Throwback Thursday — A Father's Day Interview with Charles Wilson

Father’s Day is always a big time for us at Ernest Packaging Solutions. Not only do we get to celebrate all the amazing fathers on our team, we get to celebrate the birthday of our own company father, Mr. Charles Wilson! Our chairman and CEO turns 95 years young on Sunday, and who better to talk about family than the man who founded a company with his brother, and who works every day alongside his son, President Tim Wilson?

Let’s take a moment and enjoy this video created to tell the early history of Ernest Packaging Solutions. It begins with two brothers returning home from World War II and creating a paper business running out of a garage.

Ernest Packaging Solutions is a family company, meaning everyone working here is considered a part of the family. That’s a line you hear from a lot of places, right? What makes Ernest different is that we live by that statement, and that comes from leadership.

“Products are just products; everybody has products,” said Charles Wilson in an interview with the Ernest blog. “The reason it’s a family business is because we feel very strongly that everyone is important whether you are in sales, a buyer, or in the warehouse. We’re considered one of the leaders in our industries even though we’re a mid-sized company, and that’s because of the people and culture we have.”

What Ernest Packaging Solutions has become – a nationwide company advancing packaging technology and engineering – is remarkable. But that isn’t what Mr. Wilson is most proud of. No, he wanted to talk about family, both his blood and his extended company family.

“We wanted to have a family business, and we wanted everybody who worked for us to be a part of that family,” Wilson says. “If you enjoy the people you work with, you feel we’re all in this together and that everybody is important in the business. We work together and try to get everyone to do their best.”

Mr. Wilson, who still comes into work every day, told us, “I think it’s fun to come to work, and I want other people to feel that way, too. The success of the company is the success of all the people. When we accomplish something as a company, everybody is responsible, and they feel a part of that growth.”

“From my vantage point, every day is a gift. Challenges are what makes life interesting. If you just did the same thing all the time in life, it wouldn’t be interesting. Problems are to be solved – that’s what they’re there for. Sometimes you solve them right, and sometimes you don’t, but at least you’ve got something to do.”

Wilson continues, “One thing I’ve enjoyed about my longevity is that I’m still able to do things. I’ve got a store of wonderful memories that’s my fortune. Nobody can match my memories because they’re for me. Each one of us has a lot we can be grateful for. All we have to do is look back and think of the wonderful things that have happened to us.”

Can we get a high five for that?

It’s easy to call yourself a family-oriented company. It’s harder to live that for over 70 years in business, but Ernest Packaging Solutions has. We call this The Ernest Edge. And it’s what separates us from the rest.

This belief that the people you work with can be a family extends to our customers, as well. In fact, many of our customers have been working with us for over 20 years! What do you want from your packaging company: a one-off business partner or a long-term relationship? Contact us today to learn how Ernest is the packaging partner for you.