In this episode of Beyond Packaging, co-hosts Laura Foti and Matthew Wright sit down with Matt Daum, Dean and Associate Provost for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University (MSU), and former Director of MSU’s School of Packaging.
With over 25 years of industry experience, Matt shares key lessons from his career, including the importance of cross-functional collaboration and learning from failure. He discusses how academia and industry work together to prepare students for real-world packaging challenges, and highlights how emerging trends such as AI and sustainability-driven innovation guide the next generation workforce.
Beyond Packaging is presented by Specright, the leader in Specification Management.
Feel free to connect with Laura Foti and Matthew Wright on LinkedIn
To listen to previous episodes click here or subscribe to our YouTube playlist.
-
Laura Foti
Laura is the Chief Customer Officer at Specright, where she leads teams across professional services, customer success, and support to ensure customers thrive.
She also co-hosts the “Beyond Packaging Podcast,” with Matthew Wright, where they discuss industry trends, interview leading innovators, and discuss the history of different types of packaging.
Prior to Specright, she led advertising and analytics at GE Digital, GE’s Industrial Internet software business. Before that, she was a consultant at Deloitte Digital working in enterprise digital transformation. Laura was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for marketing and advertising and Brand Innovators 40 Under 40 and 100 Women to Watch lists. She graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
-
Matthew Wright
Matthew Wright is the founder & executive chairman of Specright, the first cloud-based platform for Specification Management. Specright has been recognized by Fast Company’s prestigious Most Innovative Companies list, named a Gartner Cool Vendor, and as one of the Top Places to Work by the OC Register and Built in LA. Wright is also a published author and his book, “The Evolution of Products and Packaging,”was named to the Amazon Hot New Release List for Industrial Relations Business and has a five star rating.
Prior to founding Specright, Wright spent more than 25 years in the packaging industry, holding leadership positions at International Paper, Temple Inland, and rightPAQ — a packaging company he co-founded. He has also been involved in leading multiple M&A deals in the packaging industry, currently sits on the MSU School of Packaging and Industry Advisory Board and previously served on the Packaging Advisory Board at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.
Explore More Blogs
-
Raising a Glass to Packaging Innovation in Wine & Spirits
Read More → : Raising a Glass to Packaging Innovation in Wine & Spirits -
Unlocking Packaging Efficiency and Sustainability: The How2Recycle + Specright Integration
Read More → : Unlocking Packaging Efficiency and Sustainability: The How2Recycle + Specright Integration -
Why the Future of Packaging Starts with Better Data with Amanda Sparks
Read More → : Why the Future of Packaging Starts with Better Data with Amanda Sparks
Get Started
With Specright’s Solution Suite, you can digitize, centralize, and link your specification data to drive efficiencies, intelligence, traceability, and collaboration within your organization and across your supply chain network.