Solo Cup Company

A basic 16 ounce Solo cup

Solo Cup Company is a manufacturer of consumer packaging products: disposable beverage cups, disposable plates and bowls. Solo Cup Company is located in Highland Park, Illinois, and in 2006 had sales of $2.4 billion.

History

Leo Hulseman, a former employee of the Dixie Co. in the 1930s, created the "Solo Cup," a paper cone he made at his home and sold to bottled-water companies. He founded the Solo Cup Company in 1936, and came up with other products like wax-coated cups and the plastic Cozy Cup.

On 1 March 2004, Solo acquired Sweetheart Cup Co. for $917.2 million, in part with public debt. Sweetheart was founded by Joseph Shapiro and his four brothers, emigrants from Russia. It became the largest consumer packaging company in the world, and was sold several times before being acquired by Solo Cup.

Solo Cup Company is closing its facility in Highland Park in December 2009 and relocating to Lake Forest.

Management

Founder

The founder and owner for many years of Solo Cup was Leo Hulseman (1898-1989), whose wife was a singer known by her stage name Dora Hall (whose records were all given away free of charge through Solo promotions). Solo Cup Company is still privately owned and run by the Hulseman family.

Leo Hulseman was an active polo player. Hulseman was also the founder and owner of Premore Inc. Premore was a TV Production company on the Culver Studios lot for many years in the 1970s-1980s and later moved to North Hollywood. Premore produced children's TV shows including Tony the Pony (like the later Barney & Friends) and The Clifford Avenue Kids (like Our Gang). Premore's Television studio stage, remote truck and post production was used for Dora Hall's shows and rented for TV specials and sports. Premore Inc was closed after the death of Leo Hulseman.

Dora Hall's most notable TV show was Rose On Broadway (1979) with Frank Sinatra, Jr., Dora Hall, Donald O'Connor and Scatman Crothers. She also had a TV special called Once Upon a Tour. Her songs were used in the "Tony the Pony" TV show. She recorded songs on the Premore and Cozy Records labels.

Subsequent management

Robert L. Hulseman, son of the founder Leo Hulseman, became CEO in 1998.

Current CEO Robert M. Korzenski took over from Robert Hulseman in Aug 2006. Korzenski had worked for Sweetheart Cups for over 10 years.

Customers

Solo Cup customers include Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Così, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods, as well as many universities. In 2008, Tony Waters, Managing Director of Solo Cup Europe, made an online video testimonial to promote the patented packaging manufactured for the patented One-Shot Revolver concept (Solo Cup Europe also has a related press release for IFE09).^[1]

References

External links

• Solo Cup
• Chicago Business article about company's struggles. October 20, 2006, Chicago Business.
• Forbes Report
• CNN Money profile
• Dora Hall web site
• Culver City Studio
• Tony Waters, Managing Director of Solo Cup Europe makes online video testimonial appearance
• Solo Cup Europe Press Release: One Shot in-cup blending on show at IFE