Looking Back and Looking Forward

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne. 

“Auld Lang Syne” has its roots in Scotland, from a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and based on a much older Scottish folk song. Singing the song on Hogmanay—New Year’s Eve in Scotland—quickly became tradition there and then spread to other parts of the British Isles. 

Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish people then carried the song worldwide as they emigrated away from their homelands. The song is essentially about acknowledging and maintaining friendships while reflecting on the past year as the new year begins. 

It has been a good year for the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) as our membership has continued to grow, and we have continued to raise our profile as the leading advocate and information source for the flexible packaging industry. 

I am thankful to FPA Board of Directors Chair Russell Grissett with TOPPAN Packaging Americas for his leadership to grow our membership, and to the entire FPA Board of Directors for their support to increase our state and federal advocacy efforts and public policy engagement. 

As we wrap up our 75th anniversary, this edition of FlexPack VOICE^® will continue to celebrate legacy and longtime FPA members. 

You’ll also learn more about the great things our members are doing on sustainability and hear from new FPA Board of Directors member Bob Gargione, president of Pregis Performance Flexibles, about his passion for our industry and where FPA fits into that. 

I hope you also appreciate the article from FPA Vice President of Communications Dani Diehlmann about our newly released U.S. flexible packaging industry economic impact report. This new FPA resource will be incredibly valuable to us on multiple fronts, including clearly showing elected officials that we are their constituents. 

For me, there is no better time than now to reflect on the past year, as I began my new journey with FPA last November. 

It has been a whirlwind of a year as I’ve leaned heavily on my existing connections and friendships to help guide me, while at the same time making many new friends within the flexible packaging industry and the FPA membership, Board of Directors, and staff. 

I’m looking forward to a successful 2026 as we continue to connect, advance, and lead together—for auld lang syne and more! 

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