For nearly 55 years Formost Packaging, later Formost Fuji, was led by two remarkable men, Al Formo, founder and for many years to follow, Norm Formo. This company was built on a solid foundation of true commitment to supporting our customers and building outstanding packaging equipment.
On January 1, 2019, long time VP of Sales and Marketing, Dennis Gunnell, became the third leader as President. “Dennis Gunnell’s wealth of experience gained by leading our sales department, will be a valuable asset as Formost Fuji continues to grow under his direction as President.” said Formo. “Dennis has been with our team for the last 33 years, and clearly understands the values this company was built around. The company has a very strong commitment to the Formost Fuji team members and its customers which Dennis understands.” Gunnell joined Formost Fuji in 1986 working his way through the sales ranks to VP of Sales and Marketing in 1999. He plays a large role in the industry having served as BEMA chairman and is currently vice-chairman for the International Baking Industry Exposition board.
In addition to Gunnell’s promotion to president a handful of other changes were formalized. Most notably, Ken Meyer was promoted to Chief Operations Manager. Ken started his career in a bakery, working maintenance then came to Formost Fuji as a service technician spending many years installing and troubleshooting in the field. For the past 13 years, Meyer has worked in the factory learning the business of building Formost Fuji equipment. His start with one of the company’s customers uniquely qualified him to see the business with a broader perspective. “Over his 17 year tenure, Ken has built an impressive track record of strategic and operational accomplishments,” said Formo. “Ken brings an excellent mix of both technical and customer service skill to our team.”
Other key employees that have taken new responsibilities and will help lead the company into the future are Ken Fore as Controls Engineering Manager, David Bibb as Engineering Manager, Bob McHenry as Service Manager, Tom Plesia as Production Manager, and Lisa Haley as Technical Sales. Rounding out the group is longtime CFO, Dan Semanskee. "We have worked hard to develop and assemble the best leadership for the company," Formo said. "I am confident that with Dennis Gunnell as President and Ken Meyer as Chief Operations Manager, that we have the right team for the job at hand and it is time for me to allow them to grow even further in their new positions. It is because of these individuals, and the people they lead, that I am able to retire as president from Formost Fuji with confidence in the company's future. I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Board and watching the company’s growth under their leadership.”
Gunnell said “Many things will remain as they have always been, the Formost way, strive to build the highest quality equipment, providing the absolute highest value to our customers, providing a family atmosphere where each employee can be part of something special and good, and be good citizens to the industries served through supporting associations and our suppliers.”
Al and Norm Formo have created a nearly 55 year legacy of quality that this group will insure lives on and grows with a renewed energy for continuous improvement and “finding a better way”. We look forward to the opportunities the future brings.
