How have you spent this holiday season and start to the new year? With deep family ties, chances are that the MJS Packaging team will spend it like many of you: reflecting on previous years, reliving fond memories, celebrating milestones, and gathering to promote times of cheer. We are simply abuzz as we look back on 2015 and even further as we round out 130 years of work to be the best packaging company with whom you can partner.
The Secret to Succeeding as a Family Company
From the very first few decades, the Jacob family worked together to make the business what it is. After 25 years of growing the business, Max Jacob retired and passed the business along to his three sons. Then another 25 years passed and the third generation of Jacob family members started making their mark. This was with the notable addition of Max’s grandson, Marty Jacob.
Marty did not have a top leadership role simply fall on his lap, however. Starting in shipping, he worked his way up through the company, he made a significant impact along the way, and he later became a successful company president who would serve over 40 years.
It’s hard to say whether it was a “leadership gene” or something the family taught each other well, but we are proud to say this trait was also very strong with another third-generation family member: Elaine Jacob. Elaine joined the company and took lead as she spearheaded sales of plastic packaging. As the first female president of the National Association of Container Distributors, she was a true pioneer in the packaging industry.
It is an understatement to say plastic packaging turned out to be a success, so MJS Packaging continued to lead and expand into plastic packaging and beyond. This includes the addition of Sprayco in 1983, where MJS Packaging created greater diversification of the customer and product base, and the acquisition of Packaging Consultants Group (PCG) and Dye Packaging. Each expansion built the case for adding eight new sales offices and adapting to offer complete packaging solutions for customers in a broad range of industries.
In our case, you could say MJS Packaging’s success secret was building the company upon three key important concepts: commitment to continued growth, the establishment of experience, and pride in continuing the Jacob family legacy of valuing opportunities to serve.
How we Still Aim to be the Best Packaging Company
To this day, the Jacob family members continue strong involvement — in the company and in the community. Our Chair of the Board is a fourth-generation family member and Matt McDonnell, a fifth-generation family member and our newest member of the MJS Packaging team, is our Director of Business Development.
We recognize that our combination of family ownership, longevity in the business, and continued success, is not a common one. However, we are diligent in our commitment to our customers. This model has worked for us, and it brings us good cheer to share mutual success with our customers
We hope that you’ll become a long-standing partner, too. Contact us today and your success may be just a conversation away.
