In honor of International Women’s Day, ICPF is proud to feature Laurie Green, a dedicated leader in the corrugated packaging industry and the Vice President of Sales at Independent Paperboard Marketing in Texas. As a veteran of corrugated packaging sales who has amassed 30 years of experience, Laurie recently sat down with ICPF’s Outreach & Education Manager, Alex LeMoine to share insights into her career journey, experiences as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, and her advice for the next generation of corrugated packaging industry professionals.
ICPF: We often hear from packaging professionals that they were not aware of the vast opportunities in the corrugated industry when they first entered the workforce or pursued their degree. What led you to a career in corrugated?
Laurie Green (LG): I will preface this by saying there’s a wonderful book that was recommended to me years ago and it’s called The Accidental Salesperson. And the genesis of that, whether it’s packaging or sales, is that, you know, as a fifth grader you don’t dream of being a packaging salesperson, right? So, it talks about the evolution in our adult careers and the kind of happenstance of where we find ourselves.
My personal background is that I came from working for American Airlines in the corporate office. I had come up through reservation sales, meeting services, and the management program, and I was at the corporate office where a co-worker’s husband was a company principal for Independent Paperboard Marketing. He had decided, to his credit, to hire a woman and ended up hiring me. He specifically said I had the people skills and the problem-solving ability, and that he could teach me about paper and packaging. He did, and that was 30 years ago.
ICPF: What did your first role in the industry look like and how did you progress to your current position as the Vice President of Sales at Independent Paperboard Marketing?
LG: That’s a really interesting question because our company itself is a sales company. The definition of a brokerage firm is exclusively sales. I partner customers with [paper] mills, and I solve problems, so I add value to both ends of the transaction. I’m solving supply problems for customers as well as driving efficiency and output for a mill. So that was my first job. And honestly, it’s still my job today—I take care of my customers. I solve problems for my mills. The only difference today is that I don’t necessarily look for new business, I equip my team to do that.
ICPF: Can you walk us through what the day-to-day responsibilities look like in your role as VP of Sales? When you start your day in the morning, what do you tackle first?
LG: Every day is different, but the framework remains the same. The first priority is checking the status of open orders. Are there any fires to be put out? Did [the customer] get the product that they’ve ordered as expected and in a timely manner? Or is there an issue with the mill that needs to be addressed?
When I walk in every day, I start with open orders and then move on from that. I’m in close contact with my customers; I’m in close contact with my mills. You have to ask the pertinent questions: are there any holes in supply? What do you see forthcoming? Any new trends in your market? Are there any new opportunities I can help with? As a salesperson, I am only as successful as my customer.
ICPF: As someone who has been in this industry for 30 years, are there customers you’ve kept throughout your career? What do those relationships look like?
LG: It’s a mix, it’s a real mix. I have customers today that I had in my first year of sales. So obviously that relationship was established, and that trust was established, and now we’re sharing pictures of our grandkids and talking about retirement. I also have customers who give my name out for a referral, customers who place an order once a year, maybe twice a year, and customers that order from me monthly. But I don’t create any of those opportunities singularly—my job is to identify them and capitalize on them.
My career has mostly been in corrugated, so I work with corrugated manufacturers. What comes to your doorstep from Amazon is packaged, and we’re a part of that business. The cost of packaging is not something that we take into account as a consumer on any scale, so I think that’s really interesting. I think there is more awareness of [the industry] post COVID. I think we all went through that awakening of being able to make a Christmas tree out of our boxes. And I think the [next] generation could have better situational awareness of this industry given how we all shop now.
ICPF: Have there been any mentors, specifically women, that have helped you professionally or personally over the course of your career?
LG: My first and foremost mentor would be the gentleman who hired me, his name was Mike Greene. He was a company principal at the time, and he did not treat me any differently because I was a woman. That set an expectation for me and gave me the confidence to be myself. And in the early 90’s, I called on a recycled paper mill that’s still in existence here in Dallas, and there was a woman in charge of sales who was larger than life. She had an outgoing personality; she was no nonsense. I learned from her professionalism with a backbone. So, I had very positive experiences early on in my career.
ICPF: Why do you think it is important for women to be elevated in the corrugated packaging industry and manufacturing fields at large?
LG: I think women have attention to detail and a genuine insight. And that’s true in any aspect of life, so it’s especially true in business. If you want to be successful as an organization, women’s voices should be valued. Women have strengths that men don’t have, so [as women], don’t underestimate your strengths.
ICPF: I love that. Do you feel like you were able to enter your career with confidence in your skill set as a woman in this industry or did that develop over time?
LG: Well, again, I’ll harken back to the reason I was hired, which was my training at American Airlines and the problem solving and people skills I had. I had a voice and that gave me the confidence to make decisions, as well informed as they could be. I learned not to be afraid to be wrong and learn from it. Things go wrong all the time, and my mantra is what can we learn from this and what are we going to do differently next time? If you’re right, you’re right. If you’re wrong, recognize why, learn from it, and move on.
ICPF: What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?
LG: Solving problems for my customers and my mill partners. I add value to a transaction by solving those problems and then equipping my team. I’m also a mentor to my team and they are all men in their 30’s and 40’s. I can help them, whether it’s with sourcing, business decisions, or how to evaluate taking an informed risk.
ICPF: Can you speak to what you have enjoyed most about moving into a mentor role over the course of your career?
LG: I have enjoyed it very much to watch [my team] be successful. Because that’s the legacy I’ll leave when I’m gone. I would like to have another chapter post paper [and packaging], but I will take a lot of these friendships with me on that journey.
ICPF: What piece of advice would you give to current job seekers?
LG: I would say learn as much as you can. Use all the resources that are available to you. My personal strengths are my product knowledge, my industry knowledge, and my relationships. I never stop learning every time I visit a paper mill. Every time I visit a manufacturer of any kind, I still learn something new. Every machine is different, every trim is different. There are nuances to both paper mills and customers, and when you know what those are, you can turn that into an opportunity.
To association members, when I say use your resources, I encourage you to find out what resources are available to you. Now, there are even podcasts about packaging. Join groups, read publications, attend industry meetings, invest in yourself. All of those resources are available, so make the time to plug into those.
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If young professionals or job seekers are interested in speaking with Laurie about her career journey, sales experience, or involvement in the corrugated packaging, contact her at [email protected] or 817-267-8901. ICPF would like to thank Laurie for her time spent speaking with us to help elevate women working across the corrugated packaging industry, and for her incredible contributions over the past 30 years. Thank you for joining us as we celebrated #WomenInCorrugated this past month!