Providing solutions to the craft beer industry, the little company that could.
Today I am happy to introduce one of our newest sponsors, Great Little Box Company. Maybe you’ve never heard of GLBC, but you are most certainly familiar with the company’s work. They provide packaging solutions to the craft beer industry.
Great Little Box Company Ltd. (GLBC) came to life in British Columbia back in 1982. Today, operating out of its headquarters in Richmond, BC, the company has offices in Everett, Victoria, and Kelowna, as well as a satellite office in Alberta.
Great Little Box Company is an award-winning manufacturer of label and packaging solutions, specializing in corrugated boxes, custom displays, labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons, protective packaging, and the distribution of shipping supplies. GLBC offers businesses efficient, one-source packaging solutions. On the company’s website, you can read many stories about how GLBC has helped craft beer and cider producers meet the always-changing needs of the industry.
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Little but not small
Today, Great Little Box Company employs almost 500 people working across two divisions: Retail Packaging (including labels and folding cartons) and Corrugated & Industrial Packaging (including, corrugated boxes, displays, protective packaging, and shipping supplies). In addition to its 250,000-square-foot facility in Richmond, BC, the company has distribution locations in Kelowna, Victoria, Abbotsford, and Everett.
The company says that despite the growth to its current size, the word little still fits. It captures an attitude that the GLBC team never intends to lose.
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“Did you ever read The Little Engine That Could? I feel that’s what our company culture is all about,” says Christine Tindall, VP of Human Resources and daughter of GLBC founder Robert (Bob) Meggy. “When we started out, there were bigger, faster, stronger engines, but we tried harder and cared more. My mom (Margaret Meggy) would say, ‘You have to give your dad credit; he beat everyone on management.’ I didn’t understand what she meant when I was 10 years old, but I get it now.’
It was 1982 when Bob Meggy launched Great Little Box Company. “I was working for a packaging company,” he explains. “And I figured, ‘I could do better,’ so when another small packaging company went into receivership, I bought it. We had one salesperson, one guy who could operate the machines, and me.”
“When we were launching, interest rates were over 20 percent for at least seven months,” explains Margaret Meggy, who used to do the books with the kids playing at her feet. “I remember one of our competitors saying that it was as if someone had turned the economy’s taps off. It was such a tough time to get something going.”
But remember the story of The Little Engine that Could: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Great Little Box Company never gave up and just kept pushing forward. The company has grown impressively since it was founded in 1982, but at its core, it is still a little company that values relationships and people.
“We started building the culture from day one,” says Bob. “It’s about treating people fairly and as equals.”
The award-winning team at Great Little Box Company can design and produce packaging that complements your brewery’s product offering and helps you win on the shelf. GLBC provides the kind of shipping and warehousing flexibility that modern businesses require, with just-in-time warehouse programs and locations throughout Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.
The Washington Beer Blog is happy to have GLBC aboard as a sponsor. Please take a look at the company’s website and consider how they can help your company meets its needs.
— Interested in becoming a sponsor? Read this, or reach out directly to kjones@washingtonbeerblog.com —
