including a new Bobst 64” Masterflute In-Line Laminator to be installed in the company’s Sacramento facility, as well as several new machines to add printing, die cutting and folder gluer capacity in Southern California, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. These investments are in addition to the Heidelberg XL 162-6 large format printing press that was recently installed and commissioned in Sacramento.

“The addition of these new machines, along with other forthcoming plans, reflect our long-term growth strategy to invest in best-in-class equipment and technology across our entire manufacturing footprint up and down the West Coast,” said Wenter.

Gordon added, “We are thrilled to share this news with our valued customers and look forward to expanding on how these investments will support our customers’ future growth and success.”

Favre began his career with Westrock (formerly Smurfit-Stone Container) where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including Regional Vice President where he managed 40 facilities serving produce, food & beverage, wine, health & beauty and consumer products customers with over $1B in sales. He joined Kapstone Paper & Packaging in 2012 as Regional Vice President of the Container Division. He was with Cascades Inc. and held senior operating roles at DS Smith (formerly Interstate Resources) prior to joining GoldenCorr Sheets as CEO in 2018. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton. Favre succeeds Craig Reese, who joined Golden West in 2021.

McDonnell joins Golden West from Smurfit Kappa Group, where he has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of North America since 2012. McDonnell joined Smurfit Kappa Group in 2007 after beginning his career with KPMG in 1998. He earned his BS from University of Virginia and has attended INSEAD and the London Business School. McDonnell succeeds Mike Murphy, who has served as interim CFO since 2023.

Keim brings over 20 years of experience in driving outstanding customer service, process improvement, and operational excellence. Keim began his career at Georgia-Pacific Corporation before being named Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Innovation at Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation. Over the last fifteen years, Keim has also held senior leadership roles in marketing and customer experience at Chep International, Cox Enterprises, and Honeywell, Inc.

About Golden West Packaging Group, LLC

Golden West Packaging Group (https://goldenwestpackaging.com) is the largest mill-independent provider of customized post-print corrugated boxes and folding cartons on the West Coast and one of the fastest growing independent manufacturers of custom packaging products in North America. With a long history of high performance and innovation, Golden West Packaging combines local touch with global reach to deliver packaging solutions that help its customers sell more products. Everything the company does supports this mission.

CONTACT:
Scott White
Golden West Packaging Group
Email: scott.white@goldenwestpackaging.com
Office: (888) 501-5893

SUMMARY:

Golden West Packaging Group, LLC (https://goldenwestpackaging.com), an independent manufacturer of custom packaging products and one of the largest paper recyclers in the western U.S., is pleased to announce that it has earned a silver medal for sustainability in business from EcoVadis. The award recognizes that Golden West operates in the top 20 percent of companies that participate in the rating service.

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. –

Focused on sustainability in every aspect of operations, Golden West Packaging Group, LLC (https://goldenwestpackaging.com) not only reduces material usage through thoughtful design, but it also utilizes responsibly sourced and managed raw materials. In addition, Golden West Packaging Group is one of the largest paper recyclers in the western United States, closing the loop on its 360-degree commitment to sustainable manufacturing.

EcoVadis, the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, has recognized that commitment by awarding Golden West with a silver medal for 2023. The rating places the packaging company in the top 20 percent of all companies that participated in the program over the past 12 months, regardless of the industry they serve.

The EcoVadis Medals Program recognizes eligible companies that have completed the EcoVadis assessment process and demonstrated a strong management system that addresses sustainability criteria, as outlined in the EcoVadis methodology.

Medals are awarded based on scores in each of the four sustainability themes as set by EcoVadis, namely: Environment, Ethics, Labor & Human Rights, and Sustainability Procurement.

“Receiving the EcoVadis Silver Medal recognition is a significant milestone for our company and a reflection of our steadfast commitment to sustainability," said Craig Reese, CEO of Golden West Packaging. "This achievement underscores our dedication to integrating eco-friendly and responsible practices into every facet of our business, from product design and development to supply chain management and our Golden West culture built on ethics and inclusion. We believe that accountability in our operations is not just good for the environment but also a crucial aspect of delivering value to our customers and partners."

About Golden West Packaging Group, LLC

Golden West Packaging Group (https://goldenwestpackaging.com) is one of the fastest growing independent manufacturers of custom packaging products in North America. With a long history of high performance and innovation, Golden West Packaging combines local touch with global reach to deliver packaging solutions that help its customers sell more product. Everything the company does supports this mission. Formed in 2017 by Lindsay Goldberg LLC from established operations going back more than seven decades, Golden West has quickly become the largest mill-independent provider of customized post-print corrugated boxes and folding cartons on the west coast.

CONTACT:
Scott White
Golden West Packaging Group
Email: scott.white@goldenwestpackaging.com
Office: (888) 501-5893

SUMMARY:

By streamlining its 15 locations under one corporate network, Golden West Packaging Group, LLC has now become the largest mill-independent corrugated box company in the western United States. As part of this rebranding, the Golden West is celebrating new leadership with Craig Reese as CEO as well as the relaunch of its company website at https://goldenwestpackaging.com.

LOS ANGELES –

Golden West Packaging Group, LLC (https://goldenwestpackaging.com) recently made significant rebranding moves that reflect the company’s position as a leading manufacturer of custom packaging products for some of the world’s most essential brands.

As part of the rebranding, the company brought together its 15 locations under one Golden West network to better serve its clients. Golden West locations can be found throughout California and the Pacific Northwest as well as in the Asia Pacific region.

Golden West Packaging is now the largest mill-independent corrugated group in the western United States.

With seven decades in the packaging business, Golden West supplies corrugated boxes, folding cartons, rigid cartons, molded pulp, and other custom designs and displays mainly to the wine, agricultural, and consumer product markets.

The company also offers extensive production capabilities that include structural and graphic design, value-added converting, flexographic printing, and lithographic lamination.

New leadership has been guiding the company’s rebranding efforts from the outset. CEO Craig Reese is an experienced leader in the packaging industry. He spent 28 years as an executive with PepsiCo and then led two large packaging and printing platform companies as president and CEO.

According to Reese, because of the disruptions and challenges in the marketplace the past few years, customers want partners that can scale up when called upon to do so. But he said they also want partners that can balance scalability with a high-touch expertise that Golden West is known for, going back to the days of its founders.

“Through this journey, we’ve worked very hard to maintain the local, family feel at all of our locations,” said Reese. “While at the same time we believe by combining forces under one Golden West platform, our valued customers can further benefit through the many industry- leading capabilities the collective group has to offer, including our ability to operate on a large scale.”

A key component of this strategic rebranding involves an extensive redesign and relaunch of GWPG’s corporate website. Customers, associates, and suppliers can see firsthand all the benefits of the “One Golden West” concept by visiting https://goldenwestpackaging.com.

About Golden West Packaging Group, LLC

Golden West Packaging Group (https://goldenwestpackaging.com) is one of the fastest growing independent manufacturers of custom packaging products in North America. With a long history of high performance and innovation, Golden West Packaging combines local touch with global reach to deliver packaging solutions that help its customers sell more product. Everything the company does supports this mission. Formed in 2017 by Lindsay Goldberg LLC from established operations going back more than seven decades, Golden West has quickly become the largest mill-independent provider of customized post-print corrugated boxes and folding cartons on the west coast.

CONTACT:
Scott White
Golden West Packaging Group
Email: scott.white@goldenwestpackaging.com
Office: (888) 501-5893