January 31, 2024
Tags: Announcements
HOLLAND, Michigan, January 31, 2024 — Bradford Group Incorporated, a fifth-generation family business, announced its 100 year anniversary of incorporation this month, with plans for celebrations throughout 2024.
“We couldn’t be prouder or more excited to reach this milestone.” says Tom Bradford, President and CEO of Bradford Group Inc.
“Our legacy is steeped in traditions of listening to our customers and developing packaging solutions to help them meet their product protection and handling requirements. Sometimes it requires innovative solutions and other times it requires herculean efforts to meet challenging timeframes that help them succeed. That has kept us at the forefront of the industry for 100 years,” added Bradford.
The 100-year milestone is marked by the date which Bradford, then named, W.J. Bradford Paper Company, was granted incorporation status in 1924. Bradford actually operated by that name as a confectionery packaging company with roots dating back to 1897. Those roots include what Mr. Bradford says is the core focus that has led to their longevity: Serving the customer first.
Bradford explains, “Our team embraces that we are here to serve others. That is always our focus and comes through in our culture of Forward Thinking, Agile, Simple and Trustworthy or FAST as we call it. We are blessed with an amazing group of talented people that approaches work with an enthusiasm of helping each other while meeting the challenges of the day.”
This camaraderie of service has extended to multiple generations of Bradford employees and owners — an approach that continues on as Bradford begins its second century of operations.
“While we are proud to have made it to a fifth generation, we are most proud that multiple families over multiple generations have chosen to work and make a career at Bradford. That has carried on outside the U.S. as well, and we believe it speaks to the culture of empowerment, and the opportunities we are creating as the company continues to evolve,” added Bradford.
The company is planning some celebratory announcements and events in 2024 to reflect on the foundational efforts, growth, and success of the previous 100 years and to also set the tone and direction for what’s next
To that end, Mr. Bradford summarized the 100 year milestone, “We are thankful for those that came before us and laid the foundation for the Company we are entrusted with today. We’ve learned to embrace change and to adapt to the markets we serve. While we still manufacture partitions made out of a variety of paper materials, we’ve gone from a company that made packaging for candy to developing complex returnable systems using textiles, plastics, and steel, for OEM’s and their suppliers in multiple industries. I’m excited for what lies ahead and I know our team is ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges.”
More information about the legacy and history of Bradford can be found at https://bradfordcompany.com/about/
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