Chris Miget
Company: EnviroPAK
Website: www.enviroPAK.com
Industry: Custom Pulp Packaging Manufacturer
Education: University of Missouri - Columbia, BSBA
Family: Wife, Bonnie, and my twin daughters, Courtney and Lindsey, son-in-laws, Jason Bogolin and George Kriegshauser and grandson George Kriegshauser.
What is your mission?
Our mission at EnviroPAK is to become a company synonymous with molded pulp packaging material. We have empowered every person on our staff to make the customer experience paramount to everything else. We love what we do, so our mission is to communicate that fact through our actions from those on our talented design team to those who bang twice on a full truck of molded pulp material as it pulls away.
What led you to your industry?
My real career began in the business forms manufacturing industry for Bernadette Business Forms in St. Louis. I worked as a salesman there. Then I switched from the manufacturing side to the distributor side and learned a great deal about how the two connect in the overall supply chain of business. Forms Resources Inc. became FRI over the years, and when the partners in the business looked for the opportunity to repurpose recycled material in a new company, EnviroPAK was born. I was one of the original investors in 1995 when the company was started.
What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
Management structure was modified so that smart and capable individuals were given responsibility to enhance their own area. These individuals are young, talented, with a great deal of experience and have become stakeholders in the business.
Who is your industry role model?
Joe Foshage was one of the owners of Bernadette Business Forms. I was inspired by his work ethic, his abilities as a master salesman and a great communicator. I was always impressed by his ability to balance being a shrewd businessman and a kind person at the same time. He was a good family man and cared immensely about people. I was fortunate enough to spend the last day of his life with him at a charity golf tournament.
How do you try to differentiate your business from others in your industry?
We try very hard to bring significant value to our distributor partner relationships. All of our employees, from the receptionist to the forklift driver; from senior management to our amazing design team; all understand that if our distributors flourish then EnviroPAK will succeed as a business. We have many, many employees with an owner mentality.
What best advice would you share with new entrepreneurs?
Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Learn from mistakes, especially the mistakes of others. Stay true to your core values in business.
What’s the hottest trend in your industry, and are you going to jump on board?
3-D printing is the hottest trend and we are already on board. We can add value and increase our speed to market by implementing 3-D printing in our proto-typing process. As it stands, our design team already dreams with our clients, and 3-D printing will take those dreams and ensuing possibilities to another level.
What’s your favorite place in St. Louis?
Running down Lindell Boulevard straight down toward the Gateway Arch at sunrise on my Saturday morning training runs. My family and I love Forest Park and the Zoo. I love live music.
Submitted 10 years 55 days ago