International Women’s Day 2022
In honor of International Women’s Day, ITB Packaging would like to give a very big shoutout to the women who started it all, Julie Kortman and Mary McClain.
Back in 2011 Julie and Mary founded ITB Packaging LLC, along side with their husbands, Cal Kortman and Gene McClain. When Cal Kortman got an idea for a flexible, sustainable, cost effective, and innovative packaging solution, these women got to work!
In the beginning, both Mary and Julie spent long hours creating a strong foundation, at their dining room tables, for the company we know today as ITB Packaging LLC. Not only were these women starting a company in their own homes, they were both mothers of TEENAGERS! Between carting kids back and forth between school, sporting events, extracurricular activities, making dinner, upkeeping the house, and many, many more things, these women were also writing up business plans and perfecting the “In The Box” design, with paper, scissors, and a little Elmer’s glue.
During their years at ITB, Julie Kortman lead the company as CEO and Mary McClain took on the role of Manufacturing Coordinator, making ITB a women owned business. Although they both had these titles, these women were not afraid to get their hands dirty. From processing orders, making the product by hand, to delivering them to the end customers, these women did it all!
Today, in 2022 both women have step down from their roles in the company for some well deserved free time. And what might these superwomen be doing in their free time?
Julie enjoys long hikes (and when I say long, we are talking 20 miles long!!), working out at the local gym, reading, traveling, spending time with her family, and fixing up homes.
Mary enjoys long bike rides (100 mile bike rides… yes these women are very ambitus), photography, babysitting her 5 grandchildren, bread making, spending time with her family, traveling.
Not all superwomen wear capes, but some start businesses in their own kitchens.