Somic Packaging adds two industry veterans to its roster

Both of the new personnel bring 28+ years of experience to their jobs.

Packaging equipment company Somic Packaging, Inc. has announced the hiring of two industry veterans. Roy Hoke has joined the company in the newly created position of Southeast regional sales manager, and Joshua Larson is serving as the after-sales and service manager. Both have extensive experience in the packaging industry, and they report to CEO Peter Fox.

“In the past two months, we held a memorable Open House event here in Minneapolis and experienced a very successful show at PACK Expo in Las Vegas. Hiring Joshua and Roy puts another notch in our belts for what has been a remarkable year,” says Fox.

“Both have valuable experience and keen knowledge of the packaging industry to help customers understand how SOMIC machines can get their businesses to the next level. We have expanded our market and capabilities since moving to our larger headquarters one year ago, and we head into the new year with plenty of momentum.”

Hoke has spent 28 years in the packaging industry working with food and beverage, water, home care, and personal products. Based in Sarasota, FL, he covers a 10-state region across the Southeastern states stretching from Oklahoma to the Carolinas.

Hoke joins Somic after working for 17 years at Sidel, a packaging equipment provider in Norcross, GA. He began as a business development manager in 2006 and was promoted three times before serving in a similar position as their Southeast regional sales manager. He believes his prior success and knowledge of Somic's equipment, including the new 434 SuperFlex next generation packaging platform, will be instrumental in building his customer base.

“At Sidel, I took a negative margin product line with minimum sales and transformed it into one of the company’s most successful product lines with an average 42% gross margin. I also helped create three new machines and product improvements to expand the company portfolio towards customer needs,” says Hoke.

“Somic manufactures impressive machines and I wanted to be part of a growing and innovative company, so that made my decision easy. My goals are to start developing the territory and booking orders, while continuing to learn and grow within the company.”

As the new after-sales and service manager, Larson brings cartoning and case packing experience to the job. He began working in the packaging industry in 1997, starting as a machine assembler and then in field service positions before taking on field director roles at various Minneapolis area companies. He joined Somic after a stint as the director of services for automated machine manufacturer Mpac Group.

At Somic, Larson is supporting customers by better understanding their needs. He also wants to develop new processes for his team, which he has done in the past.

“I like to build solid teams who have a connection with our clients and a desire to make sure they are taken care of at each opportunity,” remarks Larson. He indicates he has already evaluated the Field Service team and has started introducing improvements.

"I plan to develop strong processes and implement new systems, which can be challenging but very rewarding once in place, and the benefits are shared with the users of the programs. In the past I introduced CRMs that have improved service tracking, billing, reporting, and other functions. Some processes here are now being changed for the betterment of our customers," Larson finishes.