Feb 3 2012 --- Menasha Packaging Company announced that it has acquired The Strive Group of Chicago. Both companies are family-owned and privately held. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

According to Mike Waite, president of Menasha Packaging, “The acquisition of Strive will enhance our merchandising supply chain model and strengthen our geographic coverage. Customers are increasingly turning to companies that can manage their entire merchandising process and the addition of Strive to Menasha Packaging will improve our offerings and strengthen our competitive position.”  

The acquisition will make Menasha the largest independent in-store promotional solutions provider to retailers and CPGs in the United States as well as strengthen its traditional packaging business. 

“The Strive acquisition,” said Jim Kotek, president and CEO of Menasha Corporation, “broadens our market penetration and the ability to provide more products and services to our customers.  We believe there is an excellent strategic fit between the companies; we both are Midwest-based, family-owned companies with strong cultures and values.”  Menasha Corporation is the parent of Menasha Packaging; its other businesses are ORBIS Corporation and LeveragePoint Media. 

Both Menasha Packaging and Strive focus on the food, household and personal care markets and provide significant design, manufacturing, fulfillment and logistics expertise to their customers. In addition, Menasha Packaging has a strong retail relationship focus with key retail partners across the U.S. that provides an integrated approach. Menasha Packaging’s highly successful Retail Integration Group assists channel-leading retail partners and CPGs with ideation, execution and tracking of their merchandising strategies. Strive has a similar model, called the Integrated Merchandising Supply Chain, which is a collaborative approach that enables customers to develop methods and practices to improve the supply chain and merchandising processes to improve efficiency and speed to market. 

Strive is headquartered in Chicago, where it has a corrugated products manufacturing facility.  In addition, it has eight fulfillment operations, including six that are located within its customers’ distribution centers, and four design/sales centers across the country.