The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) is honored to announce that Jeffrey Schwarz was posthumously inducted as the 29th member of the ICPF Circle of Distinguished Leaders. The induction ceremony took place on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, during AICC, The Independent Packaging Association’s Annual Fall Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. A dinner and reception honoring Jeff was held at Smith & Wollensky.
The program honors exceptional individuals — leaders whose vision, creativity and energy have moved the corrugated industry forward.
Jeff started in the industry working for his father’s (Jack Schwarz) company Trey Corrugated and then moved to startup company, Performance Corrugated. In 1998, Jack, Jeff, and Jeff’s brother John founded Schwarz Partners. What began as an independent sheet feeder grew to include partner companies in the packaging, paper, transportation and recycling industries. Jeff was instrumental in spearheading sheet feeder co-ops and forging relationships between corrugated industry companies. Following a yearlong battle with Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, Jeff passed away on November 26, 2023. Jeff’s induction marks the first time two members from the same family have been honored, with his father Jack having joined this prestigious group in 2011. Watch Jeff’s tribute video here.
Industry contributions on behalf of Jeff led to the most successful Circle of Distinguished Leaders nomination to date. The Corrugated Partners Group (CPG), a collaborative network of sheet feeders, donated $150,000 on behalf of Jeff for his posthumous induction. Contributions were received from the following CPG facilities: Alliance Sheets, Encorr Sheets, Flutes Hanna, Flutes Zionville, Heartland Sheets, Independence Corrugated, Keystone Sheets, NewCorr, New England Sheets, North Star, Pinnacle Corrugated, SPP Miami, Triumph Sheets, Star Corr, and StarCorr de Mexico.
In another sizable donation, Pacific Southwest Container contributed $50,000 to recognize Jeff’s legacy and long-standing impact on the corrugated packaging industry. ICPF would like to also thank the following companies/individuals who made donations in Jeff’s name to support ICPF programs and initiatives: AICC, American Box Company, Amtech Software, Atlas Container, Bay Cities, BHS Corrugated North America, Inc., Buckeye Corrugated, Inc., BW Papersystems, Central Package & Display, DanHil Containers, Domtar, Equipment Finance Corporation, Fibre Box Association, Fosber America, Great Northern Corporation, Green Bay Packaging, Jamestown Container Companies, Jim Johnson, Peggy Lacy, Liberty Diversified International, Litho Press, Bob and Debbie McIlvaine, Packaging Express, Jim and Pam Porter, Rick and Mary Van Horne III, Wasatch Container, Welch Packaging, and Wertheimer Box.
To learn more about the Circle of Distinguished Leaders program, past and future nominees from the corrugated packaging industry, and program donation opportunities, visit ICPF’s website here.