Tom Dunn
Thomas J. (Tom) Dunn
Professional Member
Atlanta, Georgia
Approaching his 20th year of membership in TAPPI, Thomas J. (Tom) Dunn looks back on the relationship as one of mutual benefit and value, naming in particular the advent of electronic access to TAPPI’s wealth of technical documentation as “the best thing to ever happen to the industry!”
A graduate of Yale College in New Haven, CT, he obtained an A.B. in combined Biology and Chemistry, and then an M.F.S. from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies before devoting himself to a successful career in flexible packaging. For 30 years he served in a variety of product development roles at Printpack Inc., an Atlanta-based major converter of flexible and specialty rigid packaging, helping teams develop and apply a variety of packaging materials and formats for consumer products. Prior to that he served as Technical Director for the Flexible Packaging Association. Currently, he serves as Managing Director of Flexpacknology, LLC, a scientific-consultancy firm he founded for flexible packaging producers and users that is committed to fact-based decision making in the pursuit of business excellence. He is also a member of the TAPPI Consulting Council (TCC) where he provides assistance in areas including compliance with international food safety law, intellectual property management and environmental issue management.
A multi-published author and conference presenter, Tom’s eclectic works have run the gamut from “Use of Differential Scanning Calorimetry in Developing and Applying Films for Flexible Packaging” to “Snack Foods Processing: Product Protection and Packaging Materials.” His articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Technomic, Rad Tech Report and the American Society for Testing and Materials: Special Technical Publication. Last year, his contribution on “Non-Foil High Barrier Laminations,” an article which focused on eliminating foil from the packaging materials used in military rations, was voted Best Paper at the Society of Plastics Engineers FlexPackCon. The 2002 winner of the Polymers, Laminates, Adhesives, Coatings and Extrusions (PLACE) Division’s Samuel Zweig Technical Award, Tom was recognized for his outstanding accomplishments and contributions which have advanced the industry's technology.
In discussing his 20 years as a TAPPI member, Tom is also quick to recognize the access he has had over the years to the industry’s leading professionals – something which may not otherwise have been available to him. “Packaging development demands knowledge about many disciplines … [and] TAPPI conferences, contacts and publications contributed to my knowledge in all these areas.” It was that access and the teamwork approach so prevalent at TAPPI which Tom says provides him – and indeed all members – with much more than might have been accomplished on his own.
Q. Why Did You Decide To Join TAPPI?
The trade association for the flexible packaging industry made a deliberate decision to give up any technical activities not related to regulatory compliance. It was then I recognized that TAPPI provides access to both technical information and the experts who have that information in ways that helped me do my job better.
Q. Please describe your involvement with TAPPI over the years.
I served as Technical Program Chair for what is now the PLACE Division and also Chair of the Flexible Packaging Committee for the Division. I am a frequent speaker and panel participant at Division Conferences and was the 2002 Winner of the Division Samuel Zweig Prize for technical contribution. I am currently a member of the TAPPI Consulting Council (TCC).
Q. How has TAPPI helped you in your career pursuits?
Packaging development demands knowledge about many disciplines…plastics, paper, foil, food science, retail marketing and distribution, etc. The relatively small size of most of the companies in the flexible packaging business means that their associates simply do not know what it is about these disciplines that they have yet to learn! TAPPI conferences, contacts and publications have contributed to my knowledge in all of these areas. Digital access to this wealth of information at TAPPI.org is the best thing ever to happen to the industry!
Q. Tell us about some of your interests outside of TAPPI and your professional life.
My wife and I are active volunteers in our local church and school activities where we look forward to the annual Habitat for Humanity “builds.” We also volunteer to socialize puppies during their first year, giving them basic obedience and behavior skills and then turn them over to advanced dog trainers who prepare them to be service dogs for the disabled. We took back one of our puppies who didn’t make the grade at the advanced level, and now visit with him at a local hospital.
Q. Can you share a unique or fun fact about yourself?
My 17-year-old son Mark accompanied me to the Boston PLACE Division Conference as he visited colleges and I received the Zweig Prize. TAPPI Fellow and former Board Member, David Bentley, challenged Mark to write a description of me that would accompany the TAPPI news release about the award. Mark rose to Bentley’s appeal with a wonderful description about a father who worked hard but put family before career. It’s a gift from TAPPI and Mark that I will always cherish.
Additionally, as I told the last PLACE Conference audience, in 1989 I almost died from heat stroke while running a weekend 10K race in Atlanta. I had a six month recovery from kidney failure, a stroke, heart infection and temporary paralysis. My wife was by my side all the way, but kept reminding me about what causes heat stroke: “It’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity!”
Q. Closing sentiments?
For twenty years at Printpack, I kept a copy of the children’s book, Stone Soup, at my desk. It’s a story (remembered from The Captain Kangaroo Show of my childhood) about a band of hungry soldiers —from some forgotten war — who convince a poor, fearful and skeptical village that they can make a hearty soup out of stones. After placing a few stones in a large pot with some water, the soldiers use guile, suggestion and gentle persuasion to convince the villagers to incrementally bring out their vegetables, potatoes and meat to “make the stone soup taste just a little bit better.” In the end, villagers and soldiers alike share their collective accomplishment in a satisfying meal, leaving the stones forgotten at the bottom of the pot!
For me, the story is a persuasive allegory about the power of teamwork and sharing that an organization like TAPPI provides to leaders and participants alike. With only a need and good intentions to start with, an elegant finished product results from the contributions, bit by bit, of individuals and companies who want more than they have alone.