GROWING FROM THE CORE: 1970-2000
In summer 1983, then-CEO Charles W. Coker wrote a draft statement of Sonoco’s “People Philosophy” to be sent out to key leaders at the company.
He wrote: “Sonoco has always been a people-oriented company and all persons accepting positions of authority in the company have an inherent responsibility for keeping this people philosophy alive and working.”
To this day, no matter where you are in the ranks of Sonoco, our success depends on our belief that “People build businesses.” What does that mean exactly?
For starters, it means that you can’t put just anyone on a team and expect them to deliver. Sonoco is built by the right people: people who embody our core values.
When they founded Sonoco in 1899, Major James Lide Coker and his son James Jr. didn’t exactly spell out the beliefs that have carried us this far. They were focused on building a company that could survive a single year, let alone 125. But they set an example through determination and resourcefulness, defying the odds in a very young and uncertain industry.
Harris DeLoach, who served as Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2013, has seen Sonoco people overcome challenges firsthand. “Give me a good team of people,” he says. “I can have the worst strategy in the world, and they will change that strategy and we will win.”
Through interviews, onboarding, job training and career development, Sonoco works to identify the right people and create and empower strong teams. But the qualities that make for great employees aren’t always tied to process—often they’re just naturally present.
“There’s a common decency aspect to everything we do that’s unwritten,” says John Florence, General Counsel, Secretary and Vice President/GM of Converted Paper Products, N.A. “You have to be kind, you have to work hard, and you have to treat your teammates with respect. You have to be a good person first.”
Unwritten, maybe, but also unmistakable.
As the guest of honor and speaker at the 1974 South Carolina Dinner of the Newcomen Society in North America, Charles explained that the foundation of Sonoco and other textile firms was “not unique in South Carolina.” He went on to clarify: “The [people] who founded these businesses were unique. They all appeared to possess certain strengths of character that set them apart from others.”
There was no chest-thumping in his speech, just camaraderie. “People Build Businesses” is a signpost not just for us but also for our partners. Built by remarkable people, Sonoco also chooses exceptional partners.
At Sonoco, people build businesses by building respect for each other.