Don Hasseltine died Jan. 27 at home in Scottsdale, AZ, surrounded by his wife and family. He was 82.

Hasseltine was a pivotal and well-known figure in the bakery packaging world. He started his packaging career selling potato bags in Maine for the Kordite Co., and became part of the bread bag manufacturing innovations for Mobil Chemical Co., Macedon NY, in the 1960s and ’70s, as bakers moved into plastic from wax paper.

As general manager for Mobil, Hasseltine oversaw a rapid growth in bread packaging and snack cake packaging. He was also instrumental in the transition from cellophane to polypropylene, and managed the development of the polypropylene Twinkie overwrap.

After a successful career at Mobil, Hasseltine formed DH Associates, a bakery brokerage firm, in 1979. It became the largest broker and distributor of bakery bread bags in the United States. He was a well-known figure in the industry and was well-respected for his business acumen and competitive nature.

Hasseltine is survived by his wife, Bonnie Dawn; five children; nine grandchildren; many other family members; and his long-time business partner, Joe Madigan.