HISTORY

In 1989, Sterling was born as a small family-owned print shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba which grew to become the largest family-owned folding carton company in Western Canada.

The long story… One cold wintery morning, gathered around a chaotic breakfast table with his four children under the age of 13, Jim was attempting to pass out cereal box varieties to the correct child and fill bowls with milk, aiming to do so before the critical time to head out of the house to school and print shop.

As he was pouring the milk into one of the bowls, in the corner of his eye he sees his wife Debbie, folding the empty cereal cartons for the recycling bin. In that moment, the idea hit him with shock, much like a cold wet snowball to the face during a snowball fight

every day people are buying products in folding cartons.

That was the beginning of the change for Sterling; from commercial print to folding cartons manufacturer.

As the transition moved on, Jim was informed by countless new customers that the current choices for folding carton suppliers are large national companies where the customer is only a number.

Jim knew the only way for success is to remain customer-focused and/by understanding what the customer requires from Sterling, and hence a small family print shop mentality was best suited for growth.

Due to success of folding carton manufacturing, Sterling relocated to larger building space and a couple years later an expansion was necessary, which would double the facility size due to the investment of new equipment.  During these years Kelly, Colin, Ivar and Adam, all honed their skills in customer service, graphic design, printing, die cutting and gluing, and general management skills.

Jim and Debbie were able to semi-retire in early 2010, leaving the second generation in charge of sales and operations.

With Jim semi-retired and able to spend copious amount of time dreaming, backed by the excitement and dedication of Kelly, Colin, Ivar and Adam, Sterling embarked on a relocation and threefold expansion of operations to Monroeville, Alabama.

This modern, updated, food-safe, high-tech facility located in rural Alabama, provides Sterling a better means to service our customers while providing a variety of new products. Southern Alabama was the choice for many reasons:

To be closer to the supply of raw materials, including paperboard, reduction of transportation costs and emissions

To be in a rural community as a pillar employer with great futures for local citizens in an area where manufacturing jobs are scarce

Quicker delivery and service time due to the proximity of customers and suppliers

Did we mention the weather? We lived in frigid, blustery, Winter-Peg, Canada for the majority of our lives, trading that in for warmth and beaches didn’t sound too bad.

We pride ourselves on training and sharing our knowledge with all our employees. We have trained our staff to know that customer matters and we are only as good as our last order.

We can’t wait to meet you as we want to help your business succeed!