Mark Graham Honored with PPC Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—Mark Graham, president and CEO of Bell Inc., will be honored with the Robert T. Gair Award during the 2009 Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) Fall Meeting & Leadership Conference being held this October to Barton Creek Resort, Austin, Texas.

“Marks vision, innovation, and leadership have been vital to the continued success and growth of Bell, as well as the paperboard packaging industry and PPC,” said Ben Markens, PPC president. “Mark is an outstanding addition to the Gair Award’s legacy of excellence.”

The Robert T. Gair Award is PPC’s highest honor, given for an individual’s outstanding lifetime contributions to the paperboard packaging industry. Named for the man who gave rise to today’s folding carton industry, the award is only given when there is a candidate of sufficient merit with a lifetime of achievement in the industry. The most recent Gair Award was presented in 2005.

Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., Bell Inc. is one of the country’s fastest growing folding carton firms. Under Graham’s leadership, Bell has grown from $40,000 in sales in 1976 to today’s position as one of the 20 largest independently owned manufacturers of folding cartons in the United States.

The Gair Award ceremony will be a highlight of PPC’s upcoming Fall Meeting & Leadership Conference taking place Wednesday, Oct. 29 through Friday, Oct. 30, at the Barton Creek Resort, Austin, Texas. As part of the conference, thought leaders in innovation and sustainability will converge to offer insight, analysis, and resources. Additional information, including presenters and a schedule, and registration for the meeting is now available at www.ppcnet.org/fall.

For more information on PPC, call 413-686-9191 or visit www.ppcnet.org.