An owner of plastic produce bag maker Emerald Packaging Inc. is retiring after 41 years at the family-owned business.
James M. "Jim" Kelly will remain an owner but is stepping down as executive vice president of the Union City, Calif.-based firm.
"It has been a wonderful ride," Kelly said in a statement. "It has been fun to grow this company with my family, including our father, my brother Kevin, and our sister Maura. It's almost inconceivable how large we've grown, so far beyond what I imagined possible," Kelly said in a statement announcing his retirement.
Kelly started at Emerald in 1983 after working for consumer goods company Procter & Gamble as part of that company's management program.
Emerald, at the time, was operating out of a 30,000-square-foot building in Berkeley, Calif., and had sales of $13 million annually. Emerald now runs out of 175,000 square feet in Union City, Calif., and sales are $90 million a year. It is No. 78 in Plastics News' ranking of North American film and sheet makers.
"Jim played an integral role in the history of our business," CEO Kevin Kelly said in a statement. "He was there at the inception of the fresh-cut produce sector, which became our largest market. He knew how to sell, how to form close relationships with people, which helped Emerald get in front of decision makers and outcompete companies many times bigger than us."
Jim Kelly is the oldest son of James P. Kelly, who founded Emerald in 1963, and spent his summers growing up working for the company.
"As Neil Young said, 'comes a time.' I've hit an age where I'd like to pursue other parts of my life. I'll be watching though and cheering," he said.