Koenig & Bauer’s Eric Frank Receives Paperboard Packaging Council’s Volunteer Leader Award of Excellence

At its fall meeting in Orlando, FL, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) had the privilege of honoring Eric Frank, senior vice president of marketing at Koenig & Bauer (US/CA) with the 2026 Volunteer Leader Award of Excellence, recognizing decades of service to PPC and the folding carton community.

“Eric’s volunteer leadership legacy is woven throughout PPC and our industry,” says Emily Leonczyk, president of PPC. “He has taught, mentored, shared his perspective, represented PPC’s supplier community, and helped guide the association through important moments of change. In many ways, Eric embodies what PPC is here to do: grow, promote, and protect our industry by bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and helping develop the next generation of leaders. His impact may be best measured in the people he has welcomed, encouraged, and befriended along the way. We congratulate Eric and thank him for the leadership, generosity, and care he has given to PPC and to the people who make our industry stronger!”

“On behalf of the entire Koenig & Bauer family, we congratulate Eric on receiving the 2026 PPC Volunteer Leader Award of Excellence,” says Gerrit Zwergel, president and CEO of Koenig & Bauer (US/CA). “Your dedication to education, mentorship, and leadership within the folding carton industry truly embodies our core values. Thank you for your decades of steadfast service and enthusiasm, and for representing Koenig & Bauer so exceptionally, always easily explaining our innovative products and greeting customers with a welcoming smile.”

Frank’s burgeoning career began with a high school printing class that resulted in a printing degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and has culminated in senior leadership positions that helped to advance and strengthen the entire printing and packaging industry on numerous fronts. He has frequently led board meetings and leadership initiatives, while teaching association boot camps, and other educational presentations as a print enthusiast. His incredible legacy includes all areas of the industry, from sheetfed to web, digital to postpress, flexographic to corrugated. He has crisscrossed the globe attending important meetings and trade shows, always bringing a natural flair to marketing new products through press releases, advertising, trade show articles, and other unique promotions. On behalf of Koenig & Bauer, he has represented a wide variety of associations with active participation promoting the overall growth of the graphic arts industry.

Looking back over his distinguished 52-year career in the printing industry, Frank is deeply honored to receive this award from the PPC. “It not only represents my commitment to the printing and packaging industry, but Koenig & Bauer’s as well,” says Frank. “I could not have accomplished what I did without the incredibly talented Koenig & Bauer team, executive leadership, fellow employees, and customers. During my entire career representing and watching the printing industry grow and flourish, I’ve always been honored to represent new technology and opportunities in the graphic arts industry.”