Cohen Q&A (CONT’D FROM PAGE 14)
“grind it out” business. A commitment to hard work must be accepted. It takes grit, determination, commitment, in- telligence, market savvy, and a good deal of luck. You must be able to roll with the punches, you must have the right people on the “bus”, you must keep pace with technology and ultimately you must be a risk taker. The capital now required to enter the business really precludes most po- tential entrants, not to mention the time it takes for any “greenfield” startup to get to profitability. Accordingly, the box business is not for the faint of heart! I understand philanthropy and community involvement are values of yours, both personally and through Acme. Where does that come from for you? And how does it tie into the way you run the business? Maybe I am unusual, but material wealth is not an end all or be all for me. Work certainly has benefits. If you work hard, you deserve the fruit of your labor. I never criticize those that attain financial success through hard work and then live the life they have envisioned for themselves. To me there is more to life than seeking material goods. I am not religious in the traditional sense, but I believe in spir- ituality. I really don’t care what religion you believe in but the important thing to me is can you leave the community a little better than you found it. While I grew up in a middle-class family, my wife’s early childhood was fraught with financial insecurity. We both have worked hard to secure our future. Still amassing
After all the price of petrochemical products has cer- tainly reached extreme levels. The difference is that once the basic raw material(oil) retreats to more reasonable levels the price of those petrochemical products will be reduced. I don’t see a reduction in the input costs impact- ing Containerboard in the same light. There is no prece- dent for Containerboard producers to lower the price of Containerboard once input costs are reduced. Remember these increases are not demand driven so one might as- sume that lower input prices would imply a lowering of Containerboard prices. Even though that might seem logi- cal I wouldn’t “bet the ranch on it!” Acme is a successful business that’s been around for over a hundred years; surely it’s seen its fair share of ups and downs. Do you have any advice for other indepen- dent box makers on riding these waves and navigating the uncertainty of the current environment? Yes, we are 108 years old. I look around and, in my 57,+ years of work I have seen major players come and go. The competitive landscape has changed dramatically. I am of- ten amazed at how we have attained the level of business we now enjoy. I have seen the independent market shrink. The consolidation that continues involves family business- es being absorbed by larger competitors or those that fail to make the generational transition. As I explained to my son , Jeremy, many years ago, the box business is a
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
Our innovative turnkey material- handling solutions help you maximize production, safeguard equipment and improve workplace safety.
4598 State Road 37 | Mitchell, IN 47446 MATERIAL & SCRAP HANDLING SOLUTIONS
Tel 812-558-7965 Fax 812-954-0648 www. INNOVEYANCE .com
16 September 28, 2026
www.boardconvertingnews.com
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator