Our History
We came together to share best practices, and we stayed together to impact the world.
A gap in the industry led to 15 years of innovation
While trade associations have been around for hundreds of years, before PDA, there was no association or consortium developed to represent packaging distribution, and nothing else. Packaging distributors do not have a place to go to share best practices and help each other grow. While other industries were thriving through a joint effort, packaging distributors had no formal place to collaborate.
There is a knowledge and expertise that takes place in packaging that other distribution centers and facilities do not share. It is not just a simple logistics matter with product moving in and out; packaging is a complex system that makes or breaks many corporations. It involves a unique combination of design, equipment, technology, and understanding that does not exist elsewhere. It depends on a keen awareness of each client’s entire business flow and industry standard to create a vehicle to move products, safely and efficiently, without causing harm to people or the environment.
Other associations were too general, leaving packaging distributors without a feeling of alliance. They were ready to be part of an entity that allowed them to come together to exponentially expand their impact, giving them the opportunity to impact their local communities and share knowledge, expertise, experience, and innovation strategies. That is when our founder sat down with our original 6 distributors to establish a plan for PDA.
A timeline of growth
2006
George Strobel launched Packaging Distributors of America in 2006 with the original 6 distribution companies, with a total of 8 locations, an aggregate revenue of 145 million, and 8 suppliers.
2009
In 2009, while the rest of the US was continuing to battle a great recession, PDA continued to grow, with a total of 16 distributors and 25 suppliers.
2011
With 23 members and 36 suppliers, 2011 taught us that our impact is boundless and we celebrated the combined success of the entire PDA community.
2012
As a company that sees the value of innovation, we launched a new logo, and a new website, in 2012.
2016
2016 marked our 10 year anniversary as Packaging Distributors of America. We reached a combined revenue of 1.75 billion and inspired progress with a complete rebranding initiative that focuses on our emphasis on community.
2018
We completed the Every Box Has a Story video campaign which is a video series that brings the packaging box to life through meaningful stories. We also celebrated our Telly Award for the video series, which we were awarded in the category of Branded Content for a Promotional Campaign.
2019
A record breaking year for PDA expansion, we opened 24 new logistics centers in 2019
