With over two decades of industry experience, Aaron Edelen is a standout employee at MJS Packaging. Working as an Account Manager for Riekes Container, his passion for helping customers achieve their business goals through each packaging need is what makes him our pick for this edition of the MJS Packaging Employee Profile.

Aaron’s Manufacturing & Packaging Background 

In 1997, Aaron started out in the manufacturing industry as a Warehouse Manager at a mid-size food and beverage processing facility.  Over the years, he moved onward and upward through the company, spending time as a Production Manager, President, and eventually CEO.

Throughout the years, he gained experience with many different aspects of packaging, including buying packaging, determining the best packaging for a production line, and packaging quality. During the many years he spent at his first company, he built a relationship with Carl Riekes, the driving force behind Riekes Container. In 2014, Aaron joined the Riekes team as an Account Manager.

His Manufacturing Experience Helped Him Grow as a Packaging Professional

Aaron brings a unique perspective to his role as an Account Manager for Riekes Container, LLC, an MJS Packaging company. His extensive manufacturing experience allows him to understand and troubleshoot issues that occur in production.

Aaron is also very familiar with the correct processing steps to take, and the basics in setting up plant operations. He enjoys helping all his customers, with a primary focus in the food, beverage, and nutraceutical industries.

With his purchasing power, knowledge of operations, and a keen eye for quality, Aaron has continually been successful in driving better bottom line results for his customers.  All of these talents especially come into play when he is working with smaller and start-up manufacturers.

Common Mistakes Made by Companies New to Packaging: Aaron’s Experience

It’s critical to communicate the intricacies of your packaging to all parties involved; both internally and externally with each manufacturing and filling partner.

For years, Aaron’s manufacturing facility did the processing work for a national salsa brand. His customer decided to work with their packaging distributor to create a new, custom jar but failed to share these plans with Aaron and his team.

The new bottle had a significant change to the neck design, resulting in a much narrower neck than the original. When they started filling the jars, the new design caused the liquid and solid ingredients in the salsa to visibly separate, giving it a watery appearance. Due to the fact that consumers would have rejected the product because of its unappetizing appearance, the product was re-formulated to accommodate the new bottle design and improve the product appearance.

All of this could have been avoided with upfront communication, which Aaron prides himself on. Ensuring proper communication between your company and your packaging provider is one of the most important aspects of a professional and successful relationship.

How He Has Remained Passionate About Packaging

The thing that keeps Aaron most passionate about packaging is his ability to work with customers and find solutions that will both obtain and grow their business!

 “Thanks to Aaron for his many years of passion and customer service. We are proud that you are part of our team!”