Utah Paper Box

Utah Paper Box was established in Utah in 1914 and has been independently family owned for 5 generations.  They employ almost 200 individuals, many from the Poplar Grove, Rose Park, and Glendale neighborhoods.  Utah Paper Box is dedicated to providing good jobs for their employees and are conscious of their environmental impact. Environmental efforts include solar panels, electric car charging (including a community charger), an electric semi-truck (the first in Utah), and their LEED Gold certified facility.  Utah Paper Box is committed to being stewards of the community and environment and promise to continue deepening their roots and supporting the area. ​

​1. Tell us about your business! What services and/or products do you wish to highlight to the community? What needs are you hoping to meet for the residents of Poplar Grove, other Westside communities, and Salt Lake City at large? 
Utah Paperbox is a folding carton and rigid packaging manufacturer that is independently family owned and was established in Utah in 1914.  We have around 200 employees, many from the Poplar Grove, Rose Park, and Glendale neighborhoods.  Our customers are other businesses (local, regional and national) who need some kind of custom paperboard packaging for their products.  We serve many different industries including food/beverage, cosmetics, house/lifestyle goods, and medical.  As a business, we want to provide eye-catching and functional packaging that will help our customers' goods “fly off the shelf”.  In addition to serving our customers, our goal is to be a good steward to both the community and the environment.  We hope to provide good jobs for our employees and are always looking for the next innovation we can adopt to limit our environmental impact.  Some of our environmental efforts include solar panels, electric car charging (including a community charger), an electric semi-truck (the first in Utah), and our LEED Gold certified facility.   

2. How did you come to reside in Poplar Grove? Is there an origin story of how your business came to be located in our community? Do you have deeper roots or connections to this area you would like our community to know about? 
Utah Paperbox has been an independent and family owned Utah business since 1914.  Our original main location was a manufacturing warehouse across from the Gateway on 400 West, as well as some warehouses spread throughout North Salt Lake and the West Side. As both Utah Paperbox and the city grew, we realized it was prudent that we look at other locations.  Our President and CEO Steve Keyser led the business moving by partnering with the city exchanging our current property for the property a tire recycler was on.  By moving to that property, we were able to do away with the tire recycler.  He also made sure that our building was as environmentally friendly as possible during construction and we obtained LEED Gold certification.  Since 2012 all of our operations are under one roof at the new location, 920 South 700 West.  

3. What are your plans for the future? Is there a way you are planning to maintain or develop your business that you would like our community to know about to support consumer engagement? 
Utah Paperbox plans to be an independent, family owned company for the foreseeable future and welcomed their fifth generation future steward in 2022.  Our commitment to being stewards of the community and environment is solid and we want to continue deepening our roots and supporting the area.  We also want to continue being a valuable supplier to our customers.  We look to always innovate in the packaging space and be a trusted advisor for packaging decisions.  We also love working with start-ups and local entrepreneurs, which Utah has aplenty!  

4. Are there any other fun facts or additional history you would like to share with the community about yourselves or the business? 
I think I’ve shared everything we’d want to!  Thanks for the opportunity.