Conductive Containers Appoints Séamus Lafferty as New CEO

Conductive Containers, Inc. (“CCI”), a leading provider of static control packaging for electronics, high-value components and optics, announced today that Séamus Lafferty has become the Company’s new CEO and a member of its Board of Directors. He succeeds Brad Ahlm who served in the role since 1993. CCI partnered with private equity investment firm, Great River Capital Partners (“GRCP”) in late 2021, and has begun implementing an aggressive growth plan, including the add-on acquisition of Crestline Plastics in 2023 – a plan that Séamus is poised to help drive forward.

“I am very pleased to welcome Séamus as the new CEO of CCI. With his extensive experience in the packaging market, and his local ties to Minneapolis, Séamus is well-equipped to bring fresh perspectives to benefit CCI, its customers and partners,” commented Brad Ahlm. Ahlm continued, “The Board, executive team and I are fully confident that Séamus is the right, next leader to continue shaping the Company’s growth strategy and advancing our packaging product innovation into the future.”

Before joining CCI, Séamus spent 24 years as a growth-focused executive within Barry-Wehmiller Companies (“BW”) in Minneapolis and a predecessor company, Stanford Products. BW is a global industrial company with over 12,000 employees, offering products and services in the packaging, corrugating, paper converting and engineering consulting markets. Séamus began his career as President of Stanford Products (“Stanford”), a supplier of converting machines for flexible packaging in 2001. Following BW’s acquisition of Stanford in 2007, Séamus’ expertise in packaging equipment and material was expanded, while he held various leadership roles, including Divisional President.

“I am honored to lead the CCI team, which has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and customer service, maintaining its leadership position in electro-static discharge (ESD) and optics thermoformed packaging for nearly five decades,” noted Lafferty. “I would like to extend my personal thanks to Brad for his visionary leadership and his countless contributions to CCI over the years. As a thought-leader in the ESD packaging industry, he built CCI into the top specialty solutions provider for thousands of customers, including Fortune 50 companies, that need to address the challenges of static control and FOD (foreign object debris). The CCI team and I are incredibly excited about the Company’s future!”

The CEO search for CCI was national in scope and led by the packaging practice of recruiting firm, JM Search. Séamus will be based at CCI’s headquarters in Maple Grove, MN where he will work alongside the Company’s executive leadership team.

 

About Conductive Containers, Inc. and Crestline Plastics, Inc.

With more than 90 years of combined experience, Conductive Containers, Inc. (CCI) and its subsidiary, Crestline Plastics, Inc., are pioneers in electrostatic discharge (ESD) and specialty optics packaging. Trusted by more than 800 customers annually, the companies engineer solutions that protect mission-critical components used in electronics, optics, aerospace, defense, and medical device applications.

 

CCI and Crestline deliver custom-engineered solutions in both small and large volumes, supported by one of the industry’s broadest selections of specialty materials for ESD, foreign object debris (FOD), and cleanroom applications. Their two U.S.-based manufacturing facilities—Maple Grove, MN, and Albuquerque, NM—provide vertically integrated capabilities including thermoforming, injection molding, foam fabrication, conductive corrugated production, and multi-substrate assembly.

 

Guided by deep technical expertise, a commitment to customer service, and a focus on sustainability, CCI and Crestline continue to lead the market in delivering packaging solutions that protect advanced and emerging technologies and meet the highest standards of performance in mission-critical environments.