Elphick named finalist for award

3C Packaging President and CEO Joe Elphick is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 Award in the Carolinas.

3C Packaging of Clayton has announced that its president and CEO, Joe Elphick, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 Award in the Carolinas.

The honor recognizes business leaders who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, the company said in a news release.

Elphick was chosen as a finalist from approximately 75 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special event on June 18 in Charlotte. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year national program.

Elphick said the recognition was a reflection on the team effort at 3C Packaging.

"I'm getting the glory, but it's really because I have great management and employees," he said. "We also have fantastic customers who make it all come together. I just happen to be leading a successful company."

3C Packaging, formerly Colonial Carton Co., manufactures folding cartons and printed outsert and insert literature at its plant at 1000 CCC Drive near Pine Hollow Golf Club.

The company's customers include pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Hospira as well as cosmetic and tobacco firms.

The plant was destroyed in an August 2005 fire, but the company rose from the ashes and was reborn less than a year later. Last year, 3C Packaging completed a 40,000-square-foot expansion valued at approximately $4 million and now has 115,000 square feet under one roof.

The company currently has 130 employees and has a five-year plan that anticipates a workforce of 250 by 2013, Elphick said.

Elphick has been active in the community through his support of Children's Flight of Hope, a nonprofit organization that offers free air transportation to and from medical facilities for critically ill and injured children.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America are national sponsors of the Ernst & Young awards. In the Carolinas, sponsors include King & Spalding, Bowne and Business Leader Media.

To learn more about 3C Packaging, visit www.3CPackaging.com.