A winning employer focused on the ‘Radius Way'

Delavan, Wis. — The fun, friendly culture is obvious at Radius Packaging. It's a company where members of the leadership team say they look forward to going to work every day — even Monday mornings.

But the culture isn't limited to management. At Radius, workers are known as "members," and the company is serious about member engagement, recognition, career development and benefits.

Radius CEO Tom Frank said that spills over into all aspects of the business.

"We really focus on the team, the family environment that we have within the organization, and then how that is an extension to our customers and our community and our business partners that we work with every day," Frank said.

Chris Haag, the company's director of supply chain, added that the environment is what makes the company special. He's one of the longest tenured managers at the company.

"We have a great group of managers here on our team. We're a growing company. Twenty-six years ago, I wouldn't see us where we are today. It's a lot of fun and a fun group. We work hard and play hard," Haag said.

That culture is a big reason why Radius Packaging is a finalist for Plastics News' 2023 Processor of the Year and why it won the PN Excellence Award for Employee Relations.

The company's guiding principles, which it calls the Radius Way, line up well with PN's Processor of the Year criteria. The Radius Way includes champion positive change, act with integrity, strive for excellence, emphasize community and work together.

Lisa Esser, who joined Radius three years ago as director of quality and environment, health and safety, emphasized the importance that the company puts on its values.

"We fire and we hire by the Radius Way. It's not just a poster on the wall. It's not just some type of propaganda. It's literally, 'Do you fit our values? Do you fit our culture?'

"It's not so much about your technical skills. It's about who you are as a person and whether you're going to mesh with the team. And we've really stuck to that. And I think that's hard for some people to understand."

As a newer employee, Esser realizes that makes Radius a special place.

"I love the people that I work with. That was my No. 1 fear and concern about leaving my last job. I was there for over 20 years. So you grow up with these people, you know their families and their children and their grandparents. and you know every detail about them. And I remember being tearful thinking, 'I'm never going to have that connection again with another team.' And I have that connection here," Esser said.

"And I can't believe how quickly it happened. Within like two weeks, I felt like me. I feel like I've known these people forever. You get that feeling of trust," she said.

Radius, a blow molder and injection molder of rigid packaging, is based in New Berlin, Wis., and it opened a second plant in Delavan in 2019.

"About three years ago, we brought in about $11 million worth of equipment, and we put a lot of effort into getting the Delavan facility up and running, putting in systems, which really has set us up for future success," Frank said.

"This year, we're going to be making another really big investment in capital equipment and infrastructure in Delavan, and then basically revitalizing the New Berlin location," Frank said.

The company was founded in 1972 by Robert Schoeneck and was known as Schoeneck Containers Inc. The company is no longer family-owned; it was purchased by Milwaukee-based Mason Wells in 2020 and rebranded as Radius Packaging in 2022.

But Frank said it retains its family culture.

"I think we're really passionate about what we do," Frank said, adding that managers are "geeks" about culture, sustainability and being a good corporate citizen.

"They want to make the world a better place, make our industry a better place, guide people to just be all-around good human beings. I think that's a big push within our organization," Frank said.

New in 2023, the company created a "Rad" company culture handbook that highlights its story and values. Radius uses it as a recruiting tool.

Radius sponsors several programs that recognize member accomplishments and personal and professional milestones. That includes the Golden Ticket program, which recognizes members who go above and beyond to help the team be successful. Each Golden Ticket recipient receives a $100 bill.

The company also has a Rockstar Recognition program, a peer-to-peer honor that shines a light on extraordinary teammates. A winning member is selected by a committee and receives a $75 gift card.

Radius encourages member engagement to create a sense of community. Examples include a wellness committee and fun activities like an annual corn roast, pumpkin picking, holiday luncheons, competitions and off-site activities.

Radius also has training programs to encourage members to learn new skills and to pave a path to new career opportunities.

Radius also offers a full suite of health and wellness benefits, 401(k) plans, and company-paid life insurance and disability coverage.

While employee relations is one strength, Radius has others as well. The company was a repeat Processor of the Year finalist for 2023, and last year it won the 2022 PN Excellence Award for Industry and Public Service.

Radius has long-standing partnerships with local schools and organizations. It offers summer internships and apprenticeships for maintenance and mechatronics technicians.

Radius also sponsors high school sports teams, food drives and a wide variety of local charities. In 2023, the company raised $3,000 during its annual Safety Day events for the Lakeland Animal Shelter, a no-kill humane society and animal rescue serving Southeastern Wisconsin. Money was raised from members who volunteered to be dunked in a dunk tank.

Sustainability has also been a strong emphasis. Schoeneck Containers historically was well known as a PVC container blow molder. But the push for sustainability means Radius now molds PET, polypropylene and high density polyethylene containers.

Many customers use post-consumer content, and the company is looking at bio-based and chemically recycled feedstocks, too.

"As a packaging company, we're trying to figure out how do we have a zero landfill facility? How do we bring more recycled content into product and make sure the materials that we're using are 100 percent recyclable?" Frank said.

"We want our customers to come to us and rely on us for updates on where sustainability is going," Haag said.

Chief Financial Officer Angela Breitbach said 2023 was "a very good year for us."

"It was a learning year. It was a growth year for us, and it was our most profitable year we've ever had as a company.

"We have big growth plans," Breitbach said. "So we're very, very excited for what the next five years look like."