Lead by example. It’s just that simple.

A. Charles Wilson, or “Chuck” as we call him, will always be the heart and soul of this company. His huge heart, humility and sense of humor was standard operating procedure ever since founding the place with his brother Ernest back in 1946. For over 75 years, until he was 101 years old, Charles went to work every single morning at 8 a.m. sharp. Although he served as Chairman and CEO, his main focus was connecting with others, including all Ernest employees, whom he considered family.

Spending time with family is at the top of Tim’s list of favorite things to do. That’s an especially good thing as the CEO of a family-owned business because with over 600 employees, his definition of family is a bit broader than most.

He prides himself on the people he has on his team — their passion, the dedication they have to their work, and their willingness to collaborate to help find the best solutions for our customers. In fact, some of his greatest joys come from celebrating the professional successes and personal milestones of his extended family.

Keeping up with Brian is tough. He’s so full of life, you never know what’s coming next. We think his previous jobs working on a cruise ship, serving as president of his city’s Little League, and managing rock bands perfectly prepared him for his life today — as father to two great boys, stepfather to two more, dedicated husband, keeper of the family animal menagerie, and Chief Customer Officer.

Brian consistently puts his incredible energy to work for everyone here at Ernest. With his great ability to make customers comfortable, his commitment to understanding their needs and objectives, and his ability to always have fun in the process, Brian is a great asset to his clients and to us. We look forward to many more years of trying to keep up with him.

Mike was a part of the Ernest family long before he joined the team as an employee. In his work for a number of our suppliers, he saw firsthand what a difference that family feeling makes. Now he’s doing his part to demonstrate our strong commitment to service on a daily basis. Mike does that by looking at things from all perspectives to help our clients and his coworkers succeed.

That passion for success probably comes from his love of sports. He’s a big Miami Dolphins fan, and when he’s not rooting for them, you might find him riding dirtbikes in the desert, waterskiing and jet-skiing, or hitting the slopes on his snowboard.

Karri is dedicated and committed to everything she does. Whether it’s cheering on her son at all of his soccer games or solving challenges for our clients and employees, she’s in it 100%. She has proven herself over and over again as part of the Ernest family.

Her experience in accounting, finance, and HR has given her the day-to-day perspective that helps her shine as our CFO. Or maybe it’s her annual trips to recharge in the surf and sun in Costa Rica that do the trick. Either way, her future looks bright.

With a record like Mickey Mantle, the charisma of Joe DiMaggio, and the heart of Lou Gehrig, we think if Vince ever decides to retire from us, he has a bright future as a coach. His passion for nurturing success in everyone around him — from his family to our leadership and especially his new recruits — brings new life and energy to Ernest every day.

Since 2008, Ernest has been the house that Vince built. Vince is not only getting top talent to join our Ernest family, but as keeper of the culture, he is making sure that we maintain the perfect climate for them to prosper and succeed. It’s really too bad that his favorite team, the Yankees, haven’t discovered him. Their loss is definitely our gain.

One for all, all for one. That’s how Clint Howard sees the relationship between individual and collective success. As SVP of Learning, he hopes to lead Ernest to global improvement by spearheading initiatives to develop personalized, relevant content for each employee. His deep experience at the company and passionate support for the Ernest Way will play an integral part as the Learning and Development department turns its focus to expanding its resources to help us realize Ernest’s vision for the future.

When he’s not busy helping every Ernest employee be the best they can be, Clint’s busy helping his family learn and grow, too. Between home improvement projects, weekend camping trips, four kids, and one “smart but dumb” golden retriever, he’s certainly got his hands full—and we have a feeling he wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether Clint is training or being trained, his commitment to shared success is just the kind of forward momentum that makes all the difference.

If you ask Eddie what he thinks makes Ernest so successful, he would tell you it’s the people. When people work together, great things happen. This belief in teamwork and his ability to build relationships with everyone around him make him a huge asset and a great leader.

He says it comes from lessons he learned on the college basketball court. We think it’s just part of his balanced, good-natured approach to life. Whatever the case, we’re learning new things from Eddie every day and are thrilled to have him on our team.

Kenny loves a good competition, both personally and professionally. So it makes sense that he would return to Ernest, the company that launched his packaging career, after a decade of working for a competitor.

As our SVP of the Western Region, he is keeping his competitive nature on the golf course and has become passionate about sharing his years of knowledge and experience with the younger members of our sales force. And if you ask Kenny what day was his favorite day at Ernest, he’ll tell you it was the day he came back. We have to agree and couldn’t be happier to have him.

Both professionally and personally, Scott has a special talent for rallying people. Whether he’s coaching his kids’ baseball and soccer teams or bringing all the Ernest offices together under a compelling new brand, he knows the power of a strong, confident message. He’s a firm believer in the company’s commitment to Moving Packaging Forward and takes the idea to heart even in the way the company markets itself.

He attributes this passion for our brand to the fact that the family culture at Ernest makes you always want to do your best. We know it’s really because he’s a savvy marketer who truly loves his work.

With more than 25 years of sales and leadership positions in the packaging industry, he’s bringing deep experience and strong strategic thinking to the Ernest team. David was drawn to Ernest for our unique energy and our shared passion for solving the toughest packaging challenges. He’s looking forward to building on this enthusiasm as he helps us push the boundaries in how we serve clients and expand our reach.

When he’s not drumming up packaging business, you may find David exploring his passion for Formula 1 racing. While he and his wife enjoy feeding their need for speed with this new hobby, with two kids away at college, he cherishes the time he gets to spend with family whenever they’re home.

Jeff’s passions lie in training and developing people, and instilling culture. Jeff’s beliefs in hard work and industry knowledge make him a perfect person to help Ernest build our continued success. With his hard-earned expertise and warrior attitude, we know he’s an incredibly valuable asset to our team—and our Ernest family.

When he’s not out driving sales, Jeff loves spending time with his wife and four daughters. Although they’re almost empty-nesters, family is a huge part of his life. So is fitness. He was an amateur boxer in USA Boxing’s Master’s program until just recently. Because right now, he’s all about Ernest.

Roger Merritt likes to build things from the ground up. As VP of E-Mation, he’s excited to head up our new initiative centered on packaging automation, materials, and technical service. With his 25 years of experience in the industry, we’re excited to have him leading this charge.

Outside of work, Roger has plenty to keep him busy. A lifelong music lover, he’s been playing the guitar since he was 15. He also loves playing golf (“I just swing as hard as I can—I’m really bad”), walking, or riding his beloved Vespa around the beach.

When it comes to protecting temperature-sensitive goods Larry Zaiter is passionate about developing new products, optimizing process controls and increasing sustainability. He’s been working in cold chain packaging for almost 20 years, getting his start at one of the most respected leaders in the industry and his interest in the segment heated up from there.

Outside of work, Larry and his wife are empty nesters in McKinney, TX. They love to play golf, travel, and spend time with family.

Voice like gravel, hands like a vice grip and two steel-toed boots that are ready to kick ass and take names.

Try to keep up with what I’m throwin’ down. Most people think my job is to bring the brawn to our crew. But don’t sleep on my brain, brothers and sisters. It’s a bad mammer-jammer. That’s how I really flex. With my mental muscle, baby.

Despite his appearance, Dudley is so much more than a three-day-old cake donut. Inspired by E-Teamers, he’s been revived, refreshed and rejuvenated. His job? To remind us to always come to the table with fresh ideas for our clients and to never, ever go stale.