2023
HOLLAND, Michigan, August 23, 2023 — Bradford Group Incorporated announced the asset acquisition of Findlay, Ohio-based Partitions Plus LLC, one of the Midwest’s largest corrugated partition manufacturers.
The acquisition of the 80,000 square foot production facility accelerates Bradford’s continued growth in the corrugated partition market. The official announcement was made on Monday, February 13, 2023 in Holland, MI.
“We are excited to build on the positive customer relationships that have been formed by the Partitions Plus team and look forward to working with the many talented people there,” said Bill Baumgartner, Senior Vice President at Bradford.
Ben Riblet, a co-founder of Partitions Plus, is the General Manager of the new enterprise.
“We’ve experienced a great deal of growth over the last several years in the demand for innovative, high-quality partitions products. Bringing Partitions Plus into the Bradford family of companies helps us meet that demand,” adds Baumgartner.
The acquisition positions Partitions Plus as the ninth packaging manufacturing operation of Bradford Company, a fifth-generation family-owned business with locations in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
About Bradford
The W.J. Bradford Paper Company was founded in 1897 and incorporated in 1924. Today, Bradford is North America’s largest manufacturer of industrial chipboard (paperboard) partitions and custom engineered reusable/returnable interior protective packaging. More information about Bradford is available at bradfordcompany.com
About Partitions Plus
Partitions Plus (P+) was founded in 2011, with a core focus on paper corrugated partitions. Today, P+ is known to service their Midwestern customer base with a wide variety of partition products. More information about Partitions Plus is available at https://partitions.plus
HOLLAND, Michigan, June 28, 2023 — 2023 marks the 25th year of operations for Bradford de Mexico (BdM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bradford Group Inc. The organization celebrated the occasion recently with teams from both BdM and the United States meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, for a day of much-deserved celebration.
Tom Bradford, President and CEO of Bradford Group Inc., was on hand for the festivities.
“We’re so thankful to our customers and employees at BdM and in the United States for hitting the ground running 25 years ago and continuing to grow and expand our capabilities here in Mexico,” he said.
“Twenty-five years have flown by since BdM began operating — but that flight hasn’t been on ‘auto-pilot.’ It’s been the hard work and dedication of each BdM team member that has navigated us to this point and resulted in the ability to celebrate how far we’ve come,” Bradford added. .
Established in 1997, BdM provides custom returnable / reusable packaging, Work In Process, and one-way shipping solutions for automakers and their suppliers. BdM’s range of products includes steel racks, molded plastic containers of all sizes, custom fabricated totes, textiles and custom sewing solutions, and paper-based boxes and partitions using a wide variety of internal packaging materials. Along with manufacturing services, BdM offers an impressive Design Center and a certified package testing laboratory.
Amidst the dancing, food, and fun, there was plenty of excitement to go around — not only for celebrating the accomplishments of the past 25 years, but also continued energy around the innovation and growth of BdM.
Bradford adds, “BdM continues to build on the strength and capabilities accrued over the last quarter-century. That really boils down to making sure we stay vigilant on responding to the needs of our customers. We spend a lot of time working to understand where our customers are going, what their needs will be. That fuels our innovation and expansion strategy. BdM continues to be an integral part of that drive to continue meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations.”
About Bradford
Bradford Company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Holland, MI. Bradford Group Inc. operates nine manufacturing plants across North America that provide custom engineered reusable/returnable protective packaging and industrial chipboard (paperboard) partition solutions. More information about Bradford is available at: bradfordcompany.com
HOLLAND, Michigan, June 7, 2023 — Bradford Company has been honored with the 2023 Employer Support Freedom Award, presented by the EMPLOYER SUPPORT of the GUARD and RESERVE (ESGR), an organization that is under the direction of the Department of Defense.
This is the highest level award given by the federal government to employers who are exceptionally supportive of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
Bradford was one of 55 nominated companies reviewed by the ESGR and received its nomination from Nick Obradovich, a sergeant in the Army Reserve and an employee at Bradford.
“I nominated Bradford because I really felt supported by the leadership and employees I worked with. That doesn’t always happen to service members,” said Obradovich. “I feel very appreciated and encouraged to take the time I need to serve, without concerns of adverse consequences on my employment status,” added Obradovich.
Supporting employees with military status is something of a core tenet for Bradford Company. “Taking care of our employees who serve our nation is really important to us at Bradford. This is our way to give back, recognize and do what we can to assist those who sacrifice so much to allow us the freedom to do what we do each and every day,” said President and CEO of Bradford Group Inc., Tom Bradford.
Obradovich also added that the reason Bradford went beyond a nomination and actually won the award, was because of how the company moves past the “bare minimum” of employee support and enthusiastically embraces the devotion to serve. “They did more than just the basics of allowing me to serve in the Army Reserve. My supervisors were understanding and very flexible for all drills and deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom Spartan Shield to Qatar between 05/15/2022-02/15/2023. They’ve gone the extra mile to provide support for my family, compensation and benefits, and even went so far as to make sure quarterly bonuses were mailed to my house while deployed.”
Bradford received the award on May 13, 2023 and plans to display the award materials in their corporate headquarters in Holland, Michigan.
When asked if he was surprised at the level of support he received, Obradovich replied, “No. I was actually thanked many times for my service while going through the hiring process at Bradford. They knew of my involvement in the Army Reserve and still selected me for employment. I’m just very thankful they stayed true to those words of support with so many actions after hiring me.”
About Bradford
radford Company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Holland, MI. Bradford Group Inc. operates nine manufacturing plants across North America that provide custom engineered reusable/returnable protective packaging and industrial chipboard (paperboard) partition solutions. More information about Bradford is available at: bradfordcompany.com
About The Freedom Award
Since the Freedom Award was instituted in 1996, 325 employers have been honored with this prestigious award. The award is formally presented at the recipient’s location of choice by ESGR State Committee leadership. As part of the annual recognition, the President also signs a proclamation for “National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week,” highlighting the sacrifices of our Guard and Reserve members and their families, and the outstanding support they receive from employers. More information is available at: https://www.esgr.mil/Employer-Awards/SecDef-Employer-Support-Freedom-Award
