PPB November 2021

Cur t S t ephens ¾ ¾ ¾ As low as $.72 (C) ! "# and being members of the Terre Haute community. They spent more than 30 years working together, first at Wabash Fibre Box Company, which merged with International Paper in the late ’90s, then at Wabash Valley Packaging in Terre Haute, a corrugated packaging company where Hubbard was president and Stephens was vice president. Stephens describes the company as “very traditional” in terms of corrugated packaging, and says that for many years, they “noodled” with the idea of “how digital printing will come into play for our industry, and how it might help us serve those customers we already have and customers we’ve never been able to serve in the past.” Today, BoxUp is housed in the former Wabash Valley Packaging building in Terre Haute, which is Hubbard’s hometown, and which Stephens has also called home for more than three decades. With a prime location in central Indiana, BoxUp can reach 80 percent of the contiguous U.S. in three days’ time, Stephens says, and they’re looking to expand to other geographic locations in the future. The supplier, which has several thousand customers and a team just shy of 50, has a proprietary printing process with CMYK colors which permits clients to use any hue imaginable, and only UV-cured digital inks are used, which won’t rewet if they’re caught in the rain and won’t stain the shirts of those transporting the boxes. And in addition to the 100-percent customization, BoxUp’s packaging is 100-percent recyclable. Made from e-flute and b-flute corrugated cardboard with a white paper interior and exterior, each package is comprised of at least 50-percent recycled fibers and is sturdy enough to be able to ship on its own without being packed in another box. Moving forward, Stephens says the BoxUp team is dedicated to sharpening its customer service, and to continue growing in the direction of its customers’ needs. “Our focus is to maintain the high standards of quality and service that got us to this point, and we’re going to invest significantly to allow for capacity to meet this ever-increasing demand. We’re excited for the future. It’s all about growing, and growing in a way that’s sustainable for us, continues to meet customer demand and continues to please them and exceed their expectations in terms of the actual boxes we’re delivering to them.” Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB. | NOVEMBER 2021 | 77 THINK