A Q&A With the Women Making Plastipak a Better Place

Februray 2023

At Plastipak, we’re proud to celebrate the amazing women on our team, who work diligently to make our company better. We recently sat down with some of these hard-working women to find out what drives them.

Sandy Kubisak, Yorge Rider, Larissa Takaki Benatti and Ana Paula Guilherme are all leaders at Plastipak who bring their best to work each day, face whatever challenges their work has for them and impact the team around them by being an excellent example. We’re proud to highlight these four associates and share the lessons they’ve learned.

Sandy Kubisak

How long have you been at Plastipak, and what is your current role?

I’m a senior procurement manager at Plastipak and have been working here for over 15 years now. A typical day for me includes interacting with my team to make sure that we’re supporting the plants and keeping them running smoothly from a raw materials standpoint as well as working on contracts with suppliers with the support of our legal team. I also maintain policies and procedures from a global procurement perspective.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished over the last 15 years. I know that I’ve worked hard to achieve the position that I’m in. I know that I’m in a position to help support our facilities the way that they really need to be in order to be successful. That makes me very proud.

What drives you?

One of my favorite quotes is “a manager does things right, and a leader does the right thing.” The reason that this quote is important to me is that as you grow within a management role, you help to drive culture and make a change. This quote helps put things into perspective for me.

Sandy Kubisak
Senior Procurement Manager

What would you tell other women looking to join the packaging industry?

There’s a lot of opportunity here to develop and grow personally and professionally. It’s really interesting, and it’s a fun place to work. Our culture is changing; it’s always evolving to be more inclusive, accommodating and flexible in allowing women—and men—to have that balance we all seek in our work lives.

Take initiative. Openly communicate with your management. When things are tough and you need support, we’re here for you. We want to work together, to collaborate to make sure that we’re all successful together.

What do you find most rewarding about working at Plastipak?

It’s challenging for me. I feel I’m in a position where I can really make a difference.

I feel like I have a sense of autonomy to make decisions on a regular basis and to help move things forward. When I run into roadblocks, I have management support, so the culture is there to allow us to develop and grow our skills.

Yorge Rider

What is your current role at Plastipak, and what does a typical day look like for you?

I am the accounting manager here at Plastipak Atlanta. I start every day by saying “Good morning!” to the whole team. Everybody says I bring good energy here.

Our operations meeting starts every morning at 8 a.m. We cover safety, quality and human resources issues. I bring my expertise in finance to the operations meeting, and I direct my daily objectives based on what we covered in the meeting.

What drives you?

I feel like I was created to make a difference and help people out by giving back. Here at the site, we do a lot of things with local schools and law enforcement. Plastipak’s values tie in with mine as far as giving back and community involvement.

Yorge Rider
Accounting Manager

What would you tell other women looking to join the packaging industry?

It’s a great industry to be in. I enjoy having the ability to be hands-on. There’s so much good happening at Plastipak. I am inspired by the science behind everything we do and our commitment to recycling. It’s truly a great place to be, especially for women.

It’s an industry that, during COVID where a lot of companies didn’t survive, we thrived in that period because we are an essential business. No matter what, people are going to need water. People are going to need cleaning products. People are going to need to put food on the table, and a lot of those items we package. So no matter what the world is going through, we still survive and thrive.

What do you find most rewarding about working at Plastipak?

I love to be challenged. I love to grow and evolve and realize my fullest potential.

And I love the variety working here gives me. There is something new every day. Even though the challenging aspects can be uncomfortable at times, I feel so fulfilled once I learn, accomplish a goal or move to the next step.

Larissa Takaki Benatti

How long have you been at Plastipak, and what is your current role?

I’ve been with Plastipak for seven and a half years. Right now, I’m a procurement and logistics senior manager.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I think that if I hadn’t gone through all the challenges I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. All the lessons I’ve learned and all the situations I’ve lived through have played a big role in where I stand today.

What drives you?

What motivates me most of all to continue doing what I do is the people. I like to work with people. I like to interact with them because I know that every day I have the opportunity to learn a little more and share a little of what I know.

What would you tell other women looking to join the packaging industry?

I like this family environment that we have. People care a lot about each other, and they cheer for one another. It makes our days brighter. We are focused on day-to-day work, but we are also focused on creating a welcoming environment.

Larissa Takaki Benatti
Procurement & Logistics Senior Manager

Ana Paula Guilherme

How long have you been at Plastipak, and what is your current role?

I am a legal manager, and I have been working at Plastipak for 15 years. A consulting opportunity arose at Plastipak, which was just setting up a factory in Recife, and what was supposed to be a temporary position turned into an invitation to work for the company.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

At the time I was offered the position I had already enrolled in law school, and I wanted to get a law degree to pursue a career in the tax area.  Shorty after, I got the opportunity to travel to the United States, and at this time I had already graduated law school. So, I spent three months in the United States, which was an amazing experience. I made the transition from taxes to legal.

I am very proud of graduating law schooland giving myself the opportunity to have a second career. Having the courage to do a second higher education course with all the pain of going back to university already over 30 years old.

Ana Paula Guilherme
Legal Manager

What drives you?

A challenge motivates and drives me, and I really like learning new things, while doing my best and seeing my commitment in the end result.

What would you tell other women looking to join the packaging industry?

My advice to women wanting to join Plastipak, or any other career on the market is always believe in yourself, giving it your best, and just having a sense of ownership. Everyday I approach my job as I’m doing it for me and making sure I’m putting my best self forward.

What do you find most rewarding about working at Plastipak?

We are not just numbers; we are people. And this is how Plastipak treats its employees. That’s why I’ve been at Plastipak for 15 years, so believe in your dreams, and work to make them come true. Dreaming small or dreaming big takes the same work, so I think we can dream big, and stay focused because you are here in this world to be happy.

Looking to Challenge Yourself?

At Plastipak, we offer the chance to grow and challenge yourself through your work. We’re always looking for hard workers who want to invest in the team around them. If you’re interested in working for us, visit our careers page to view our open positions.

Plastipak Packaging, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plastipak Holdings, Inc., is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-quality, rigid plastic containers for the food, beverage, and consumer products industries. Plastipak  is also a leading innovator in the packaging industry, having been awarded over 500 United States patents for its state-of-the-art package designs and manufacturing processes. Plastipak operates more than 40 sites in the United States, South America and Europe, with a total of over 6,500 employees. Its customers include some of the world’s most respected and recognized consumer brands. Plastipak is also a leading innovator in the packaging industry, holding more than 420 United States patents for its state-of-the-art package designs and manufacturing processes. In addition, Plastipak licenses various packaging technologies around the world.  Plastipak was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan. Additional information about Plastipak can be found at its website www.plastipak.com 

Statements in this press release concerning Plastipak’s intentions, expectations or predictions about future results or events are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements reflect management’s current expectations or beliefs, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to vary from stated expectations, which variations could be material and adverse.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the time made, and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any such statements.