Legacy Meets Innovation: Ben Urquhart on Two Centuries of Packaging Evolution

From woodenware to high-speed digital printing — few companies have balanced legacy and innovation like New Packaging & Display. In this episode, President Ben Urquhart joins hosts Ken Theriot and Randy Kessler to unpack nearly 200 years of evolution in corrugated packaging.Ben shares how his seventh-generation family business continues to thrive in a changing market from navigating tariffs and technology to building sustainable operations that stand the test of time.If you’re passionate about packaging, manufacturing, or how legacy brands stay modern, this episode is for you.⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Intro: From Woodenware to Packaging Innovation 01:15 – Meet Ben Urquhart, President of New Packaging & Display 02:00 – Rebranding a Legacy Company for a Modern Market 04:00 – Early Career & Path Back to the Family Business 06:00 – Nearly 200 Years of History in Corrugated Packaging 09:00 – The Impact of Tariffs on U.S. Manufacturing 12:00 – Shifting Demand, Offshoring, and Domestic Opportunity 14:10 – Inside the Facility: Scale, Operations & Materials 15:45 – Sustainability as a Core Value and Certification Standards 18:10 – Customer-Driven Innovation and Regional Market Differences 20:00 – How E-Commerce Changed Packaging Design 23:00 – Real-World Example: Fast Turnaround and Two-Sided Print 25:00 – On Marketing and Brand Stewardship vs. Ownership 28:00 – Lessons from COVID: Resilience and Gratitude 32:00 – Investing in People and Machinery 36:00 – How New Packaging Decides on New Equipment 39:00 – The Role of Trade Shows and Vendor Relationships 44:00 – Workforce Development and Internal Advancement 48:00 – The Challenge of Retaining Skilled Workers 50:00 – Industry Consolidation: Independents vs. Integrators 53:00 – Associations and the Power of Learning (AICC) 54:30 – Excitement About EFI’s Single-Pass Digital Printing 56:00 – Favorite Brands and Lessons from History 58:45 – Dramatic Reading of a 19th-Century Accounting Letter 1:02:00 – Closing Thoughts on Leadership and Legacy🎧 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 📦 About Unpacking the BrandJoin hosts Ken Theriot (TheRiot Agency) and Randy Kessler (Labels & Labeling) as they dive into the intersection of business, branding, and innovation. Discover how leading brands adapt, evolve, and thrive in today’s fast-moving world of marketing, packaging, and design.Subscribe to stay ahead of what’s next in business storytelling, print technology, and sustainable branding.#UnpackingTheBrand #Packaging #Manufacturing #Leadership #Innovation #FamilyBusiness #DigitalPrinting #Sustainability