Women in Packaging, Inc. (WMPKG) packages the people, not the products. As a nonprofit, professional association dedicated to increasing the growth and professional development of packaging professionals, WMPKG meets the many needs of the industrys constituents.

WMPKG began in 1993 as the brainchild of founding executive director JoAnn R. Hines. The association was organized to serve the third largest industry in the United States. Hines had a vision, and it was to empower women to rise through the ranks of the packaging industry just as their male counterparts. As a veteran of the packaging industry who had worked in the trenches, Hines had seen it all and lived it all, too. She capitalized on an opportunity to aid the industrys progress by assisting its citizens: the employees of the packaging world. In an effort to promote and encourage the growth of women in packaging, the association launched a membership campaign to reach the masses. WMPKG was primarily created to provide a forum for networking and education for the development of women in the industry. The maturation of the association brought many new advances to the resources offered by WMPKG.

Today, the association reaches out to more than 20,000 industry professionals by promoting the success of women and men in the packaging industry through education, publications, Web site information and advocacy. The progression of the association has gone from a handful of interested professionals to membership upwards of 1,000. From a two-page newsletter to a cutting-edge magazine, Packaging Horizons Magazine. From a select number of programs to an interactive Web site with experts available to impart specific advice to specific issues. From a publication listing job opportunities to the industrys leading job board online. From an office in Atlanta to leading a trade mission for packaging professionals to China. The list continues to grow. What began as a vision has become an international, multifaceted resource for packaging and many other collateral industries.

We hold a pivotal role within the packaging industry. The association has made some real differences in increasing the visibility of women in the field. I am proud to say that Women in Packaging is identified by national business leaders as having made significant achievement. Membership includes women and men representing associations, consulting firms, publishers, distributors, end users, recruiters and suppliers working in packaging and related industries worldwide. Our niche has become quite large. The association has matured into a powerful and influential organization in the packaging industry. We are continuing to evolve, to change with business, to develop with our industry, remarks Hines.

To make her point, Hines reels off the list of new features WMPKG is instituting for its membership and the industry at large. The WMPKG speakers bureau boasts a database of nearly 250 qualified packaging professionals who will speak on the subject matter of your choice. The organizations Web site hosts an Ask the Experts forum and a developmental bookstore to enhance visitors learning. Packaging Horizons Magazine tackles tough issues like negotiating skills, Family Leave Act and work/life balance. Packaging Career Hotline attracts more Fortune 500 companies and small businesses than any other industry- specific job board available.

For more information, please visit www.womeninpackaging.org. If interested in the shipping industry job board, log-on to www.packagingcareerhotline.com.