Crownhill Packaging Attends PDA 2023 Annual General Meeting

Representatives of Crownhill Management (Olivia Pietersen, Rod Taylor & Ken Wong) recently attended Packaging Distributors of America’s (PDA) 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year’s event took place at The Ritz Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, California from June 4^th to June 7^th, 2023.

The AGM’s agenda followed a similar format to past gatherings, with individual supplier business meetings being the primary focus. The meeting kicked off Sunday, June 4^th with attendees gathering for a welcome reception on the May River Lawn. 23 PDA members and 27 supplier partners took part in this year’s AGM.

As proud members of the PDA, we’re always excited to participate in one-on-one meetings with suppliers and members. These meetings always provide us with an excellent opportunity to discuss business strategies, collaborations, and get an early look at new innovative products and ways to enhance our services. The PDA community prides itself on fostering a collaborative environment and promoting excellence in packaging solutions.

This year’s keynote speaker was Ben Nemtin from MTV’s The Buried Life. His story started in a garage in Victoria, BC 10 years ago, when he and 3 of his friends made a Bucket List of 100 things. Fast forward to today, and through their successful show and New York Times bestselling book, Ben and his friends teach others how to follow through on their own lists.

The meeting’s annual golf tournament was held at the Glen Annie Golf Club. PDA raised a collective $13,500 for a local charity, the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. It helps individuals and communities prepare to live in a changed climate, addressing food insecurity with their humanitarian garden and teaching people how to act in times of emergency with their Brigade Academy program.

The AGM culminated in an awards dinner on the Wednesday night. Crownhill was honored to receive the President’s Award, which acknowledges dedication to advancing the values and mission of PDA. President and founder George Strobel hand-picks the recipient of the award every year. Usually given to individuals, this year is the first time the award was given to a company.

“Crownhill Packaging is certainly the epitome of Packaging Distributors of America,” says George Strobel, President of PDA. “They truly deserve this recognition, and I am very pleased to be able to present the entire Crownhill organization with this inaugural pinnacle award.”

We’d like to thank our peers and congratulate our fellow winners. It’s always an honor to be working with the best in the packaging industry.

Winners of PDA 2023 Annual Meeting:

Supplier of the year: Badger Paperboard

Member of the Year: Morrisette Packaging

Champion of the Year: Amy Packer, Envoy Solutions

President’s Award (Individual): Robin Goheen, Rusco Packaging Inc.

President’s Award (Organization): Crownhill Packaging