Packaging praise
London-based Crawford Packaging named as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies
LOCAL PACKAGING SUPPLY company Crawford Packaging has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies by Deloitte Canada.
Putting the spotlight on privately-owned Canadian companies with annual revenues over $25 million, Crawford Packaging is one of 37 new 2021 winners in Canada (the program also celebrates previous award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two or more additional years).
Founded in 1963 by Dick Crawford, the company, headquartered on Page Road, has grown over its long history, and now has 125 employees, three warehouses in Ontario, plus distribution centres in Alberta, Texas, Georgia and Mexico.
With more and more shipping happening, the adjacent packaging sector has grown into a competitive one, and Crawford has credited its success to their customer-centric approach.
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“When customers buy products from Crawford, we like to think they are buying the right solution to their challenge,” president John Ashby told Canadian Business, one of the sponsors of the annual award.
“The real asset that Crawford has are its people,” Ashby said in statement announcing the award. “We have many long-term employees who must be thanked for creating the Crawford reputation and brand that has been our foundation for growth. Now with every acquisition and with every new hire we get stronger and stronger as we add great people to the organization. We do not acquire companies and look for ways to cut costs; we acquire and look for ways to redeploy great people with industry experience to make us more valuable to our clients.”
In recent years Crawford has made efforts to increase their sustainability and to adapt to a low-plastic future — as well as helping their customers do the same.
“Our goal is to be part of the solution,” writes Ashby on the company’s website. “This means reducing packaging materials where possible, contributing to the ease of recycling when possible, providing natural compostable solutions when appropriate; all the while reducing product damage in transit and reducing food waste in the processing and produce channels.”
Launched in 1993, the Canada’s Best Managed Companies program celebrates Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $25 million. In addition to granting new winners each year, the program also celebrates previous award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two or more additional years.
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“In what may be the most challenging year for Canadian businesses since the program’s inception, the 2021 Best Managed winners are a shining example of the importance of leadership, innovation, and resilience in the face of uncertainty,” says Kari Lockhart, national co-leader of the Canada’s Best Managed Companies program and partner, Deloitte Private.
“These companies should not only be extremely proud of this designation, but for their organizational grit, continued adaptability, and unwavering commitment to their people during a year when it was needed most.” 
Kieran Delamont