American Packaging Corp. Gives RIT $1 Million to Fund Packaging Center

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A. Sue Weisler

A $1 million gift from American Packaging Corp. was announced on Oct. 10. The gift will fund the expansion of RIT’s renamed American Packaging Center for Plastics & Packaging Innovation. With RIT President Bill Destler (second from left) are Peter Schottland, CEO of American Packaging Corp.(center), and Carol Richardson, interim dean of RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology (second from right).

A $1 million gift from Rochester-based American Packaging Corp. will fund the expansion of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Integrated Plastics. The center will be renamed the American Packaging Center for Plastics & Packaging Innovation.

The center, which operates as part of RIT’s Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology/Packaging Science, is slated to move into the College of Applied Science and Technology’s new Engineering Technology building when it opens early next year.

“The generous support we have received from American Packaging Corp. will enable us to equip our center with state-of-the art equipment, top-notch faculty and staff and the ability to provide our students with timely insight into new packaging-related technologies,” says Tom Voss, program chair of RIT’s packaging science program.

American Packaging Corp.’s support will also help establish a center director and create opportunities for increased graduate assistant positions that will focus on unique flexible packaging challenges.

“All of us at APC are extremely excited about the opportunity to join hands with RIT’s packaging science program. We are impressed by the momentum that the university has within our industry and believe that the combined energy and talent of our two excellent organizations will achieve truly outstanding successes in innovation,” says American Packaging CEO and owner Peter Schottland.

Currently, two American Packaging Corp. employees sit on RIT’s 20-person Packaging Science Advisory Board. An additional employee will sit on the American Packaging Center for Plastics & Packaging Innovation Advisory Board.

American Packaging Corp, specializes in the manufacturing of flexible packaging laminations for a variety of specialty markets. American Packaging Corp. has process-focused manufacturing locations in Rochester, Columbus, Wis., and Story City, Iowa. The Rochester location specializes in extrusion laminating and coating, Columbus specializes in rotogravure printing and adhesive laminating and Story City specializes in flexographic printing and adhesive laminating.

American Packaging Corp. is a privately held company that has spent more than 100 years serving the packaging industry.