Eric Frank (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
wife, Diane, taught him to look for the good in people and see situations more generously. Mentors throughout his career taught him structure, discipline, and the value of giving someone your complete attention. Frank has carried those lessons forward in the way he leads others, offering his perspective, sharing what he knows, and giving people room to find their own way for- ward.
Force, and became a longtime instructor at Folding Car- ton Boot Camp, where he shared his expertise in printing processes, rotary cutting, cold foil, and other technologies with professionals across the industry. Yet the list of roles does not fully explain what Frank brought to them.
When he talks about becoming a leader within PPC’s Supplier (Associate) Member community, for example, he does not describe it as another title. He remembers looking around the room and seeing a significant group of suppliers with expertise and something important to con- tribute. “I felt a strong obligation and responsibility” to repre- sent supplier members, he said. For Frank, the role was an opportunity to make sure they were not only present, but an integral part of the conversation. Listening Before Leading One of the things Frank values most about PPC is the range of experiences its community brings together. Around the same table can be an independent converter, an executive from a large integrated organization, and a supplier partner, each bringing different responsibilities, pressures, and ideas about where the industry should go. Frank has spent enough time in those conversations to know the goal isn’t to get everyone to see things the same way. “The key to life is listening and not judging,” he said. His longtime interest in emotional intelligence has re- inforced that philosophy. Frank listens for more than the opinion itself. He wants to understand what is driving it, what matters to the person behind it, and where there may be enough common ground to move forward. At the same time, he has never believed progress re- quires perfect agreement. Frank is comfortable offering a strong opinion, considering what needs to change, and then making the decision. Learn from what happens next. Keep moving. That balance of listening carefully and knowing when to move forward has made Frank a steady presence during some of PPC’s most important periods of change. It is an approach shaped by people throughout his own life. His mother gave him his foundation for service. His
Making Room For What Comes Next When Frank talks about younger people entering print- ing and packaging, his enthusiasm for the industry is im- mediate. He wants them to understand that this is an industry where people make something real. A designer can walk into a store and see a structure they helped create. A salesperson can see a customer’s product on a shelf. An engineer or operator can point to a finished package and know the decisions, technology, and expertise required to get it there. “What you do, you’ll actually see in the real world,” Frank said. He hopes the next generation sees not just a job, but a career where they can make something real, build a life, and know their work matters. That desire to help other people see what is possible may be the clearest explanation for Frank’s decades of volunteer service. The Spirit Of The Volunteer Leader Award Created in 2009, the Volunteer Leader Award recog- nizes a PPC member or retiree whose time and talent have strengthened the association. Frank’s years of education, committee leadership, Board service, mentorship, and ad- vocacy embody that spirit. Yet when Frank imagines receiving the award at PPC’s Fall Meeting in Orlando, he is already looking beyond the moment on stage. What would mean the most to him is what might happen afterward: someone stopping him to continue a conversation, asking him to explain an idea further, or telling him that something he said helped them think differently about a challenge. He helped build a community. And he did it the way he learned to give so many years ago: by showing up, sharing what he had, and giving people one of the most valuable things any of us have to offer: his time.
30 September 28, 2026
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