Packaging Etcetera Podcast
The Packaging Etcetera Podcast is by and large a forum for discussing events and trends in the packaging industry. While packaging is the focus, Etcetera is a reference to an occasional wild card - maybe something serious and career focused, or something scientific or maybe even something fun and playful.
Packaging Etcetera Podcast
From Free Pizza to Packaging Passion: A Journey in Engineering and Life
Ever wondered how a slice of free pizza could change your life's trajectory? That's how my unexpected journey into the world of Packaging Engineering began, taking me from architecture and civil engineering aspirations to discovering a passion I never knew existed. In our first episode of the Packaging Etcetera Podcast, I'm joined by my wonderful wife, Joanna, as we open up about the motivations behind launching this podcast. From hosting Packaging Roundtables at Rutgers University to searching for engaging content during my commute, the evolution of this podcast has been fueled by a desire to highlight the often-overlooked packaging industry and its fascinating intricacies.
Embark on a ride through my career path, from eye-opening internships with companies like Johnson & Johnson to the thrill of assembling high-speed production lines. Joanna and I discuss how these experiences have forged my deep connection to the industry and the significance of networking and mentorship in shaping future engineers. Personal milestones, like earning my Eagle Scout rank and exploring unexpected teaching roles, add layers to my professional journey, offering a relatable glimpse into balancing career aspirations with personal life.
As we shift gears in the episode, get a glimpse of my adventures beyond packaging, from skiing and golfing to cheering on my favorite sports teams. With a mission to provide meaningful insights and diverse perspectives, this podcast sets the stage for illuminating discussions with industry leaders and influencers like Christen Cupo and Dr. Tom Nosker. Join us on this exciting journey as we express gratitude to those who've inspired us and look forward to the engaging conversations that lie ahead in the packaging world.
Hi, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my first episode of the Packaging Etc podcast. Thank you for giving me a listen. In prepping for this first episode, I was originally thinking I would give a 12 to 15 minute monologue about me Sounds painful, right and about what I'm hoping to accomplish with this podcast. The more I thought about it and the more I worked on a quote unquote script, the less I liked the idea. Then it hit me Most of the podcasts I've enjoyed listening to so far have included at least one interviewer and one guest.
Speaker 1:So what better way to kickstart this new passion project of mine than to record an interview of me? And who better than my beautiful wife Joanna to be the interviewer? She's had a front-row seat to most of my career anyway, had to deal with most of the travel, the hassles, the late nights and early morning phone calls. So for the next 20 to 30 minutes I'm willing to be your punching bag to give my listeners a little flavor for who I am, where I've come from and where I'm headed and what you might expect out of this podcast. With that, allow me to introduce my bride, joanna Mulvey. Joanna, welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Glad to be here, Super excited for your podcast and absolutely looking forward to kicking it off. So I guess you know. And a good place to start. Let's start off with the easy one Tell me how you came up with the whole idea to have this podcast.
Speaker 1:Well, I figured you know why not me, why couldn't I do a podcast. I guess it was about six months ago, you know fall timeframe, and I was kind of tired of listening to music. You know I have a 45 minute commute to and from work each day and just you know the drive gets kind of monotonous. You can try to find a way to pass the time and needed something different, something other than the same old music I had been listening to for years and just kind of decided to dip into podcasts and give it a try. And you know, I figured, you know it's something new, it's an interesting format. Maybe I can make that time a little more value added.
Speaker 2:So I guess you now regularly listen to podcasts.
Speaker 1:Any ones that you are your favorites you continuously listen to, to podcasts. I also like the fact that he's willing to interview pretty much anybody. You know he gets political. He talks science, he talks comedy. He's kind of all over the place and I guess that kind of appeals to where my head is at. You know, in the morning when I'm driving to work and when I'm driving home, sometimes I just need a good laugh. Sometimes you know they're talking some fun science stuff. You know Brian Cox, neil deGrasse, tyson, things like that. Sometimes they get political but you know, no matter who he interviews, I seem to find some humor in some of his episodes and so that kind of you know keeps my interest for the drive.
Speaker 2:Interesting D. What other podcasts interest you that you normally would go to?
Speaker 1:Well, um, you know, I I love the outdoors and so, uh, you know, I dipped into the packaging. Uh, excuse me, the backpacking podcast. Um, you know, listening to people tell stories about experiences on the trail, you know, maybe picking up some, a few pointers here and there. Uh, and then I started listening to some of the established packaging podcasts in the industry People of Packaging, with Adam Peek and Ted Tate. That's a big one, let's Talk Packaging.
Speaker 1:And then the genesis for this idea also kind of came from some events that I've run recently. So last fall I ran the second annual packaging roundtable discussion at Rutgers. This event's topic was on trends in pharmaceutical and medical device packaging, sponsored by the New Jersey Packaging Executives Club who, hint hint, will be one of my future guests, and I served as the moderator of that event, and you know. So we had panelists from big pharma and packaging machinery companies come in and speak to the kids about trends in the industry and be available for, you know, ad hoc questions and answers at the end. But the more I moderated that event now doing it the second time, I felt like, hey, you know, I'm kind of getting a feel, for, you know, I don't have to be the one providing the information and providing the content. I could be the one that's extracting that value-add content and that kind of parlayed into the podcast idea of being a podcast host.
Speaker 2:Interesting. So basically you're saying you woke up one morning, which doesn't quite surprise me at all. You woke up one morning and decided that you're going to start a podcast. Is that how it happened?
Speaker 1:Yes and no. So you know my involvement with you know, with different organizations we're always looking for ways to kind of get the word out. So you know I'm involved with the Rutgers Packaging Program and I'm on the Industrial Advisory Board for Packaging as an alumni and as an industry member and you know we've been talking about how to create more awareness for packaging in general, how to try to attract more students into the program, and I kind of came up with an idea of hey, what if we could leverage a social media influencer, somebody that's already got a big voice in the industry, that might be willing to help us out. And we kind of talked about that for a few minutes as a team and collectively we really couldn't come up with anybody that we thought already had a big footprint in the packaging industry. From a social media influencer perspective, that wouldn't have been a cold call coming from somebody that already had ties to Rutgers.
Speaker 1:And so you know that kind of is where the idea started, where I said you know what, you know, maybe, maybe I'll just do it, why not? Right? And that with the experiences I was having with the roundtable discussions, you know it, you know, yeah, sure, the idea kind of popped up. You know randomly, but you know over time. The more I thought about it, the more I thought you know why not? I can do this.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think it's a great idea, and I'm sure you've met a lot of people during your career. So, with that being said, you know, is there anybody you'd like to mention or you know? Give a shout out to say thank you to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sure. So, um, yeah, one of the first people I spoke to um about podcasting, uh, amanda Averill. Uh, she's with Cover and Associates. She has a STEM podcast, uh, I think it's called what do you do? Um, I was supposed to be going to an IOPP network networking event, um, for the Philly chapter last fall timeframe, I want to say, and I couldn't make it. So I kind of went through the invite list to see who I missed out on and she was one of the invitees and when I saw that she has a podcast, I reached out and we've spoken a couple of times and kind of collaborated on ideas for me getting my podcast off the ground and for her, you know, continuing her efforts and for her continuing her efforts. So definitely a shout out for her.
Speaker 1:Andrew Murata he's been hugely influential. He's got several podcasts, he's a published author. Met him actually through our mutual friends, tommy and Eileen Grimes Tommy put us together and he's a retired NCAA division one basketball ref. So he's got some interesting stories there and he was able to give me a lot of advice on on how to get this set up and, you know recommendations for advertising and you know some critiques on the podcast name and things like that. So I had a couple of conversations with him. Nicole Carino would love to mention her. She, um, she's the person I had do the voiceover and the intro outro for this podcast. I think she did a great job. So, uh, obviously want to mention her. And uh, and last but not least, I, you know, forgive me, but I have to uh, you know, give a shout out to you for putting up with my ideas and all these ideas. I kick off with a whim.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, you definitely love to do that, but that's what makes you the person that you are, that I love. Let me ask you another question. So you have a lot of interests, obviously, but why specifically packaging podcasts? I mean, especially if you mentioned, there's a whole bunch out there already.
Speaker 1:Well, it's kind of a passion project for me and I think it kind of resonates through a lot of people in the packaging industry that you know I really enjoy what I do. I enjoy the dynamic of the packaging industry and I'm fascinated, you know, with packaging in general Since I learned about it over 25 years ago. I know I'm dating myself a little bit there, but I wanted to use this platform to learn about other packaging professionals, their experiences, their passions, hopefully you know talking about some value added topics that you know listeners you know can gather some good information from. And obviously you know listeners you know can gather some good information from. And obviously, a platform to help the, you know the Rutgers Packaging Program and New Jersey Packaging Executives Club.
Speaker 2:So you know, that leads me to my very interesting question of how on earth did you get into packaging? I mean, you know, a lot of people don't even know what that is. I mean, what put you into that major?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so interesting. I was originally a civil engineering major at Rutgers in the engineering school and it just I wasn't really feeling that curriculum or that career path and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I actually originally wanted to be an architect and then architect became civil engineering. And then I was walking through the student center at Bush campus where the engineering school is, and I bumped into Jack Ramis. He was the managing director of the packaging program at the time and basically offered me free pizza and soda. You know, jerry Maguire moment, right, you had me at free instead of you had me at hello. So, yeah, free, free food and drinks.
Speaker 1:I went in and he was basically giving an info session on packaging and you know, as most people, the way it works. You know, when you start explaining you know I'm a packaging engineer they immediately think, oh well, you make boxes for a living. And I had the same moment. Right, I had the same thought. But then, as the more I listened to him, the more I understood just how big and all encompassing the packaging industry is. I had that light bulb moment, as I like to call it, where it was like oh, wow, hold on a minute. There's so much more to this than I originally thought. So obviously I got involved right from that point. He signed me up for the intro class.
Speaker 1:Within six months of finishing the intro class I had already won a scholarship and I had an internship in the in the field and I was like, well, okay, this is, this is pretty interesting. This is, uh, you know, the. The topics are interesting, but it's it's also just how involved and how local it is. You know, packaging is huge globally, but in the tri-state area there's so many opportunities, you know, for an engineer in the packaging industry, so I really felt like there'd be some strategic opportunities there for me as well.
Speaker 1:And then, once I graduated, I would go back on campus and I would talk to freshman engineering students that hadn't declared yet and I would run my $20 bill experiment.
Speaker 1:I would hold up a 20. And back in those days, that was a lot of money for me and I would say this $20 bill belongs to the first person that can give me a tangible physical product that you can purchase, that doesn't involve or require packaging in some way, shape or form. And I'd get. I mean, kids would just yell out right, they'd come up with different ideas, but I was always able to figure out a way to tie that product back to some form of packaging, whether it's protective distribution, you name it and so obviously, to this day, I haven't given up that 20, but it was a great thought process to help people understand just how big and all encompassing the industry really is. Um, and I I do know for a fact that that several students from those lectures signed up, which was which was a great moment for me because I knew that I was able to get through to some people.
Speaker 2:It really is kind of amazing that people really don't um realize that packaging is really in everything. And you know, uh, you know I know a little bit tiny bit because I worked in that department a long time ago as well, but it's just amazing. So okay, so you found packaging through free pizza and soda Amazing. Obviously, it interested you, so you continued, well, and you graduated, and what happened next?
Speaker 1:Well, like I mentioned, I got my first internship with TCP Reliable TCP is temperature-controlled products they're now known as CryoPak up in Edison, not far from campus, and I was working in their testing lab, working in cold chain packaging, and at the time I didn't realize just how important cold chain was, especially to the you know pharmaceutical industry where I work now. So it really was more strategic than just a paycheck and experience. From there I went to Johnson Johnson Consumer Products. I did a co-op with them and I worked for Ken Patterson. He was my manager, my direct line manager, there, and he took me on my first business trip, which was down to Harrisonburg, virginia, kind of a spur of the moment thing. I will say that his driving skills are unique. If NASCAR ever opened up a track for pickup trucks I think he'd be in. But he got us down there in record time and got a ticket for the facility and went out for dinner with the sales rep. So eye-opening experience from that perspective. And then I worked at Hearts Mountain Pet Products up in Secaucus. And then I also worked for Dr Ramis for a brief period. He had a consulting business and he had me doing some work for him as well. So I really got a lot of experience before I ever graduated, which is something I always encourage students in any field if they have the opportunity to try to work an internship or co-op or multiple before they graduate.
Speaker 1:So after I graduated, I worked for a lot of big companies. So first job out of school was L'Oreal, and then Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. I worked as a packaging contractor for a couple of years, worked ironically enough talk about coming full circle I worked for a box manufacturer. So you know, assuming that packaging engineers make boxes for a living yes, I actually did make boxes for a living for a while with Temple Inland and International Paper. With Temple Inland and International Paper, I worked for Catalan for a time on a pretty interesting project there Church and Dwight IP International Paper. A second time and then, in 2021, I opened up a consulting business, which I am now five years in business with that. And then last year I took a job with Renaissance Lakewood.
Speaker 2:Sounds like an amazing career. So, but just like you know, tell us about some bigger projects that you've completed, because you know again that kind of tells people you know the packaging, you know world and you know some interesting stuff that you worked on, interesting stuff that you worked on.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, the first, the first big project, that that you know, my, my portfolio project, if you will, was, uh, when I was at Pfizer consumer and uh, they launched the, the Listerine pocket mist product, um, which was a, a, a follow-up to the pocket packs, which was revolutionary in the in the, you know, fresh breath industry and um. So this, this device, um, which you know is still in the in the, you know, fresh breath industry and um. So this, this device, um, which you know is still on the market now and they have launched additional products in that same format. Um, I handled all the design of all the secondary and distribution packaging. So the blister card, um, you know, the tray design, the shippers, the palette patterns, all of that, um, the labels and the labeling process at the co-packer. That was all me. So that was kind of a pride moment where every time I'd go into the store and I'd see them hanging on the displays up by the register or sitting on the shelf, it was always kind of a cool moment to say, hey, I did that.
Speaker 1:I worked on a project to assemble several high-speed production lines, multi-lane stick pack lines, so stick pack, if you think, you know, like the, you know granule powder of the. You know iced tea, lemonade type drinks where you rip it open. It's a single use. You know mixing with water that type of a product for an OTC. It open and it's a single use. You know mixing with water that type of a product for an OTC.
Speaker 1:Um with Cartner check layers, bundlers, semi-auto case erectors and tape sealers. And that was that project is really more my wheelhouse now because I'm really more on the equipment side of the packaging industry versus the component design. Um, uh, worked on an aerosol capper machine. That was a pretty interesting one, that was a fun one that got to go out to Chicago for a couple of trips, of course in the dead of winter so it was a little bit cold Did a custom designed twin pack labeler machine. That was another fun one. And then I've also supported commercialization of some semi-automatic packaging equipment and automatic packaging equipment for auto-injector devices. And you know sterile injectables. You know development of multi-stage assembly parameters for you know sterile injectable product safety device, sterile injectable product safety device and then an end-of-line packaging to get product out to distribution centers and eventually to pharmacies or doctor's offices or wherever their final location was.
Speaker 2:Very cool. What drives you in life? What are you proud of, personally and professionally?
Speaker 1:and professionally. So my, my first big moment, um, was earning my Eagle Scout. Um, when I was 17,. Uh, you know, I came from a very pro scouting family and, um, you know, I worked really hard to get there and and uh. So, you know, getting getting across that finish line was was a big one for me. In high school I got an invitation to a talent evaluation by the Kansas City Royals. I was absolutely overmatched and out of my league, but being a 16-year-old playing ball for just a day with some of these guys was a really cool experience. So that was, that was probably the highlight of my sports career. Getting married, becoming a father, stepfather, you know I, you know I'm, I'm, I'm proud of those things. I'm, you know, not trying to kiss up or anything.
Speaker 2:You're awesome at all those things.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you. Professionally, I would say, you know establishing and running a consulting business for the last five years. Well, I'm in my fifth year now, earning my lifetime certified packaging professional through IOPP. And then, about two years ago, I got my project management professional certification.
Speaker 2:Yes, I remember all the long studying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know I'll probably find something else to dip into soon, but you know, just focusing on work and executing right now.
Speaker 2:What about the consulting business? So you know, tell us a little bit about that, your company.
Speaker 1:So I always figured I would eventually get into a consulting type role. I figured it would be later in my career, but late 2020, I was forced into a little bit of a career pivot and, you know, the stars just aligned. You know, one of the things that I preach to the students when I go to Rutgers, to you know, to support the program, is networking. I cannot stress how important, cannot stress enough how important networking is in my personal opinion anyway, and it was through networking and industry contacts that led me to an organization that was looking for some support, some external support, engineering for, you know, packaging in the pharmaceutical industry. But they were also looking for some process continuous improvement initiatives.
Speaker 1:And you know, I kind of checked all those boxes and a full-time job was not in the cards at the time. But it was an opportunity for me to create an LLC and incorporate and support them as a consultant and it just kind of kind of grew from there. So it really was a great opportunity for me and and, uh, I grabbed on with both hands and, um, you know, I've been thinking about, you know, writing out that consulting for the rest of my career, um, you know, at least on a part-time basis and who knows when I'll get back to it Um you know, in a more full-time capacity.
Speaker 2:I mean, who knows what? We'll see how things go. Um, I, uh, I you know. I don't know if your listeners know, but you know 2025 also brought you a very exciting new opportunity. Why don't you tell us about that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, so kind of another one of those things that I figured I would do later in life. Um was, um, you know, supporting the, the packaging program at packaging program at Rutgers as an adjunct professor, and you know it's a little over a month in now. They reached out and had a need for one class and they asked if I would take it over. And I have to say I'm very honored that they reached out to me and I said listen, you know, my answer is yes, I said, but I have to say I'm very honored that they reached out to me and I said, listen. My answer is yes, I said, but I have two bosses I need to get permission from first, and both of them you being the most important one didn't hesitate. What was that?
Speaker 2:I thought me being both of them.
Speaker 1:Sure, yes, let's go with that, you being you're both of them.
Speaker 2:All right, um. So I mean, are you planning anything else, cause you really don't have much time and you know you still have that honey do list to take care of.
Speaker 1:Uh yeah, I know, I know I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll get to it, I promise. Um no, I I think. I think I've taken on enough new, new, um, enough new adventures recently, so let's try to get to some type of a level status before I start looking at my next thing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think maybe deep breath is good. So tell me who has been the biggest influencers in your career, Because I know I'm sure you've met so many awesome people through that time Like who would be your top three.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, definitely way too many people to mention. But if I had to go with a top three, you know I mentioned Jack Ramis. Dr Ramis, he was a wonderful man, a wonderful mentor, really really cared about his students and anybody that was at Rutgers at the time while he was there was the better for it. And I'm sure that you know, you never know Maybe I'll try to pull that into a podcast episode in the future, but I'm sure that they would agree he was just a great person, he really cared. Quick story about him was just a great person, he really cared.
Speaker 1:Quick story about him His tradition for graduating seniors at Rutgers in the packaging program. He would take us on a class trip to New York City on his knife, he paid for everything and he would take us to, amongst other places, st Patrick's Cathedral. And that was actually the first time I ever went to St Patrick's and walked through and you know both of us being of Christian, you know Catholic background, you know he took us through into the gift shop and he said you know, pick something out. And he ended up buying me a cross that had been I'm not going to remember the name but had been blessed by the local cardinal and was in the gift shop available and he purchased that for me and I still have that cross. I have it in my dresser drawer. It's just one of those things that kind of reminds me of him. And then I would say number two would be Kumar, not Abadi Kumar, if you're listening. I want to say hello.
Speaker 2:Always love a good dog. Shout out to Kumar, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I actually met Kumar because he was the scholarship chairperson in NJPEC when I was awarded a scholarship at Rutgers and he tried to hire me directly out of school. But I really didn't think I wanted to work in pharmaceuticals, believe it or not. I really didn't think it was going to fit what I was envisioning for my career, and so I respectfully declined. And then, two years later, he had a new role in his department at Pfizer and hired me into it and it was exactly the kind of role that I was looking for. So you know, within two years I kind of flipped on my outlook for my career and it was a great decision because I loved that job and it also brought me to meet you. That's where you and I met. So thank you, Kumar, for that.
Speaker 2:That's my shout out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there you go. And then you know, even though it's a collective group, I would definitely mention the leadership team I worked with at International Paper, specifically Peggy Giuliano. Peggy, she has a great backstory, you know, working in that industry and becoming a plant general manager. You know most people kind of came up through sales or operations and she came up through HR. So being a woman in a predominantly male-driven role in that industry for as long as she was and the career path that she followed to get there really kind of makes a great backstory. Actually, I'll probably make a really good podcast episode. So, peg, if you're listening, I may be reaching out. And you know what I just realized all three of them I've successfully gotten inducted into the New Jersey Packaging Executives Club Hall of Fame. I just thought about that Kind of interesting.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a nice group of people. You just mentioned what's next for 2025?. I mean, besides, you know you're already quite busy, but what's the mantra, what's next?
Speaker 1:for 2025? I mean, besides, you know you're already quite busy, but what's the mantra? Settle in. I think that's probably the mantra for 2025. You know, looking back on my life, it's kind of a poster child for upset conditions and I kind of get the feeling that I crave upset conditions. You know, knowing that what I like to do at work, you know, being an engineer, I'm kind of used to dealing with fires. You know putting out fires on a regular basis and I feel like I kind of just I crave those upset conditions. You know, status quo kind of gets boring for me. So settle in professionally is definitely, you know, part of my 2025 goals.
Speaker 1:Obviously, you know exploring this podcast idea and kind of seeing where this goes. I just started well, I'm almost a year in now with Renaissance. They're a CDMO in the pharma med device space Great company, even greater people. I love the people I work with. They're really really good people. So you know I need to settle in there as well really good people. So you know I need to settle in there as well. There's a lot of things coming up that I'll be working on that. I'm looking forward to kind of getting my feet wet and, you know, learning some new technologies and should be interesting. But, you know, full-time job consulting on the side, not really doing a ton with that right now.
Speaker 1:Obviously, the podcast, you know becoming a recent adjunct professor at Rutgers, then volunteering with the NJPEC packaging advisory board, um, plus being a, you know, a dad to three, soon to be four, wonderful children. So, uh, I guess, quick shout out to Tyler and Cassie, uh, my future daughter-in-law, gabrielle and Dylan, and then our two crazy dogs, sammy and Freya, uh, maybe some grandkids in the not so distant future. So I think, no pressure, yeah, exactly no pressure. Um, uh, yeah, I I think, uh, you know that's, there's a lot on my plate. So I I feel like, uh, you know, settling in, um, you need to find a level of calm, uh, in my life. Am I capable of that? I don't know, we'll see, I guess you know time will tell.
Speaker 2:Probably not Um. So you know we talked a lot about packaging. Obviously it's a packaging podcast, but you know what do you want your listeners to know about you personally? Like what do you like? Dislike? You know things that you enjoy.
Speaker 1:Uh, I love the outdoors. Uh, I love, I love being outside. I feel like I have activities for every season. So, wintertime, I love skiing, you know, going on day hikes. I'm not crazy enough to do long distance backpacking. In the wintertime I'm not quite there yet. You know. Summertime, camping, fishing, kayaking, golfinging, um, you know, I kind of have an activity for each, uh, you know each season.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, I remember when, uh, when the kids were little, you know, just, you know, in a rainstorm, just going outside and just getting soaked in the rain and jumping in puddles and just just being goofy. You know, I just something about being outdoors for me is, um, is very soothing. Um, I would say that's definitely something. Um, I guess we have to get the the ugly business out of the way. From a sports perspective, um, I love watching and playing sports, uh, yankees and Rangers. You know my local teams Uh, I am a Celtics fan.
Speaker 1:It's painful to be a fan of a team from Boston, you know, living in New Jersey, but I grew up during the Larry Bird, kevin McHale, danny Ainge years and kind of became a Celtics fan and stayed Denver Broncos 1983, we lived out there when I was young for about two years. For about two years and John Elway had just gotten drafted by the Colts out of Stanford and then traded to the Broncos and became a Bronco fan and just stayed a Bronco fan even though he moved back to New Jersey Rutgers for obvious reasons. And my father, I nearly had a bunch of a choice watching Notre Dame when I was a kid, so I kind of grew up being a Notre Dame fan and ironically enough, I look at that list and our youngest he would pretty much agree with that entire list but considering he still lives in this house and we still pay for him, he doesn't have much of a choice.
Speaker 2:I was going to say I don't think he has much choice in his dad's business.
Speaker 1:When he's out on his own, he can root for whoever he wants.
Speaker 2:The name of the podcast, pack packaging, et cetera. What's really the?
Speaker 1:et cetera what does the et cetera stand for? So, you know, there are a lot of packaging podcasts out there already and I felt like I wanted to try to separate, like I definitely want to talk about the industry. I want to provide value added content for my listeners and for myself, honestly, because a lot of the names, a lot of the people that I have lined up to interview for, you know, future episodes are around topics that I have my own personal curiosity in, and then some, you know, dual purpose, where I feel like there's a value-add, where, you know I'm not the only one that's going to want to learn about this. So, but at the same time, I also want to, you know, keep it fun and light and I think that there's definitely an opportunity to speak to people outside of the packaging industry. That really still could be interesting, you know, for people to hear about.
Speaker 1:I definitely want to talk to people that are either small business owners, you know, maybe give them a platform to do some advertising. Talking to some nonprofit organizations. You know I really want to try to, you know, support wherever I can. I, you know there's a I'm going to forget the author, but there's a quote out there that says when we all, we all rise when we help others, and you know, I really want to try to embrace that with this. So the et cetera is more or less we're going to talk packaging, but we're going to find some other topics outside of the packaging industry that are maybe just general self-help or just have some fun with this and see where it goes.
Speaker 2:I like that concept actually. So do you have any guests lined up already? Ideas for guests.
Speaker 1:That could be interesting. But as far as my first couple of episodes, we're going to talk to Kristen Kupo. She's the newly elected president of NJPEC, so we'll be talking about the club and her involvement there and, where she sees that club going for the next year under her leadership, about his ventures into molded fiber packaging, my longtime friend, leo Frias of FaribaPak. We're going to talk to him and learn about what he's got going on at FaribaPak and talk about some of the trends in the pharmaceutical packaging and machinery industry. And my old professor from Rutgers, dr Tom Nosker at Rutgers University. He's not teaching anymore, so much as I know. I guess we'll find out when I speak with him, but he's a brilliant man and been in the news recently. I'm not going to get it exactly right, but I want to say he's part of the National Academy of Inventors. I'm going to get it wrong, I promise you, but we'll talk to him about it in more detail.
Speaker 1:I'll let the expert deliver that content.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let him introduce himself. So this has been a lot of fun actually interviewing you. I've never really done that, I don't think, and I'm super excited for your podcast and I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit, but do you have any parting words, you know, as an end to our interview?
Speaker 1:Yeah, just I guess a thank you to everybody that I've mentioned there's. There's way too many people to thank. I kind of feel like you know it just got my my Oscar. You know, I'd like to thank my agent I'd like to thank, but no, there's, the list is just way too long. But definitely the people that I've mentioned already, hugely influential in my professional life, personal life and in my endeavor to get this thing off the ground.
Speaker 1:So my sincerest thanks to you, to the listeners well, dare I say, listeners, maybe if I get more than one, if you're still listening thanks for sticking around for this entire episode. I know it's a long way to go just to learn about me and what this podcast is going to be about, but I'm hoping that I can deliver some content and talk to some interesting people and, who knows, we can all learn together and listen. I'm always looking to network on LinkedIn, so if you're listening to this, feel free to hit me up on LinkedIn. If anybody has ideas for topics or suggestions for future guests or future episodes, you can use wwwprecisionengsolutionscom, use the contact form. I'd love to hear from you and I guess you know.
Speaker 1:Thank you for interviewing me. I appreciate you helping. I think this is definitely a much more interesting way of doing it than me sitting here and just talking for half an hour. I kind of get tired of my own voice. So you've been a welcome addition to the first episode. So thank you for that. My pleasure, my pleasure, I guess with that, we'll sign off.
Speaker 2:So everybody, you for that, and um my pleasure.
Speaker 1:My pleasure. I guess with that we'll, we'll sign off. So everybody, bye for now, and uh, we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 2:Bye.
Speaker 1:Take care.