AICC Chairman Jay Carman: ‘You Don’t Feel Alone When You’re A Member Of AICC’ BY MIKE D’ANGELO Jay Carman, CEO of Standfast Group LLC in Carol Stream, Illinois, and the current Chairman of AICC, the Independent Packaging Association, once stated during an interview, “You don’t feel alone when you’re a member of AICC.”
These are indeed strange times. Nearly all 50 states have some form of restrictions in place on their populations and everyone has had to grapple with what it means to be an essential business, be they an owner or an employee. Apart from social distancing, these can also be lonely times.
Mike D’Angelo
Since a Coronavirus pandemic was declared in mid-March, box mak- ers and their suppliers have been turning to AICC to provide them with the information they can use to make decisions for their businesses, their employees, their customers and their partners. On Tuesday, March 17, and each weekday since then, AICC has posted a Daily Packaging Industry Update at its web site at www.aiccbox.org . At this site, AICC has kept members informed on each states’ an- nouncements regarding sheltering in place and bans on certain busi- nesses; how to navigate the various legislative packages that have come from the Federal government; and tips and best practices from fellow members. With its partners the National Association of Manufac- turers (NAM) and the Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC), AICC has actively advocated for language protecting the essential nature of paper-based packaging manufacturers and their supply chain. Virtually all states today consider these industries part of the “critical infrastructure” of the country. The box plants and their suppliers have responded with members across the country handling the surge from the food, hygienic, medical supply and pharmaceutical industries. AICC members have always been open with their information and best practices, never more so than in a crisis. AICC hosts a videoconfer- ence each Friday for members to ask and answer questions related to the coronavirus and its affect on operations. This peer-to-peer exchange in real time has occurred four times to date and each has drawn in ex- cess of 300 attendees. Another tool AICC has provided members has been free webinars. Christine Walters of FiveL LLC walked members through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) obligations and answered sev- eral questions on how to handle employees concerns, as well as Depart- ment of Labor rules relative to taking temperatures. A week later, Mitch Klingher of Klingher Nadler Associates was the featured presenter on the tax implications of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARE) Act and the opportunity presented by the Paycheck Protection Program of Small Business Association (SBA) loans. Finally, but not surprisingly, use of AICC’s Packaging School, an ex- clusive AICC member benefit which offers free online industry education in the form of mor than 80 courses in English and Spanish, exploded in March. Log-ins to the Packaging School site were up 353 percent com- pared to the previous March. We all face a challenge from the virus. AICC members are not alone in this challenge. They have their Association to bring them together in good times and in bad. Jay Carman didn’t know how prophetic his words would be.
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April 20, 2020
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