1991
Menasha acquires North Star Container, Inc., a box plant in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
1991
Through a restructuring of Mid-America, the company's Printed Systems Division is formed, producing tags and labels.
1992
Menasha P.O.S. (point-of-sale) business is formed to sell promotional items manufactured by the Color Division, Neenah Printing Division and the Mid America Division.
1992
Walter H. Drew, President and CEO, leaves Menasha Corporation. Tad Shepard, who had retired from his positions as President and CEO in June 1989, returns on an interim basis.
1993
Menasha Corporation acquires Solidur Deutschland GmbH &Co. KG's North American joint venture operation in Delmont, Pennsylvania, and changes the Poly-Hi name to Poly Hi Solidur, reflecting the merger. Additionally, Menasha enters into an international joint venture with Solidur in Australia and Great Britain, as well as a joint venture marketing company, Poly Hi Solidur International.
1993
Robert D. Bero becomes Menasha's president and chief executive officer. Previously, he was Menasha's vice president of plastics. Tad Shepard retires again after resuming the positions of President and CEO on an interim basis in 1992.
1993
New Jersey Packaging of Fairfield, N.J., is acquired. The company specializes in pressure-sensitive and heat-seal labels for the pharmaceutical and health care industries.
1993
DuraPAK, a returnable packaging systems business, is established with production in Danville, Va., and technical and sales support in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1994
Menasha's LEWISystems Division expands with the construction of a plant in Urbana, Ohio (now part of the company's ORBIS Division).
1994
Menasha's Color Division increases its point-of-purchase display sales and correspondingly changes its name to the Display One Division.
1995
Menasha merges its Display One and Mid America Divisions with its point-of-sale business to create a new division, Promo Edge, further evolving its promotional graphics business.
1995
In separate transactions, two corrugated box businesses--Mid South Packaging of Cullman, Ala., and Southwest Container Corporation of Phoenix, Ariz. — are acquired.
1995
Menasha reorganizes into seven business groups.
1995
Donray Company (foam-cushioned packaging, including corrugated cartons with cushion inserts) of Mentor, Ohio, is acquired.
1996
Menasha combines LEWISystems, Convoy Plastic Pallets, Donray Division, and DuraPAK businesses to create ORBIS, a business that provides returnable, reusable packaging with its plastic containers, pallets and protective interiors.
1996
Menasha acquires Middlefield Container Corporation of Middlefield, Ohio.
1997
Menasha purchases Solidur Deutschland, GmbH's operations outside the United States, merging it into the Poly Hi Solidur Group. The merger provides Poly Hi Solidur the capability to be a premier supplier of UHMW both in the U.S. and internationally with operations in ten countries.
1997
A Menasha Services business is established to work with other Menasha divisions to provide customers with information based on logistics and supply chain services in the auto subassembly, non-auto assembly, limited menu food service, bulk produce and pharmaceuticals markets.
1998
A Thermotech Division plant in Monson, Mass., is established as a separate Menasha division, called Montec Plastics.
1999
Comark-Bates of Elk Grove Village, Ill. is acquired. A producer of in-store promotional products as well as in-pack premiums, Comark-Bates is merged with Menasha Corporation's Promo Edge Division.
1999
Thomas J. Prosser, chairman of the board, is elected chief executive officer.
1999
Menasha Corporation celebrates its 150th anniversary.
2000
The Material Handling Group is reorganized into a wholly owned subsidiary, Menasha Material Handling Corporation comprised of the ORBIS and Menasha Services divisions, along with subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil and Mexico.
2000
A new division, LEWISBins+, is created to operate within Menasha Material Handling Corporation. LEWISBins+ manufactures durable storage container systems. Products include heavy-duty plastic totes, metal storage systems, divider boxes and small parts bins.
2000
Menasha Corporation's Packaging Group acquired Package Products, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Penn., and Pennsylvania Container Corporation of Latrobe, Penn.
2000
Harold R. Smethills, Jr. was named Menasha Corporation president and chief executive officer in October. He relieves CEO Thomas J. Prosser, who will continue as Menasha Corporation's chairman of the board.
2000
Menasha Corporation ranks tenth on the eWEEK FastTrack ranking of Top Ten Manufacturing Companies investing in cutting-edge e-business technologies. Menasha Corporation also placed 50th on eWEEK's overall list of FastTrack 500, which covers all industries and of which the Top Ten Manufacturing list is derived.
2001
Arthur W. Huge joined Menasha Corporation as vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.
2001
Menasha Corporation spun off its forest products business. The descendants of Menasha founder Elisha D. Smith now own both Menasha Corporation and the separate Menasha Forest Products Corporation, which is headquartered in Oregon.
2001
Menasha Material Handling Corporation is renamed ORBIS Corporation. Dave Schopp is named chief executive officer of ORBIS Corp. and Jerry Hessel is named president, ORBIS U.S.
2001
Menasha Corporation is reorganized as a holding company comprised of four principal companies and several Investment companies. The principal companies are Menasha Packaging Company, ORBIS Corporation, Poly Hi Solidur, Inc., and Promo Edge Company. The Investment companies are New Jersey Packaging, Printed Systems, Stratecom Graphics, Thermotech, and TRAEX.
2001
As part of its restructuring, Menasha Corporation took a new approach to gaining efficiencies among its companies. It formed an in-house business, Menasha Advantage, to sell payroll, benefits, accounts receivable and payable, and information technology services to Menasha's operating companies.
2001
Menasha University was created to provide leadership skills to employees through a selection of courses that focus on leadership, change and company initiatives.
2001
Menasha Corporation's technology innovations are recognized by both Information Week and eWEEK in their annual rankings. In addition, the Corporation is named Manufacturer of the Year by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce in Appleton, Wis., and won the "Leadership through Reinvention" award in the annual 2001 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award competition.
2001
To encourage cutting-edge creativity, Menasha Corporation created a center for product innovation. The center, located in the western Pennsylvania town of Latrobe, will help Menasha's operating companies create, develop and commercialize innovative products and exploit in-house breakthroughs in manufacturing processes.
2001
Cookson Plastic Molding of Latham, N.Y., a plastic pallet manufacturer, was acquired and became part of ORBIS Corporation.
2001
Aisle Sentry, an in-store consumer products business, was acquired and became part of Promo Edge Company.
2002
Neenah Printing Division of Neenah, Wis., formerly part of the Promo Edge Company, becomes part of Menasha Packaging Company as a result of a reorganization designed to provide greater focus to the strategies of both Promo Edge Company and Menasha Packaging Company.
2002
Nucon Corporation, a plastic pallet manufacturer serving the beverage industry, was acquired and became part of ORBIS Corporation.
2002
Menasha Corporation leaped to number 47 of the InformationWeek 500 list of information technology innovators in America, up from 212 on the 2001 ranking. Menasha also ranked fifth out of a total 52 companies in the manufacturing sector (in 2001 Menasha was ranked 14th out of a total of 45 manufacturing companies.)
2002
Menasha Packaging acquired Triangle Container Corporation of Philadelphia, Pa. Founded in 1947, Triangle Container maintains core competencies in high-end flexographic printing, corrugated manufacturing, and precision die cutting.
2002
Menasha Corporation was ranked #246 out of 257 companies on Forbes magazine’s 2002 annual ranking of Largest Private Companies.
2002
The corporation sells its TRAEX business to Libbey Inc.
2002
Menasha's Packaging business consolidates manufacturing from its Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. plant into Cullman, Ala., Athens, Ga., and Olive Branch, Miss. facilities. It also consolidates manufacturing from its Middlefield, Ohio plant into its Erie, Pa., plant.
2003
Menasha Packaging closes its Coloma, Mich. plant. Business is consolidated into other facilities.
2003
Menasha sells two businesses, its Laminating Division and Thermotech Company. This was part of the company's effort to refine its business strategy by focusing on core businesses and leading business opportunities.
2004
In January 2004, the corporation announced that its board of directors had implemented interim top-level changes designed to provide individual focus on each of the company's separate businesses. The goal was to build forward momentum and improve the company's overall performance. In addition, the company announced that as a result of these changes Harold R. Smethills Jr. would be stepping down as president and CEO of Menasha Corp.
2004
Chairman of the Board Thomas J. Prosser retired on June 14, 2004. Donald C. Shepard III, board member and fifth-generation descendant of the company's founder, was elected as Prosser's successor. Prosser joined Menasha's board in 1992 and had served as chairman since 1998.
2004
In July 2004 LeveragePoint Media is created to focus on providing consumer-oriented, in-store marketing services. Menasha Corporation typically has not had a marketing service focus within its business units, but given the strong growth and high demand for retail marketing solutions our senior leadership made the decision to focus on this business area. Promo Edge becomes the Neenah Label plant and is sold in its entirety in August 2004.
2005
Arthur W. Huge, who joined the company in March 2001, is promoted to President and CEO in May.
2005
Menasha Corporation announced the signing of an agreement to sell Poly Hi Solidur, Inc., its Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene business, to Quadrant AG. Menasha decided to sell the company so it could focus Menasha's resources on its other businesses.
2005
Menasha Packaging Company ceased production at the Otsego Mill in Michigan. The company had owned the mill since 1939. Following a strategic review of its operations, Menasha Packaging decided to sell or close the Otsego Mill because the company determined it could reduce costs and make its converting operations more competitive by contracting for paper rather than producing it.
2005
Menasha Corporation closed on the sale of Poly Hi Solidur, Inc., its Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW-PE) business.
2006
In May 2006 Menasha acquired Creative Press of Evansville, Ind. Creative is a leading manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging, labels and inserts.
2006
Menasha's pharmaceutical packaging business opened a new facility in August in Raleigh, N.C., to serve the growing requirements for packaging in the pharmaceutical industry.
2006
In December 2006, ORBIS entered into an agreement to acquire the North American material handling business of LINPAC Group, Birmingham, England. The acquired business manufacturers bulk containers and pallets used in automotive, food, beverage and general industrial applications.
2007
In March, it was announced that Cortegra is the new name of Menasha' pharmaceutical packaging business. The group includes New Jersey Packaging in Fairfield, N.J., a new facility in Raleigh, N.C., which began production in August 2006, and Creative Press in Evansville, Ind. Cortegra has announced that it will build a new manufacturing facility in Evansville, Ind. The 62,000 square-foot plant will serve the pharmaceutical industry's packaging needs.
2007
The Menasha Corporation Foundation announced a gift of $100,000 to the capital campaign for the YMCAs of the Fox Cities; it has also given $100,000 to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center to support operations, ensure community access and support community engagement activities.
2007
Cortegra has announced the purchase of the assets of Capital Printing & Graphics, which has provided packaging for the generic and nutraceutical markets for more than 20 years.
2008
Menasha Corporation has named Thomas M. Rettler senior vice president and chief financial officer.
2008
The Wide Web facility in Neenah, Wis., will add approximately 44,000 square-feet and a new preprinted linerboard press.
2008
The Foundation has announced that it will provide a $500,000 gift to Theda Clark Medical Center Foundation's Next Century campaign.
2008
ORBIS Corporation completed the acquisition of Norseman Plastics, then the largest acquisition in the Corporation's history.
2008
Arthur W. Huge, Menasha Corporation's president and CEO, won the "Turnaround" category in the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" competition for the Upper Midwest division.
2009
President and CEO, Arthur W. Huge, retired from the company. A three-person Executive Management Committee comprised of the presidents of the company's two largest operating companies, Michael K. Waite of Menasha Packaging, and James M. Kotek of ORBIS Corporation; and Thomas M. Rettler, the Corporation's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has been created.
2009
James M. Kotek has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Menasha Corporation. Mr. Kotek had been President of ORBIS Corporation, one of Menasha's operating companies.
2009
William F. Ash has been promoted to President of ORBIS Corporation, Menasha Corporation's second largest operating division.
2010
The Menasha Corporation Foundation matched donations from employees and shareholders for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. $55,000 was raised.
2010
Charles E. Shepard and Onnie Leach Smith joined the Menasha Corporation Board of Directors in October. Both are fifth-generation descendants of the company’s founder.
2010
Menasha Corporation announced its Renewable Energy Project at its Neenah campus. The project will include five wind turbines and lighting and other efficiency upgrades to its office.
2011
Menasha Corporation is named Business of the Year by the Appleton Post-Crescent.
2011
Menasha Corporation publishes its first Sustainability Report.
2011
The Menasha Corporation Foundation matched donations from employees and shareholders for relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March. More than $35,000 was raised.
2011
Timothy E. Shepard retired from the Menasha Corporation Board of Directors in June following 16 years of service.
2011
Menasha Corporation won the Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment award in June.
2011
Chesapeake Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Packaging acquired Cortegra from Menasha Corporation.
2011
ORBIS Corporation announced the acquisition of Cartonplast's interest in their CORBI Plastics joint venture.
2012
Menasha Packaging announced the acquisition of The Strive Group of Chicago.
2012
Menasha Corporation was given the Community Distinguished Performer Award by Deloitte LLP and the state's largest newspaper, the Journal Sentinel for its community support.
2012
Menasha Corporation is presented with an Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Award as part of National Philanthropy Day.
2012
Menasha Packaging receives a Green Master Award, the highest level in the Green Masters Program, from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council.
2012
Menasha Corporation publishes second annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report
2013
Menasha Packaging announced the acquisition of Rand Diversified of Edison, New Jersey.
2013
ORBIS opens a Reusable Packaging Management (RPM) Beverage Service Center in Queretaro, Mexico.
2013
Menasha Packaging’s Hartford, Wis., plant is named one of the Top 100 Workplaces in southeastern Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
2013
Menasha Corporation ranks among Top 75 companies in Wisconsin by revenue in the annual Wisconsin 75 listing.
2013
ORBIS opens a Materials Innovation Center in Menasha, Wis.
2013
Menasha Corporation publishes third annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report
2013
Menasha Corporation divests LeveragePoint Media.
2014
Menasha Corporation launches a formal employee Wellness Program.
2014
ORBIS is named one of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Top Workplaces and is ranked #15 among mid-sized companies in the five-county area around Milwaukee, Wis. ORBIS also received a Special Award in the area of communications.
2014
Menasha Packaging Company acquires Strine Printing Company, Inc. of York, Pennsylvania. Strine employs approximately 300 people and has a manufacturing plant and two warehouses.
2014
Menasha Corporation publishes its fourth annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
2014
ORBIS opens newly constructed plant in Silao, Guanajuato. The 265,000-square-foot facility manufactures plastic containers, pallets, BulkPak™ containers and its ORBIShield™ interior product line.
2015
Menasha Corporation acquires PearceWellwood Inc. of Brampton, Ontario to operate as part of Menasha Packaging Company. PearceWellwood has two facilities in Brampton and 140 employees.
2015
Menasha Corporation announces plans to construct a new office building that will house both its companywide headquarters and Menasha Packaging Company’s corporate office. The new building will be constructed on the site of the company’s current headquarters at 1645 Bergstrom Road in Neenah, Wis.
2015
Menasha Corporation holds groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters.
2015
Menasha Corporation named Fox Cities Large Business of the Year.
2015
ORBIS named a Top Workplace in southeastern Wisconsin and won Best Company in Ethics from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s annual listing.
2015
Menasha Corporation acquires the assets of Portable Packaging Systems, Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario to operate as a part of Menasha Packaging Canada L.P., a subsidiary of Menasha Corporation. Portable Packaging employs more than 100 and operates at three customer-dedicated distribution centers in addition to its Mississauga facility.
2015
Two new independent directors have joined Menasha Corporation’s Board: Derrick Samuel, former President Greater Asia, Colgate-Palmolive Company, and David White, former Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Campbell Soup Company.
2015
Menasha Corporation publishes its fifth annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
2015
Menasha Corporation is named one of America’s healthiest workplaces with the Gold Well Workplace award from The Wellness Council of America.
2015
ORBIS launches PlastiCorr™, a plastic, reusable corrugated box.
2015
Menasha Corporation employees install a Born Learning Trail at Smith Park in Menasha, Wis.
2015
Menasha Corporation wins United Way's Large Company Campaign Team of the Year
2016
Menasha Corporation's Wellness program wins Governor's Worksite Wellness Award.
2016
Menasha Corporation's new headquarters building opens in Neenah, Wisconsin.
2016
Menasha Corporation Named to Wisconsin 75 for 14th Consecutive Year.
2016
Menasha Corporation Awarded Prestigious LEED Gold® Certification for its new headquarters building. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), recognizes buildings that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
2017
Denise Starcher Named Vice President of Human Resources.
2017
Menasha Corporation Publishes 7th Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
2017
Menasha Corporation Joins GPS Education Partners and Launches Student Apprenticeship Program.
2017
Menasha Corporation Acquires ARI Packaging, a supplier of contract packaging and fulfillment services of Alsip, Illinois to operate as a part of Menasha Packaging Company. Included in the acquisition are three facilities in Alsip and Minooka, Illinois, and a facility in Winchester, Virginia.
2017
Menasha Corporation Receives Green Masters Award for 7th Consecutive Year.
2018
ORBIS Corporation opens an ORBIShield® Innovation Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2018
Menasha Corporation Acquires Response Packaging of Piedmont, South Carolina. Response Packaging conceptualizes, designs, prototypes and manufactures reusable custom protective interiors for containers and fabricated steel racks and operates as a part of ORBIS Corporation. Included in the acquisition are facilities in Greenville, South Carolina, Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Leon, Mexico.
2018
Menasha Corporation acquires Hinkle Manufacturing of Perrysburg, Ohio. Hinkle, which will operate as a part of ORBIS Corporation, designs and manufactures custom reusable packaging, specializing in interior protective packaging used primarily by the automotive industry. The acquisition includes Hinkle’s thermoforming plant in Dearborn, Mich., where it produces thin-gauge trays and other plastic components that are integrated into its final products.
2018
Menasha Corporation publishes its 8th annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report which wins the Bronze Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators Chicago.
2018
ORBIS Corporation is named a Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the 5th consecutive year.
2018
Opened four ORBIS RPM (Returnable Packaging Management) Service Centers in Reno, Nev.; Roanoke, Va.; Plymouth, Mich.; and Saltillo, Mexico.
2018
An ORBIS manufacturing facility was opened in Mentor, Ohio, for the design, fabrication and production of custom products that protect automotive and industrial component parts.
2018
Menasha Packaging Company opens a fulfillment site in Brampton, Canada.
2018
Menasha Corporation is ranked 16th in the Wisconsin 75 list of top privately-held companies headquartered in the state and wins the Distinguished Performer Award for Sustainability.
2018
Deb O'Connor, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of True Value Company, joins Menasha Corporation's Board of Directors.
2018
Menasha Corporation receives a Gold Well Workplace distinction from the Wellness Council of America.
2018
Menasha Corporation Foundation supports Enactus, an international nonprofit organization that helps university students improve the world through entrepreneurial action.
2018
Menasha Corporation attains Green Masters Level Status for the eighth consecutive year.
2018
Menasha Corporation achieves an environmental sustainability goal – it has reduced its water usage by 90.2% since 2010.
2019
Menasha Corporation receives two awards for its participation in the 2018 United Way Fox Cities campaign: the Top Performer Award and the Leadership Giving/Emerging Leaders Award.
2019
Menasha Corporation is named to Inc. Magazine's Private Titans list of the 1000 most vital privately-held companies in the U.S.
2019
ORBIS is named one of the 2019 Top Workplaces in Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the sixth year in a row.
2019
Menasha Corporation publishes its 9th annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
2019
Menasha Corporation attains Green Masters Level Status for the ninth consecutive year.
2019
Menasha Corporation is ranked 16th in the Wisconsin 75 list of top privately-held companies headquartered in the state.
In 1852, company founder Elisha D. Smith bought a struggling wooden pail factory that opened in Menasha, Wis. just three years earlier. In the more than 160 years since then, our devoted employees have worked together to build one of the country’s oldest and most successful privately held family companies.
Take a virtual tour across a century and a half to discover what has grown from Menasha Corporation’s strong roots.