Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007 - (Page 18)

BRIEFCASE TRENDSETTER By Conrad Dahlson THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Making corrugated cartons is the only work Juventino Cano has ever done— which may be one of the reasons he knows how to adapt and innovate to serve his clients. f you know what you’re doing, keep doing it, only better.That has been the philosophy of Juventino Cano all his corporate life, and judging by Cano Container Corp.’s growing roster of A-list clients, it appears to be working. Born in a rural area of Mexico some three hours south of Guadalajara, Cano moved to Illinois with his family when he was 17. His father drummed into him that “you never get anything for free.” So while he studied nights at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois, he took his ﬁrst job in 1974 with a maker of corrugated cartons—otherwise known as cardboard boxes. With uncommon constancy, Cano worked his way up at Dimension Packaging, from laborer to equipment operator to plant superintendent by 1986. It was McDonald’s that provided Cano a Big Mac of an opportunity. When he learned the fast-food franchiser was looking to work with minorities in the Illinois area, he told his boss, Joseph Kindlon. With the minority-friendly supplier market beckoning them through those Golden Arches, they decided to start their own company. Kindlon, who has since passed away, took 49 percent of the ﬁrm while Cano had 51 percent. The company started small, but the potential was there. In the industrialized world, more than 90 percent of consumer goods are shipped in plain or printed corrugated 18 I cartons because they are so versatile. With a little tweaking of the design or the addition of interior packaging, they’re able to carry everything from fruits and vegetables to computers and household appliances— and even serve as an advertising medium in complex point-of-purchase displays. DOSSIER Name: Juventino Cano Age: 51 Position: Founder, President and CEO Company: Cano Container Corp. Specialty: Corrugated containers Annual revenue: $17 million Clients: General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Tyson Foods, Butterball Farms, Proctor & Gamble, Miller Beer and ConAgra Foods Career Highlights: Board member, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Member, Kraft Minority Supplier Advisory Committee Education: Waubonsee Community College Family: Wife Hermila, 41; six children Quote:“My job is to help other Hispanic businesses in my region.” The challenge is that for each shipper not any old box will do—each company and each product has its own needs. That’s why Cano containers take the client’s packaging ideas from design to delivery. In fact, knowing how to meet varying needs is how Cano continues to garner such clients as General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Proctor & Gamble and Miller Beer, among many other household names. Doing what he knows well—because, he says, he’s never done anything else since he got his ﬁrst job—has enabled Cano to grow the company by about $1 million annually, with gross revenues last year of some $17 million. Cano has made the most of being a minority ﬁrm through procurement opportunities. And he helps others to build their business, too. He has been active with the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and is currently beginning his second term on the board of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “My job is to help other Hispanic businesses in my region,” he says. Of all that he has accomplished, Cano says his greatest career satisfaction is “being where I am right now.” There is, of course, a big difference between satisfaction and being satisﬁed. He’s currently working to open shop in Mexico by 2008 to service many of his clients who do business there. At 51, Juventino Cano is looking toward a new horizon. One that he left a long time ago. October/November 2007 HISPANIC ENTERPRISE

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007

Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007 Contents BIZBUZZ: Business Briefs Trendsetters BIZTECH: Personally Digital BizLife - Travel: The Mobile Meeting Motoring: Is What You Drive, Who You Are? Q&A - Fact Tank for the Hispanic Population Hispanic Commerce Cover Story: Tiles with Style Success & Motivation: Grammy Whammy Finance: Talking Code Event: Masterminds NCLR Report - Improving your Triple Bottom Line Politics & Government: Keep on Truckin' Managing: Avoiding an Identity Crisis Franchising: Beyond the Brand Finance & Investing - Talking Money Movers & Shakers Regional Report - Louisiana, Louisiana Chamber Focus - On the Island of Enchantment

Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007

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