Highsmith finds a niche and takes it for miles

When Carlton L. Highsmith founded Hamden, Conn.-based Specialized Packaging Group Inc. in 1983, he quickly identified the wonder­ful opportunities existing within the packaging industry. However, at that time, there was no way of knowing he would be able to build the company to its current level.
In fact, the company has realized what most only hope to achieve one day — a truly marketable niche. Plus, the National Minority Supplier Development Council certified Cor­porate Plus Member has grown from three to 500-plus employees, and they are now the largest minority-owned folding carton manu­facturer in North America.

At the core
Highsmith told MBN USA that SPG has three core competencies successfully guiding its daily operations. “The first is innovation, and by innovation I am referring not just to developing new structural package designs, new materials and process improvement tech­nologies, but also complete supply chain inno­vation,” he said.
Secondly, SPG has built the core of its business around fielding a noticeable level of operational excellence. “We have developed a reputation of reliability and of flawless execu­tion that we are extremely proud of,” said Highsmith.
Finally, SPG has been able to build and nurture a world-class performance organiza­tion focused on delivering customer value today and well into the future.

Driving forces
In addition to its core competencies, SPG has continued to benefit from the actions of a seasoned executive team sporting over 130 years of industry experience. “I am extremely proud of my management team. They are an extraordinary group of seasoned industry pro­fessionals with enormous talent and expert­ise,” said Highsmith. “They share my vision of excellence and are impassioned about deliver­ing exceptional service and value to our cus­tomers.”
Being a certified minority supplier has also made a difference in SPG’s growth, development and success, explains Highsmith.
“Certification has given our dynamic firm a broader level of exposure as well as initial access to opportunities otherwise unavailable,” he said.

Looking forward
Like most forward-looking companies, Highsmith is dedicated to meeting and exceed­ing customer expectations. “As we continue to grow and strengthen our offering, we hope to continue delighting all of our customers by delivering world-class innovative products and services at competitive prices,” he said.
In order to achieve this goal, the compa­ny is focused on staying true to its core. “There is no question, innovation is at the core of all that we do,” he said. “Central to our cul­ture is challenging current thinking and ways of doing things with an eye toward doing it better than our competition to bring more value to our customers.”

SPG Management Team
Vice President and COO: Robert Gariepy
Gariepy is a 33-year veteran of the printing/packaging industry with broad global operations and management experience.
Director of Sales and Business Development: Renzo Sparavier
Sparavier is a 25-year veteran of the printing/packaging industry with strong prod­uct development and technical expertise.
Director of Human Resources: Brenda Chapman
Chapman is a 10-year veteran of the printing/packaging industry with a wide range of personnel, training and human resources experience.
Director of Finance and IT: Liz Emig-Rosekrans
Rosekrans is a 15-year veteran of the print-ing/packaging industry, holding various posi­tions in cost accounting and finance during her career.
Managing Director: Leo Basciano
Basciano is a 35-year veteran of the printing/packaging industry. He has held vari-ous positions in continuous quality manage­ment and operations management.

Managing Director: Don Gray
Gray is a professional engineer with over 20 years experience in the printing/packaging industry.
Managing Director: Tony Turino
Turino is a 15-year veteran of the printing/packaging industry. He has held vari­ous positions in finance, operations and tech­nical service during his career.
Down to Details
Specialized Packaging Group Inc.
CERTIFYING COUNCIL: National Minority Suppliers Development Council (NMSDC) YEAR CERTIFIED: 1983
Capabilities
Structural Package Design and Innovation Teams Lithographic Printing Primographic Printing Web Flexographic Printing Rotogravure Printing Comprehensive Converting Capabilities
Contact
Carlton L. Highsmith President & CEO 3190 Whitney Avenue # 7, Hamden, CT 06518 (203) 248-3370 E-mail: c.highsmith@spinternational.com