Coffee with Corby: Get to Know PFP’s New Director of Enterprise Partnerships
Let’s start with the most critical topic first. What’s your go-to coffee or tea choice?
CH: I love black coffee, no cream, no sugar. I also love unsweetened iced tea!
What can you be found doing on the weekend?
CH: My family lives on a small farm, so on my off days you can usually find me doing projects or chasing around our mini donkeys and mini-Scottish Highland cows. Outside of that, I love playing with my kids, fishing, and golfing. There are several gorgeous natural areas nearby that we love visiting frequently.
Tell us a bit about your background and what drew you to Palouse Fiber Packaging.
CH: I’ve been a heavy equipment sales representative for over 15 years and actually met Kyler (CEO of PFP) when he was one of my customers working for another company. I always admired his work ethic and we got along well for a few years, so shortly after he brought Palouse Fiber Packaging to life, I met with him and was introduced to the world of wheat fiber packaging.
The more we spoke about the mission behind PFP, I was more convinced that PFP is the only company doing the niche kinds of prototyping, pulping and molding work we’re doing – from start to finish. It became immediately clear to me that this company has the potential to change the packaging world in a major way, and I wanted to be a part of that.
What is your role at PFP? How do you imagine it serving the company mission on a broader scale?
CH: I was brought on as Director of Enterprise Partnerships to help carve inroads with some of the biggest CPG companies in the world, emphasizing PFP’s key market differentiators and debunking common preconceived notions on the “sustainability” of wood-based biodegradable packaging products.
Many business owners assume that opting for compostable, non-plastic solutions is an easy win for planet Earth, but in reality, it’s a stalemate between the two. Though they may be biodegradable, we need trees to make these wood-based packaging products, and as most people know, trees are increasingly critical to the health of our climate. In managing some of the biggest enterprise relationships at PFP, I get to be at the forefront of both informing and involving conscientious decision makers in our broader mission.
In which industries do you see the greatest potential for sustainable packaging alternatives over the next few years?
CH: The possibilities are endless – food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, nurseries and plant distribution centers, wrapping paper and consumer packing and shipping goods...the list goes on.
What’s the most common misconception you see from enterprise level companies who have considered or are considering investing in sustainable packaging for their products?
CH: One of the biggest misalignments we’ve seen in the sustainable packaging market is a big demand for fully customizable, brandable packaging solutions without a supply of manufacturers to provide them. While most of our competitors are also making great strides in innovation for the industry, they generally don’t offer an in-house R&D program. If they do, they charge a higher price tag for it, which requires a substantial commitment from the customer once it is developed.
As a one-stop-shop for R&D, PFP is able to offer full customization and brand collaboration at a minimal cost, which gives us a lot of flexibility to fulfill the customer's needs without requiring a big commitment. This is particularly valuable for companies hoping to take a first or second step into the world of sustainable packaging without having to make a massive investment right away.
Connect with Corby on LinkedIn here!