Rockford Package Supply, Inc., founded in 1959, distributes a broad range of packaging to both the wholesale and retail fresh produce industry. The wholesale operation makes up 60% of their business, which is 100% West Michigan apples, cherries, blueberries, and vegetables.  Products include paper totes (apples), roll bags (fresh produce at the grocery store), produce cartons, bakery (caramel apple trays, donut clamshells, and pastry clamshells), drawstring bag (apples), cider packaging, and berry clamshells.  Retail makes up 40% of revenue and those sales are in the eastern US. Rockford Package Supply, Inc. sells their cider bottles for virtually all of the eastern US.

Bradd Pierce of GLCF collaborated with Jason Poll, Howard’s lender from Huntington National Bank, to finance the construction of the new building.  The SBA 504 program allowed Mr. Paulson to finance construction at a low fixed interest rate for 20 years and only 10% equity into the project.  Howard said, “The team at Great Lakes Commercial Finance were excellent partners on our new facilities project.  We combined four facilities into one high-efficiency building located much closer to our customer base. GLCF’s participation in our building project allowed us to substantially reduce operating costs and provided us with the facility that we needed to expand our business. The GLCF team was very thorough and patiently guided us through all the documentation requirements.   They were very knowledgeable and they anticipated each step of the process. I highly recommended the SBA program through Great Lakes Commercial Finance to anyone who is considering new opportunities.”