MRP’s new corporate offices aim to extend its mission of providing specialized, innovative solutions to its valued customers across health & wellness, specialty food, and other sectors.

The new MRP Solutions Center and corporate offices in Lake Forest, IL are officially open. A June grand opening event was a great opportunity for MRP to host customers and suppliers for a day of education and celebration.

The event kicked off with the official ribbon cutting in the Solutions Center space where MRP Solutions President and CEO, Jim Fitzgerald, welcomed guests and shared appreciation for their business and partnership.

“Our mission is to recognize that industry trends continuously change, and customer needs are always evolving,” notes CEO Jim Fitzgerald. “This innovation center will foster the MRP consultative approach to uncovering customer needs, while implementing its strategy to expand capabilities and customize smarter, safer, and more flexible packaging solutions that reduce cost and increase speed to market. This new Solutions Center is a space where collaboration can spark innovation and create solutions to even the biggest packaging challenges.”

Throughout the morning, attendees had the opportunity to attend educational sessions presented by the MRP team, focusing on design and ideation opportunities within the Solutions Center, an introduction to injection molding and lining, the MRP manufacturing process and the latest market trends.

Following the morning sessions, guests then attended a Supplier Showcase where they had the opportunity to meet MRP’s supplier partners and discuss how their products combine to create MRP's Packaging Solutions. Supporting suppliers for the event included the following: Tekni-Plex Consumer Products, Selig Group, Enercon Industries Corporation, and Badger Color Concentrates.

Annual Sustainability Summit

The day wrapped up with MRP's Second Annual Sustainability Summit, where a panel of experts shared the latest industry updates. During the Summit, panelists reviewed the state of sustainability challenges, technology advancements to offer alternative sustainable solutions to minimize waste and reduce carbon footprints, identified industry drivers and reviewed creative channels for promotion and education. The panel included: Paula Leardini, Senior Analyst & Americas Analyst Team Lead, Plastics Recycling at ICIS; Rudy Underwood –Vice President, State Affairs and Political Mobilization at the American Chemistry Council (ACC); Scott Trenor, Technical Director at the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR); Matt Cripe, Sales Director at PureCycle Technologies; Adam Wozniak, Senior Manager of Sustainability at AMCO Polymers; moderated by Cory Connors, host of the Sustainable Packaging podcast. 

The day's events concluded with Jim Fitzgerald announcing that MRP Solutions will match the funds donated by the event’s sponsors to provide a $5,000 donation to The Foundation for Plastic Recycling in support of the organization's efforts to expand recycling and advance the circular economy. 

“We’re excited about our future and look forward to working with companies in our Solutions Center to develop new and innovative ways to deliver more value across the packaging supply chain in health and wellness, specialty foods, and other technical applications,” adds Fitzgerald.