PCA announces planned management changes

Packaging Corp. of America (PCA), a Lake Forest, Illinois-based paper and packaging company, has announced several planned management changes.

Kent A. Pflederer will become PCA’s executive vice president and chief financial officer May 1, replacing Robert P. Mundy upon his retirement next month.

Pflederer has been PCA’s general counsel since joining the company in 2007.

“Bob has been instrumental to PCA’s growth and success over the last ten years,” PCA Chairman and CEO Mark W. Kowlzan says of Mundy’s retirement. “As a 45-year industry veteran, he brought considerable operational and strategic expertise to complement his leadership of our finance function. I am very pleased that he will remain with PCA to assist in the transition of the CFO role to Kent.

“Kent has been a member of our senior leadership team for 18 years as a trusted advisor to our board of directors and me and has significantly contributed to the development and implementation of PCA’s strategy. He has a strong accounting and finance background and is very familiar with our finance function.”

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Thomas A. Hassfurther, current executive vice president of corrugated products at PCA, will become president and report to Kowlzan. He will oversee the company’s strategic growth efforts along with leading the corrugated products business, a role he’s held since 2009.

Hassfurther has been with PCA since 1977.

“Tom has had a remarkable 45-plus-year career with PCA,” Kowlzan says. “He joined in 1977 and was quickly promoted to senior-level roles of increasing responsibility. … During his tenure, he has been the key driver of our profitable revenue growth strategy.

“As president, Tom will be involved in all strategic decisions of the company. He will continue to be fully engaged in the leadership of the corrugated products business as well. In addition, Tom will now lead the next phase of our growth strategy. He will be responsible for allocation of capital to drive our business in support of our customers and continue to lead acquisition opportunities.”

Finally, D. Ray Shirley, senior vice president of corporate engineering and process technology, has been named executive vice president of corrugated products. He will report to Hassfurther and assume day-to-day management of PCA’s corrugated products business.

Shirley has been in his current role since 2019 and joined PCA in 1996, serving in various business and operational roles across the company’s containerboard and corrugated products system. He will continue to oversee all aspects of PCA’s engineering and technology organization.

“Ray has had a successful career at PCA, first on the mill side of the business and, for the last seven years, executing capital projects for our box plants,” Kowlzan says. “His contributions have led to best-in-class production capabilities for our customers.

“Ray’s accomplishments and business acumen have earned him a great deal of respect across our organization, and he is perfectly aligned to manage the corrugated products business.”

PCA operates eight paper mills and 86 corrugated products plants and related facilities.