Heritage Container (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
his father, Richard, who did the majority of the selling. The company now has a “smaller cast” of talented sales indi- viduals who bring a lot of knowledge, as well as Heritage’s comprehensive product portfolio that offers B, C, BC, E & F flutes; RSC, HSC, and FOL cartons, including large for- mat boxes; die cuts and inserts; pads, score sheets trays,
Tragedy struck in 1992 when James, the company’s nat- ural born-salesman, died in a car accident, leaving Richard and Tom to run the company without him. Richard Gabriel passed away in 2021 at 81, leaving Tom sole owner, Pres- ident and CEO of the company. Mike Blower is no longer involved with Heritage Container but still owns Heritage Paper and Pioneer Packaging. A Trajectory Of Growth In 1995, after seven strong years of growth, Heritage moved to its current property in Riverside and purchased, in succession, a Hycorr 4-color 66-inch by 130-inch Rotary Die Cutter; a Ward 66-inch by 100-inch 2-color Die Cutter; and a Jumbo 2-color 86-inch by 85-inch Printer Slotter. In the mid-1990s, the company added a Langston Flexo, and a Maramatsu 30-inch by 40-inch Flatbed Die Cutter. “We kept adding machinery as the years went by be- cause our goal was to say ‘yes’ to every customer and ev- ery order we received” says Tom Gabriel. “The word ‘no’ is the last thing we want to say to a customer. If we can’t do a job, we’ll figure out how to do it so we don’t have to say no next time. If there is any way possible to do a job, we‘ll do it.” It was that business philosophy that has kept Heritage Container on a constant growth trajectory and a big part of that growth was, naturally, sales. Gabriel says the company has had salesmen throughout the years but it was he and
assemblies and packout; spot & full litho lamination; spe- cialty gluing; and access to pre- and post-print. Heritage Containers extensive customers represent the spectrum of markets: industrial, retail, e-commerce, agriculture, health & beauty, food & beverage, and health- care & medical. Most of the company’s customers are in CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 Heritage Container’s headquarters and manufacturing facility.
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April 24, 2023
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