Bob Cohen (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
allowed it to expand its manufacturing capabilities. He began with a small group of machines—a letter- press, a taper, and a splitter—at a time when that was enough to establish a presence. From there, the business expanded as opportunities presented themselves, adding equipment, adding capacity, and gradually taking on more work. Some of the more consequential decisions came lat- er, including the purchase of corrugators before having a clear place to install them. The move forced another relo- cation and pushed the company beyond the limits of its existing footprint.
Corrugated Box took shape gradually, shaped by necessi- ty, resourcefulness, and opportunity. After serving in the Army and earning a degree in his- tory from Penn State, Cohen returned home and stepped into Acme Corrugated alongside his family. In his remarks, Jeremy shared, “My dad left the Army on a Friday in 1969, then took two days off and came to work Monday morn- ing. So that's just the kind of person he is. That's his work ethic.” The operation at the time was spread across several buildings in Philadelphia, working with equipment that re- quired more effort than efficiency.
“I think as an entrepreneur, sometimes you do things that don’t make sense on the face of it,” Cohen said. The addition of the corrugators pushed the company beyond the limits of its Bensalem footprint and necessi- tated relocating to a 234,000 square foot location in Hat- boro, Pennsylvania. Under Bob's leadership, ACME has continued to prosper and expand, with the current man- ufacturing facility boasting over 320,000 square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, near 300 em- ployees, and nearly 160 delivery vehicles. Acme has come a long way from North Philly with five employees and one delivery truck. Leadership Without Pretense Those who have worked with Cohen tend to describe him in similar terms, regardless of how long they’ve known him. “He’s direct, straightforward, no baloney,” said Adam Josephson, Founder of Sakonnet Research. “And he’s ex- ceedingly generous with his time. If you ask for his per- spective, he’ll give it to you honestly.” That approach extends to how he makes decisions. He is not easily rushed, and those who have tried have learned quickly that it is not worth the effort. “You’re not going to rush him into a decision,” D’Angelo said. “And there’s usually a lesson in that.” Arnie Kaplan, President of Bell Containers, sees the same qualities in how Cohen carries himself day to day. “He listens,” Kaplan said. “He’s not the talker, he’s the lis- Acme Corrugated’s origins date back to 1918, when Edward J. Cohen rode his wagon full of scrap paper through the dusty streets of Philadelphia in search of buyers.
Burton ‘Bob’ Cohen
“We had very primitive corrugated equipment,” Cohen recalled. “We would fabricate boxes, slot them one at a time, and tape them by hand. I even used to load the trucks by throwing bundles of boxes out the window because it was faster than bringing them down the freight elevator.” It was small-scale, but Cohen always did what was needed for his customers. That early exposure to doing the work by hand and finding creative solutions stayed with him. It’s reflected in how he has approached the busi- ness since, and in how others describe him today. “Bob is the independent’s independent,” said Mike D’Angelo, President of AICC. “He built something substan- tial, but he never lost sight of what it takes to run a busi- ness day to day. He’s always been willing to share what he’s learned, what’s worked, and what hasn’t.” Decisions That Shaped The Business Acme’s growth did not hinge on a single turning point. It came through a series of moves that, at the time, carried risk and required patience. In the early years, Cohen consolidated operations into a one-story facility in North Philadelphia, bringing togeth- er a business that had been spread across multiple ware- houses. A decade later, the company moved again, this time to Bensalem, where additional space and equipment
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20 April 20, 2026
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