Peter Agnew
President & Chief Operating Officer
Advanced Global Sourcing & AGS Packaging

Peter is co-founder and has been a principal of the Advanced Global Sourcing management team since 2003. He has been instrumental in the expansion of Advanced Global Sourcing from being a North American-focused management consulting organization into a successful multinational organization that assists its clients in establishing supply chains and supplier business relationships on a global basis.

As part of this expansion effort, Advanced Global Sourcing has established a specialist subsidiary company (AGS Packaging LLC) that focuses exclusively on the packaging industry, assisting its clients with packaging requirements to effectively conduct business in Asia and maximize the benefits of sourcing product in the region.

Prior to joining Advanced Global Sourcing, Peter was Managing Director of European-based management consulting group Ridgebank Ltd, which focuses on delivering manufacturing and supply chain integration services for Fortune 1000 organizations. At Ridgebank, Peter was responsible for leading the business on an expansion that incorporated a presence in Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland and Turkey, before moving to North America to help build Advanced Global Sourcing.

Michael Barr
Product Manager, CoEx and Converted Products
Amcor Flexibles

Michael Barr, a Michigan State Packaging School graduate, has been in the flexible packaging industry for 13 years. Michael has been in his current role with Amcor as Product Manager for Films and Converted Products for the past three years and has held a variety of roles in sales and marketing with companies specializing in healthcare, food, beverages and retort.

John Baumann
President and CEO
Ampac Packaging

John Baumann is the President and CEO of Ampac Packaging. John joined Ampac in 1997 as President, CEO and shareholder and has guided this dynamic packaging company to a position of leadership in the retail, food, pharmaceutical and medical packaging markets. John's vision and his ability to integrate his team into one cohesive unit have been the keys to his success at Ampac. Through a continued focus on new product development and innovation, Ampac is expected to continue its rapid growth, which has exceeded 30 percent on a compounded annual growth rate since 1997.

Jason Carignan
Co-Founder, Managing Director
Vapur U.S.

Jason Carignan is the architect behind the Vapur product design and brand. Vapur, a foldable, reusable water bottle, is made of flexible plastic and can either stand upright when full or be rolled, folded or flattened when empty.

Jason has spent his career building customer experience and brand strategies for some of today’s leading companies. Prior to founding Vapur, Jason was CEO of Tonic, a brand consultancy specializing in healthcare, hospitality, financial services and technology. As a “creative idealist”, Jason fused his love of design, fashion and trend-spotting to develop Vapur  - the first reusable water bottle that folds-to-go anywhere – a simple idea to help put an end to bottled water. Vapur is fast becoming a burgeoning lifestyle brand with retailers across the United States and Canada.

Jason received his bachelior’s degree in advertising from California Lutheran University. He currently serves on the board of the 101 Executive Alliance.

John Cuneen
Vice President Sales
LPS Industries, LLC

Jack is currently Vice President, Sales at LPS Industries, LLC and is also the
business leader of the flexible packaging division. He previously held increasingly responsible roles in product management, sales and sales management with St. Regis Paper and the Ludlow Plastics division of Tyco.

Jack is active in the Flexible Packaging Association, currently serving on the Sustainable Packaging Committee. Prior to beginning his packaging career, Jack honorably served his country as a Staff Sergeant in the USAF. He is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago.

Tom Egan
Vice President, Industry Services
PMMI

Tom Egan joined the PMMI staff in 2003 following more than 20 years in the packaging industry, during which he was also an active PMMI member. His time in the field included tenures at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group and as Vice President, Marketing & Sales, for Hoppmann Corporation. Egan served on PMMI’s Board of Directors and Show Committee in the late 1990s.

Today, he’s responsible for helping PMMI members and PACK EXPO exhibitors expand their sales reach through PACK EXPO, Packexpo.com and Packaging Machinery Technology (PMT) Magazine.

Greg Fisher
Senior Associate
Plastic Technologies, Inc.

Greg Fisher is a Senior Associate with Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) of Holland, Ohio. Since joining PTI in January 2009, Greg has pursued projects in material characterization and recyclability, test development, laboratory services and product development.

Greg’s career has been focused on applied product and process development of structures made primarily from plastic, as well as the characterization, testing and development of materials. His packaging experience was developed at Alcoa Closure Systems International (CSI), where he drove several manufacturing quality and continuous improvement efforts for CSI’s North American closure manufacturing plants.

While with CSI, Greg also developed packaging and materials tests, qualified new polymer resins and formulations and led a closure manufacturing process development group. He has additional industrial experience working with both thermoplastic and thermoset resins in both neat and composite formats in products such as friction materials and reflective sheeting.

Greg holds bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from Purdue University and a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Michigan State University. He is a member of the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

Steve Gosling
President
Cheer Pack North America

As President of Cheer Pack North America, Steve Gosling has helped integrate Cheer Pack into the North American market and works to educate and promote spouted pouch technology. Cheer Pack is involved in manufacturing pouches in the United States and supplying Gualapack filling equipment.

Steve work worked as Vice President of Operations for GN Packaging Equipment, where he assisted GN is expanding to international markets, and as Engineering Manager for the company. He has a mechanical engineering degree from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto. His hobbies includes running triathlons, skiing and mountain biking.

Neil Grimmer
Chief Innovation Officer
The Nest Collective

Neil is a designer of ideas, products and brands with a passion for creating something out of nothing. He is one part creative director, one part do-good business strategist. As Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Clif Bar & Co. and Senior Designer at IDEO, Neil has become an imaginative force who successfully combines process with inspiration to create human-centered products and experiences that enhance people’s lives.

Now, as “Chief Dad” at the Nest Collective, Neil has set out to reinvent the baby food category and lunchbox experience for all parents through innovation and packaging formats that enhance the user’s experience. Neil oversees brand experience, marketing and new product innovation for both brands within the Nest Collective: Plum Organics and Revolution Foods. Under Neil’s leadership, Nest has launched over 50 new and innovative organic food products in the last two years alone, establishing the Nest Collective as the largest supplier of pouch products for babies, toddlers and kids in the United States.

When not in the “The Nest”, Neil and his wife are raising their two girls whom he draws inspiration from each day.
 

Toru Ichikawa
Managing Director
Hosokowa Yoko

Toru Ichikawa is the managing director of Hosokawa Yoko, a private flexible packaging converter, and responsible for marketing and development. Since joining the company in 1972, he has consistently been engaged in packaging innovation. Among his long-time efforts for the company, one of the greatest achievements is Cheer Pack, pioneered as the spouted pouch in 1982. Cheer Pack was awarded the DuPont Packaging Innovation Award in 1995, and the company’s Soft Cartridge won that award in 2001. Mr. Ichikawa added new flexible formats such as RE-Pouch, Soft Bottle, Corner ZIP and others to Cheer Pack.

Currently, Mr. Ichikawa is also busy as President of Hosokawa’s Chinese-based converting company. He studied food science and biochemistry at Meiji University.

Mr. Ichikawa enjoys Japanese archery and won a Japanese archery championship in 1969.

Larry Jopko
Technical Service Manager
Packaging and Converting Adhesives and Sealants
Dow Chemical Co.

Larry Jopko spent 10 years in the converting industry and 25 years as a supplier, primarily of adhesives, coatings and barrier technologies. His work experience includes Rohm & Haas, Morton International, Whittaker and UPACO. On the supplier side, he has been involved in adhesive and coating development, technical service, commissioning test equipment, and in basic analytical services.

He has made many professional presentations and conducts seminars and training on adhesives and coating development. He also has been involved in the converting industry on product development, structural analysis, testing, training, and the commissioning of equipment.

Larry has a bachelor’s degree in organic chemistry from the University of Waterloo.

Frank Kelly
Sales Manager
Zip-Pak

Frank Kelly is Sales Manager for Zip-Pak. The firm is a division of Illinois Tool Works, a $15.9 billion company comprised of more than 825 businesses worldwide that produce materials for the food and beverage, automotive, construction, and manufacturing industries, among others.   

Zip-Pak is the leader in developing resealable packaging innovations. The company’s closures help retain freshness and enhance convenience for products ranging from shredded and chunk cheese to tortillas, cereal, produce and frozen vegetables and from pet food to potting soil. Zip-Pak’s packaging can be found in nearly every aisle of the supermarket as well as in a host of foodservice, medical and industrial applications.

Since joining the division in 2004, Kelly has led many of the business development initiatives of the company. Under his leadership, Zip-Pak has advanced flexible resealable packaging by developing relationships with consumer product goods companies and global and regional packaging equipment manufacturers and converters. Through his efforts, Zip-Pak has become a leader in the discussion of sustainability in flexible resealable packaging.

Prior to Zip-Pak, Kelly held several sales and marketing positions at ITW Hi-Cone, a leading supplier of plastic-based multipackaging systems for global beer, soft drink and general products industries.

Kelly holds a MBA in finance from Loyola University in Chicago. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Guido Kollbach
Technical Director, Flexible Packaging Adhesives
Henkel Corp.

During his tenure at Henkel Corp., Dr. Guido Kollbach has been responsible for developing new flexible packaging adhesive solutions that provide added value to customers. Most recently, Henkel has led the development of a new curing technology for Henkel’s “Smart Cure” solventless polyurethane adhesives, which allow converters to achieve cure and regulatory compliance in three days.

Dr. Kollbach was awarded his doctoral degree from Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany in cooperation with Max-Planck-Institute fuer Kohlenforschung Muelheim in Ruhr, Germany. He completed his Diploma in Chemistry at Gerhard-Mercator University of Duisburg, Germany.

Neil Kozarsky
President/CEO
T.H.E.M.

Neil Kozarsky joined T.H.E.M. (Technical Help in Engineering and Marketing) in 1980 and become President/CEO in 1992. T.H.E.M., established in 1973, provides innovative packaging solutions to major food, beverage and healthcare organizations on a global basis.

Neil has led a number of successful technology transfer initiatives with Japanese machinery and material innovators, resulting in mass commercialization results on both sides of the Pacific. Sanko stick packaging machinery and Hosokowa Yoko’s proprietary Fancy Cut, easy-open film were introduced in North America by T.HE.M. in 1996. Stick packaging, now measured in the billions on a unit basis, is being used for products marketed by virtually all major CPG organizations.

Neil is a graduate of Hobart/William Smith Colleges and attended Rutgers Center for Package Engineering. He is an avid observer of the Japanese packaging scene and had logged more than 120 trips there since 1992. He has written numerous articles for leading packaging publications and is a featured presenter at conferences on an international basis. He resides in Mt. Laurel, N.J., with his wife, Megumi, and has three children.

Eric Mogensen
Research Manager
Allied Development Corporation

Eric Mogensen has been employed by Allied Development for his entire career, serving as a Packaging Analyst, Senior Packaging Analyst and currently as a Product Manager.

Eric has researched, written, and published on packaging topics including retort pouches,
stand-up pouches, medical device packaging, lidstock packaging, oriented films and many
others. Most of his research has been conducted with a global scope. He has conducted a wide range of consulting projects and also manages the development of Allied Development’s extensive Internet services.

Eric has an undergraduate degree from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

Kenji Nagata
General Manager
Hosokowa Yoko

Kenji Nagata is the general manager of Hosokawa Yoko, covering new market and packaging development for both domestic and overseas business. He joined the company in 2001. Prior to Hosokawa, he had been engaged with the packaging business since 1987, including working for six years in the United States and with several Southeast Asia countries.

Mr. Nagata studied economics and business administration at Wako University. Nagata enjoys Kendo training as his essential discipline, which is one of the traditional Japanese martial arts.

Sal Pellingra
Innovation and Marketing Director
Ampac Flexibles

Sal Pellingra is the Innovation and Marketing Director of Ampac Flexibles, directing corporate marketing initiative and short- and long-term innovation and product development. Sal joined Ampac in 2007 after 25 years of extensive film development experience with ExxonMobil Chemical as the Market Segment Manager for the four core markets of snack foods, confection, ice cream and biscuit & bakery.

Sal holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology and is an adjunct Packaging Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Cincinnati.

Phil Rozenski
Director of Marketing and Environmental Affairs
Hilex Poly

Phil Rozenski is currently the Director of Marketing and Environmental Affairs with Hilex Poly Company LLC, where he has been a part of the Hilex team for three years.  He has been able to bring a wealth of technical and leadership experience that enables him to map out and blend strategic organizational goals into new products and communication plans such as Hilex Poly’s Bag-2-Bag closed loop recycling program and the Gray is the New Green bag, the first bag with post-consumer recycled content marketed to retailers.

Prior to joining Hilex, Phil had a distinguished military career as a U.S. Air Force Officer where he served as a Weapon Systems Manager, Strategic Transportation Analyst, Foreign Area Officer, Treaty Compliance Officer and in other leadership and functional positions before retiring.  

Phil is currently an Executive MBA candidate at Washington University in Saint Louis and holds a master’s in procurement and acquisitions management from Webster University, as well as degrees or certifications from Villanova, the University of Hawaii, Excelsior College and the prestigious Defense Language Institute, where he learned to speak Chinese Mandarin.

Phil enjoys spending time with family, supporting Saint Louis sports teams, volunteering in his local community and occasionally chasing his golden retriever Marcus across the village of Shiloh when he escapes from the backyard.

 

Joerg D. Schoenwald
Managing Director
Schoenwald Consulting

Joerg D. Schoenwald joined Schoenwald Consulting in 1995. Since 2006, he has been Managing Director. The firm has three locations in Germany, and its European and worldwide fields of activity are in packaging, plastics and the environment. The firm provides industrial market research and business consultancy and offers cost models on packaging economics, company acquisitions and recovery and recycling. Its main emphasis is on industrial market research for flexible and rigid plastic packaging, aluminium, steel, glass and paper packaging. Plastics and paper for non-packaging applications are another field of activity.

Besides publishing numerous multi-client studies, Schoenwald Consulting has been working intensively on exclusive studies on behalf of many renowned companies globally.

Prior to his position with Schoenwald Consulting, Joerg Schoenwald worked in the pharmaceutical industry. Joerg has studied law, economics, history and politics and holds a master of arts degree from Erlangen-Nuremberg University. He is married and has two children.

Henry E. Strassheim, III
President
SoftCan Technology

Henry Strassheim, President of SoftCan Technology, is a leading expert in shelf stable food safety. His pioneering efforts in retort pouch and tray technology, spanning more than 40 years, have resulted in some of the most successful food products in commercial and military markets. His experience ranges from research & development, to operations and business development and sales with thin profile retort containers.

Henry spent his first professional years at Continental Can Co., where, among other projects, he supervised the Retort Pouch Test Facility which had been used by the U. S. Army for its original retort pouch development program. There, he developed thermal process techniques now common in the industry. He was actively involved in starting MRE I; the first retort pouch contract ever issued by the Department of Defense. Henry developed pouch testing procedures and standards that are still in use today.

As Vice President of Shelf Stable Products at Land O’Frost, Henry developed a fledgling contract packaging division into an industry leader for retort pouches and trays.

Henry’s professional affiliations include Professional Membership in the Institute of Food Technologists, Institute for Thermal Process Specialists and the Research & Development Associates (R&DA). He served on the R&DA Board of Directors twice and has received their prestigious Merton Singer Award for meritorious service. Henry was also selected as one of the four MRE Pioneers. For over 30 years, he has been an instructor at FDA Better Process Control Schools. The USDA relies on him as an expert trainer in Retorting Operations for Pouches and Trays.

SoftCan Technology is the industry’s premier independent consulting company specializing in plastic containers and pouches.

Stefano Tamarindo
Product Engineer Manager
Gualapack

Stefano Tamarindo, born in 1977, has a bachelor’s degree in plastic material engineering and has been in charge of the Product Engineering department of Gualapack since 2007.

Prior to managing this department, Stefano worked in Gualapack for three years as a technical service engineer involved in problem solving for both machinery and packaging. Currently, he is responsible for both research and development of packaging concepts and materials, and for technical project management in a tight collaboration with sales representatives. He has a deep background in multilayer film production and transformation, injection molding processing and design and food processing.

Outside of his job, Stefano practices sports such as ski and running and he used to run 100 meter events in track and field as a semi-professional. Taking photographs and riding motorbikes also are hobbies.

Gary Wooddell
Director of Marketing
EVAL Americas

Gary Wooddell is the Director of Marketing for the EVAL Americas business of Kuraray America, Inc., located in Houston, TX. Gary holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., and has been involved in the polymer industry for many years in capacities ranging from Technical Service and Marketing to Business Management.

His various positions have given him extensive involvement with technologies including polyethylene resins for film, extrusion coating and wire & cable coating, Polyolefin color concentrates, polypropylene resins for general applications, co-extrudable tie-layers and EVOH for barrier applications. He is currently working to acquaint the broad polymer markets with the unique performance characteristics of EVOH polymers and recent innovations in high performance barrier materials.