Gary Brewer (CONT’D FROM PAGE 16)
Brewer says. “We are respected for being a good compa- ny, a responsive company, a fair company. That’s really a big thing for me. It’s also a big thing for me that when I step out into the plant, I can look around at the 75 employees working for me and appreciate the fact that I am responsi- ble for them and their families.
Wayne, was chief financial officer. Brewer spent his days learning the corrugated busi- ness. He also made time to complete an MBA at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Within a year of grad- uation, he used his newfound knowledge to develop a business plan for a startup sheet plant, which he then pre- sented to lenders. Those efforts paid off. He launched the resulting company, Package Crafters, with his father 20 years ago. As with most startups, the first years were rough. Brew- er credits his wife, Ginny, as being instrumental in getting the company—and their family—off the ground. “When we started the company, she was absolutely key because I didn’t take a paycheck for two years,” he says. “Hers was the only income. We ended up moving in with my parents, freshly married, and trying to start a family and a business. She was with me the whole time. Not only is she my wife, but she’s my best friend.” Crafting A Career Brewer says Package Crafters focuses predominantly on industrial packaging—“brown boxes with a little bit of color, a little bit of POP (point of purchase) display work.” Creative Packaging, a company he acquired in 2015, fo- cuses more on color work and POP displays while produc- ing its fair share of brown boxes. “I’m proud of the reputation we’ve built as a company,”
“I enjoy serving customers—getting the job done, mak- ing them happy, and giving them new ideas, new solutions. That’s probably the engineer in me,” he adds. “A lot of my competitors tell potential customers the same answer be- cause they do the same things for everyone, or they do what every other boxmaker does. That’s fine. If that’s what customers want, I can do that, too. But I’ll also say, ‘Have you thought about this? Have you considered that? Let me show you some other solutions.’” Brewer describes his approach to leadership in his CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 Gary Brewer on the floor of his facilty in High Point, N.C.
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February 3, 2025
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