Led by a new CEO, MAC Papers + Packaging expands beyond Southeast (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Few industries have been reshaped by technological and economic disruption as dramatically as the paper business. But after 61 years, Jacksonville-based Mac Papers and Packaging is positioning itself for growth by becoming much more than a paper distributor.
The company, which has about 600 employees and more than $500 million in annual revenue, now operates 19 distribution centers across the Southeast and serves customers in commercial printing, packaging and wide-format graphics. About 38% of its business extends beyond the region, reaching customers in 38 states, CEO Ian Forrest told Jacksonville Business Journal Editor-in-Chief James Cannon on the latest Florida Business Minds podcast.
Forrest said Mac’s national reach has expanded as longtime customers consolidate and ask the company to serve them in additional markets.
Forrest recently moved into the CEO role after two years overseeing the company’s converting operations. He is now leading MAC through several overlapping transformations as its customers consolidate, purchasing becomes increasingly regional and national, and technology changes how products are manufactured and delivered.
Listen to the full conversation as Forrest discusses how Mac is investing in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and its workforce while building a business equipped to compete well beyond the Southeast.
Presented by TECO Peoples Gas, the Florida Business Minds audio series features candid conversations with business leaders from the Orlando, South Florida, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville regions.