People of Packaging Podcast www.packagingpastor.com

Specright and Packaging Info
Meyers Sustainable Packaging Guide eBook
Heathers’s LinkedIn
Spearhead Group Website
Sponsor information!
If you listened to the podcast and wanted to connect with Specright to rid the world of waste. Let’s go! www.specright.com/pkg. Prepare your company for the world of EPR laws and be the sustainability hero! Make sure you check them out and join them on their mission to have a world where people are free to make amazing things!
SupplyCaddy is welcomed on as the latest packaging podcast sponsor! SupplyCaddy is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of packaging and disposables for the foodservice industry. With headquarters in Miami, Florida, and manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, SupplyCaddy is able to provide high-quality, affordable products for restaurants, chains, and foodservice brands globally. For more information, visit SupplyCaddy.com.
As Co-Founder and CEO of The Spearhead Group, Inc, Heather is responsible for all operational, financial and marketing aspects the organization. Heather's career spans more than 20 years, and in that course has earned numerous distinctions working with some of the world’s best-known fortune 100 companies and brand. Heather's has not only helped to reimagine the physical aspects of countless products across multiple market sectors, but she also has made it her commitment to be a pioneer for women-owned businesses and leader in sustainability in packaging. Heather has worked to identify a network of trusted suppliers, experts, engineers, and other resource professionals that are able to design and deliver functional, production feasible, and cost-effective Physical Brand Enhancements for Spearhead's clients.


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.packagingisawesome.com/subscribe

Specright and Packaging Info
Meyers Sustainable Packaging Guide eBook
Paul’s LinkedIn
PackHub Website
Sponsor information!
If you listened to the podcast and wanted to connect with Specright to rid the world of waste. Let’s go! www.specright.com/pkg. Prepare your company for the world of EPR laws and be the sustainability hero! Make sure you check them out and join them on their mission to have a world where people are free to make amazing things!
SupplyCaddy is welcomed on as the latest packaging podcast sponsor! SupplyCaddy is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of packaging and disposables for the foodservice industry. With headquarters in Miami, Florida, and manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, SupplyCaddy is able to provide high-quality, affordable products for restaurants, chains, and foodservice brands globally. For more information, visit SupplyCaddy.com.
Deciphr.ai usually translates the notes for this, but it looks like it’s not working!


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.packagingisawesome.com/subscribe

Specright and Packaging Info
Meyers Sustainable Packaging Guide eBook
Mike’s LinkedIn
Sponsor information!
If you listened to the podcast and wanted to connect with Specright to rid the world of waste. Let’s go! www.specright.com/pkg. Prepare your company for the world of EPR laws and be the sustainability hero! Make sure you check them out and join them on their mission to have a world where people are free to make amazing things!
SupplyCaddy is welcomed on as the latest packaging podcast sponsor! SupplyCaddy is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of packaging and disposables for the foodservice industry. With headquarters in Miami, Florida, and manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, SupplyCaddy is able to provide high-quality, affordable products for restaurants, chains, and foodservice brands globally. For more information, visit SupplyCaddy.com.
Deciphr.ai Summary and notes:
Summary/Abstract
Adam is joined by Mike Crowe, located in northern New Jersey. Mike is a computer scientist by education and graduated from the University of Delaware. They discuss Mike's background and how it is important to the future of product and business innovation in the packaging industry. Mike explains how he was a computer science major and his education has helped him in his career. He also mentions how he likes to work in his sunroom in his backyard and how spring is arriving in his area. Adam and Mike then move on to discussing the topic at hand. Mike Crow is a former CIO of Colgate Palmolive and a current board member of Spec Right. He has a long career in software development, first in the defense industry and then in the healthcare industry. Crow was introduced to Spec Right by a mutual friend and has been on the board for a couple of months. He has had exposure to Spec Right for a few years, having conversations with Matthew Wright and Laura from the leadership team. Crow became aware of the importance of packaging specification data management solutions in his former role as CIO at Colgate, Palmolive, recognizing that companies of all sizes benefit from understanding their data and information. Retiring CIO of Colgate, John Jones, had been working in IT for 34 years, with the last 9 as CIO. At Colgate, he had a broad purview across the entire business, including specifications and master data. He was not the one who first brought Spec Right to the organization's attention, but he quickly got involved with it as he understood the importance that data played in the way packaging engineers, mechanical engineers, and formula developers did their craft. After retiring from Colgate, he decided to stay close to the industry and join the board at Spec Right. His decision to join the board was based on the fact that he wanted to help the company innovate to save money, speed up processes, and bring multiple benefits to the organization. John explains why he chose to accept the offer to join the board of Spec Right. He was quickly impressed by the leadership team and their vision to combine domain expertise in engineering and manufacturing with cutting edge technology. John was further impressed by the easy implementation of the software platform, feedback from users, and its ease of support. He was surprised to learn that customers were using the platform for product and formula development, as well as sustainability reporting. He has a conviction in the company and believes they have a bright future. John attended the Spec Summit in Nashville earlier in the year and was happy to see its success. John explains that getting on a board involves an offer and typically has general responsibilities, although specific roles may vary.
Timestamps
0:00:00
Conversation with Mike Crow: Exploring the Future of Product and Business Innovation
0:02:05
Conversation with Mike Crow: 34 Years in IT and 9 Years as CIO at Colgate Palm Olive
0:04:03
Conversation on Spec Right and Its Role in IT Innovation
0:06:14
Conversation with Reti

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.packagingisawesome.com

This is my first Dscoop event and it’s been amazing!
I got to give the talk on this recording (available to paid subscribers with a free preview for everyone
I got to see Magic Johnson talk! He dropped some crazy knowledge (sorry for the twitter typo!)
Loved reconnecting with Deb Corn, Esteban Garcia, Pete Petrie, Kelly Mallozzi, and met a ton of new frien…

Meyers Sustainable Packaging Guide eBook
Apurba’s LinkedIn
apurba@everestlabs.ai to connect directly
Sponsor information!
If you listened to the podcast and wanted to connect with Specright to rid the world of waste. Let’s go! www.specright.com/pkg. Prepare your company for the world of EPR laws and be the sustainability hero! Make sure you check them out and join them on their mission to have a world where people are free to make amazing things!
New sponsor coming next week!!!
Deciphr.ai summary.
Summary/Abstract
Apurba Pradhan, head of product and marketing at Everest Labs, joined the People of Packaging podcast from his garage in Oakland. The conversation began with basketball, as Apurba is a fan of Allen Iverson. They discussed how Iverson could play a role in recycling and if he could step over the Tehran Lou. Adam mentioned his experience at a chicken and waffle spot near Jason Kidd's high school. He recommended two restaurants for anyone visiting Oakland: Gus's Famous and Cowbird. Apurba expressed his excitement for the podcast and the conversation ended with a reminder to listen to Corey Cotters' sustainable Packaging podcast. The conversation begins with the speaker making up a joke about AI being used out in the world. The speaker then shares his journey, having been born in Nepal and then attending a boarding school in India before coming to the US to study engineering. He has worked in industries related to industrial and infrastructure for the past twenty years, and for the last six months has been working in recycling which he finds fascinating. He then talks about his experience in Nepal when he was wearing a takatopi hat, which he still has, and how it is a known fact that no one looks good in them. He then shares his experience of attending a boarding school in India for 10th grade onwards. Boarding schools are common in India and Nepal. The speaker is a Nepalese native who moved to the US and gained experience in the tech industry in Silicon Valley. He took a role at Everest Labs, a recycling company, and is focused on understanding the broader context of the industry and its impact on recycling, such as the packaging industry, the circular economy, and supply chain. He listens to understand what people need and tries to merge that with what the company builds. He has a good idea of the technology and solutions the company builds, but relies on the engineers for a deeper understanding. The speaker is a co-founder of Everest, a company that works to marry the capabilities of AI and robotics with what people are saying to help improve the efficiency of recycling. The company has been running for five years, with a product launched a year ago that has been gaining traction with Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Everest's solution helps MRFs automate the recovery process by utilizing AI and robotics. This allows them to quickly and precisely sort through commodity that is sold. The data gathered from the AI also assists in making decisions around equipment optimization and maintenance. The company is currently working with MRFs that have an interest in their technology to get the capabilities installed.
Timestamps
0:00:02
Interview with Apurba Pradhan, Head of Product and Marketing at Everest Labs
0:02:29
Conversation with Everest Labs CEO on Growing Up in Nepal and His Journey to Artificial Intelligence
0:06:24
Conversation with Everest Labs CEO on Tech Background and Education in Nepal
0:08:30
Heading: Marrying Technology and Recycling: How Everest is Helping Material Recovery Facilities Recover Better
0:12:18
Conversation Summary: Exploring the Value of Data in Recycling Facilities
0:15:28
"Exploring the Challenges of Automated Recycling Solutions"
0:19:35
Heading: Automating Murphs with AI and Robotics: A Discussion on Performance Guarantees and 24/7 Monitoring
0:24:13
Heading: Exploring the Growing Demand for High Quality Recyclables
0:26:08
Heading: Automation Solutions for Growing Demand: Apurva

I’m back from a lovely vacation in time to drop this insightful interview with Dan Peragine from Berry Plastics. I had Deciphr.ai break it all down below the sponsor information, but here are a few quick links from the show:
Berry 2022 Impact Report
Meyers Sustainable Packaging Guide eBook
Dan’s LinkedIn
Sponsor information!
If you listened to the podcast and wanted to connect with Specright to rid the world of waste. Let’s go! www.specright.com/pkg. Prepare your company for the world of EPR laws and be the sustainability hero! Make sure you check them out and join them on their mission to have a world where people are free to make amazing things!
Also…
If you need contract-to-hire support, or you are looking to hire directly for industry professionals…. Spark Packaging can help. Spark Packaging is the industry partner who provides all your recruitment and staffing needs.  
If you are hearing this…and thinking “THAT’S ME”…You need to go to to SparkPackagingINC.com/HIRING , again that is SparkPackagingINC.com/HIRING and answer some of their questions. Once received a Spark team-member will reach out A-S-A-P! Tell them the Packaging Pastor sent ya!
This podcast is part of a great network of podcasts about packaging. Go follow Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors along with Packaging Unbox’d hosted by Evelio Mattos.
If you want to be a guest on this podcast, or Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors OR Packaging Unbox’d with Evelio, go to www.encasemedia.com and fill out an application for one or all!

Summary/Abstract
Dan Peregene is a territory sales manager and sales onboarding and training specialist for Barry Global (formerly Barry Plastics). Dan was a radio host before this, and in this interview he discusses his journey from radio broadcasting to working in the packaging industry. Dan explains that he always wanted to be a baseball player, but after high school he realized it wouldn't be a possibility. He then decided to pursue communications and as a child he used to use karaoke machines and cassettes. Dan then reached out to the host of the interview, and the host was surprised to see a list of segments sent in. Dan explains that he still likes to call Barry Plastics by the old name, Barry Global. Overall, the interview is about how Dan got from radio broadcasting to the packaging industry. The speaker and the interviewer discussed their respective college experiences. The speaker had a major in radio broadcasting and ran a radio station called WRFC. The interviewer was a baseball fan and asked the speaker who his favorite player was growing up. The speaker revealed his favorite player was Mike Piazza of the New York Mets. The interviewer then shared his own sports background, mentioning he was a fan of the San Francisco Giants and their Blake Street Bombers in the late 80s and early 90s. The speaker concluded the conversation by wishing the interviewer luck with golf, which was now his favorite sport. The speaker talks about how he got his start in radio broadcasting. After graduating college, he was hired by AEP Industries for an inside sales position in their custom films division. He quickly realized he wanted to get into radio, and had some pending offers when he decided to work his way up. He learned a lot in the custom films division and was eventually able to make the transition to radio broadcasting. The conversation between the two individuals centered around the journey of one of them from graduating college in December 2002, to working the night shift at Walgreens, to then being in outside sales for AP from 2013 until mid-2016. It was then announced that Barry was going to be acquiring AEP, which was a distributor for AEP Machine and Hand stretch Filmed. This acquisition ended up bringing a lot of synergies together and was quite impressive with the amount of product lines available.
Timestamps
0:00:00
Interview with Dan Peregene: From Radio Host to Territory Sales Manager at