Connect with us, Learn from Industry Experts, Tour Cool Places, Visit Amazing Businesses, Eat Delicious Food and Network with the Twin  Cities Top Professionals.  We are the award winning Minnesota Chapter of The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) and we are dedicated to creating networking and educational opportunities that help packaging professionals succeed. We have a deep and rich history of honoring outstanding members and providing financial scholarships for top packaging students.

Company tours, expert packaging industry speakers, fun social events as well as an annual trade show, and an fall golf outing provide a wide range of opportunities for professionals to learn, network and have fun. We welcome all current and potential IoPP members and students to attend our events, tours and programs. Check us out and join the fun!

IoPP is a national non-profit organization based out of Chicago, IL and offers a variety of membership levels with a variety of benefits including national directory listing and recognition.

Overview of the National IoPP Organization

IoPP National is based in Naperville, IL and has nearly 5,000 members in the U.S. which includes 8 regions with 35 chapters.  The MN chapter is in the North Central Region along with the Wisconsin chapter, Fox Valley chapter (NE WI) and the Chicago chapter.

With over 250 members, the MN chapter is considered a ‘Mega Chapter’ and we have won Chapter of the year several times.  Most recently in 2012, after which time the award was discontinued (because we were always winning it!).

Award for Outstanding Member

Pi Alpha Kappa is the highest honor a member can achieve for service to a Chapter or Committee. It recognizes outstanding active participation, service and longevity with the Chartered Unit. Candidates must be a current member of IoPP, and have been active participants in IoPP for a minimum of four years.

Generous Scholarships to Students

The Bearman – Henningsen Annual Achievement Award in Packaging Education has been presented annually to a packaging student from each of the four schools Herschal S. Bearman and Peter Henningsen Jr. supported. This award is in honor of Herschal and Peter’s dedication and conscientious efforts to create and develop the local packaging education programs.

IoPP MN Chapter History

We have a deep rich history in the packaging industry.  There were few organizations in the U.S. dedicated to packaging in the early years especially the ‘industrial’ side. The consumer packaging side was represented by the Packaging Institute (PI), incorporated in 1939, based in New York City, with few chapters.

It wasn’t unit 1952 that the first university in the world decided to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging – Michigan State College (now MSU).

In 1954 Peter Henningsen wrote a letter to The Society of Industrial Packaging and Material Handling Engineers (SIPMHE) in hopes of establishing a chapter in MN. (In the early 1960s, SIPMHE changed to NIPHLE, the National Institute of Packaging, Handling and Logistics Engineers. As the names imply, these organizations served primarily
industrial packaging. The name later made one more move, to SPHE, Society of Packaging and Handling Engineers.

A year later in March of 1955 Henningsen (Honeywell) organized the first meeting along with charter members Lindeberg (3M), Bearman (Allied Commodities), Hickman (Allied Commodities), Hoye (Honeywell), Swanholm (Onan) and Walsh (Industrial Crating).  Two months later in May the first formal chapter meeting was held at Jax
Café with Henningsen as President.

In 1961 the first packaging seminar was held.  “Packaging Horizons in the Space Age” at the Leamington hotel in Minneapolis.  99 people attended!

When Karl Wilson (founding member of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of PI in 1964) came to the Twin Cities, PI asked him to join in starting a Minnesota chapter. They connected five “orphan” PI members: John Carroll from Green Giant, Ross Easter from Pillsbury, Bob Esse from General Mills, John Snow from Champion Packaging, and Karl Willson from 3M. After a couple of meetings, they agreed that there was a need for a consumer packaging society in the area, but PI had little to offer.

The first upper Midwest packaging exposition was held in the Minneapolis auditorium in September of 1964.  (Have you heard of MidPak?)

In 1965, the year of the great tornadoes, the group met with Stout University to start packaging courses.

November 1971; the Midwest packaging Exposition continues.  Jack Stowe; General Chairman, Committee Chairman; E. Richgels, S. Hickman, M. Klempka, M. Musto, P. desens, J. Elder, E. Kuhlman, H. Bearman.  Keith Kellicut, MN Chapter’s hall of Fame award winner for his packaging development and testing at Forest Products laboratory, Madison WI.

In 1974 Minnesota Packaging Professionals came into existence (MPP). They lasted until 1983 under that name.  The Packaging Institute was absorbed into SPHE, and the new name Institute of Packaging Professionals, IoPP, was born.

About 1984, Minnesota Packaging Professionals merged into the Minnesota Chapter of IoPP, forming the present organization which you now know.

We welcome you to our next event!