Today we’d like to introduce you to Monty Patterson.
Monty, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I worked for large corporations for the first twenty-two years of my career. It was interesting work, and I gained a lot of valuable experience while working in the corporate world. Ultimately though, I wanted to be a part of an organization that placed its clients’ and associates’ long-term needs over the short-term desires of stockholders and analysts. I felt this strategy would create a happier, stronger, and much more successful team. When putting this leadership concept into action at Virtual Packaging we found that not only was this the case, but that the returns for stockholders were greater too.
We have been using this concept (happy associates = happy clients) for more than 13 years at Virtual Packaging. The concept has worked great for our organization. We have the most talented team in the industry! And we’re known throughout the US and other parts of the world as the world’s best at what we do.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The great recession hit us pretty hard. Most of our clients’ pay for our services with funds from their marketing budget. The marketing budgets of many companies is one of the first areas managers and executives look when trying to cut expenses. We started seeing sales declines for the first time ever in late 2007, 2008 and 2009. Sales losses in 2008 and 2009 were approximately nine percent.
We had just moved into a much larger facility in March of 2007, so when the recession hit shortly afterward we were faced with our largest challenge to date. That challenge was to come out of the recession fully prepared to make up for lost time. We did this by not laying off any team members. Instead, we spent time training and cross-training associates. It proved to be beneficial to both the team members and company. Sales were up 40% during our first year out of the recession and all team members received maximum bonuses.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Virtual Packaging – what should we know?
Virtual Packaging makes packaging prototypes for consumer goods companies. We can produce almost any kind of package you will find in a retail store. We use digital technology so we can produce an order for just one prototype package or for a few thousand prototype packages.
Our packages are indistinguishable from the packages in your cupboard. They are used in boardrooms, in brand management meetings, in television ads, in focus group testing, in presentations to retail buyers, as well as several other marketing areas.
Virtual Packaging is known for its short lead-times, high quality products, and outstanding customer service. We have many clients located a thousand or more miles away who will call in the middle of the afternoon wanting us to produce and ship prototype packaging for delivery on the client’s desk the following morning. And you know what? We get it done! Each and every day!!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I care. I care about our team members, their families, their challenges and really enjoy helping whenever I can. I care about what they think or feel. I want their input in the way we do things at Virtual Packaging. I care about our clients too. We will go to extremes to make sure their expectations are met. We may even over-do-it at times, but it has been very effective in helping us to retain clients.
Also, it’s extremely important to me that we offer our associates the best possible environment to work.
Contact Info:
- Address: Virtual Packaging
840 Mustang Dr.,
Grapevine, TX - Website: www.virtualpackaging.com
- Phone: 817-328-3900
- Email: Tara@virtualpackaging.com
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