Charles “Chuck” Fienning, former owner of Sumter, South Carolina based Sumter Packaging Corporation and longtime AICC member, was officially and regally inducted into the association’s Hall of Fame during the opening session of AICC’s Spring Meeting on May 1 at the Hyatt Recency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida.
As is its custom, AICC produced a video about the award winner that masterfully captured the highlights of Fienning’s remarkable life of leadership both in and outside of the corrugated box business, a business that was in his blood. Chuck’s mother, Eola, was the youngest Horner sibling of the family-owned Horner Boxes Incorporated, where Ed Fienning, Chuck’s father, worked for his brother-in-law, Dick Horner, as a salesman. In 1958, Ed and Eola moved the family to Kankakee, Illinois and built the Kankakee Container Company.
It was at Kankakee High School that Chuck would take on his first major leadership role as the All-American captain of the school’s football team. He continued his football career at Harvard University, where he majored in economics, joined the ROTC, and based on his leadership skills, was promoted to Commander of Cadets. After graduating, Lieutenant Fienning was assigned to the eighth Army, second Infantry Division and spent the next year in Korea patrolling the DMZ, where his leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and compassion endeared him to the villagers and helped shape him into a confident and resilient leader.
After active duty, Chuck returned to Boston and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School. Driven by his entrepreneurial spirit, Chuck and a partner opened Jim’s Happy Homes Corporation, a network of mobile home dealerships in North Carolina. With the mid-70s economic crisis in full swing, the business venture proved to be less successful than expected. So, in 1977, Chuck returned to the family business, Kankakee Container Company.
Belief In Miracles
“When Gary called me a couple of months ago to tell me that I was this year’s inductee into the Hall of Fame, believe it or not, for about 30 seconds I was speechless,” said a humbled Fienning as he began his acceptance remarks. “Not now. You see, I believe in miracles, which I equate to a turtle ending up on top of a fence post.”
Chuck described hearing “the voice of the Creator” telling him to marry, Sue, the sweetheart of his life he’d met in high school and with whom he reconnected at their 15th high school reunion when they were both 33. The voice told Chuck she was “the one.”
Chuck and Sue married later the same year and raised four sons, Ben, Ted, Sam, and Henry.
In 1981, following the advice of their largest customer, Chuck’s father, Ed, opened Sumter Packaging Corporation in Sumter, South Carolina. The new venture aimed to expand the company’s footprint to meet the growing demands of their client base. Four years later, however the business landscape shifted unexpectedly when their largest customer decided to move its business elsewhere, to a “single source” supplier.
Upon Ed’s retirement in 1984, Chuck was elected president and CEO of Sumter Packaging and charged by his father to either “save it or sell it.” Naturally, Chuck chose to “save it” and under his strong leadership, unwavering resolve, and dedication to Sumter’s employees and customers, the company again secured its position as a leader in the corrugated industry.
“If a leader knows four things, he or she is likely to be a success,” Fienning boomed from the podium. “Recruit, train, motivate, and retain good people. That’s what I did at Sumter Packaging. I built a strong team, and in fact, one of the leaders of that team is here with us today. He’s Jimmy Ezell, Sumter’s Customer Service Manager, and was with the company 43 out of its 45 years.”
Chuck and Sue’s son, Ben DeSollar, became the third-generation owner of Sumter Packaging in 2009 — it should be noted that Sue had been Vice President of the company for 40 years, from 1984-2024 — and in January 2004, DeSollar passed his ownership of the company to the Hood Container Corporation, another AICC member. (Ezell is still “in collaboration” with Hood.)
Fienning made it a point to “call out” former AICC Chairman Joe Palmeri of Jamestown Container Companies to thank him for coming up with the slogan, “Invest and engage and AICC will deliver success.”
“That’s exactly what happened in my case,” concluded Fienning. “I say do business with the AICC associates because they will help bring you success. I want to thank you again for this wonderful recognition. May God bless you.”
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