Robert P. Kittredge
Fabri-Kal Corporation
Inducted 2012
Robert P. Kittredge (Kit) (1925 – 2024) founded Fabri-Kal Corp. in 1950 as an entrepreneur, skilled business manager, and philanthropist. It is now the eighth-largest thermoformer in North America, working with various companies in the food service and consumer goods packaging sectors. In 1969, Mr. Kittredge established the Fabri-Kal Foundation for charitable giving. Over the years, it has provided millions of dollars in scholarships and community grants.
Robert Kittredge entered the plastics industry in 1948, and just two years later, he founded Fabri-Kal. The original facility was a former A&P grocery store in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Today, the company has annual sales of $300 million, employs 900 people, and operates four manufacturing plants with 40 major production lines and 14 printers. The company owns the trademark Greenware. Fabri-Kal was sold in 2021 to Pactiv Evergreen.
The Fabri-Kal Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization, was established to further the cultural diversity of the locations where Fabri-Kal operates and has donated $7.3 million to various cultural and educational causes. Since 1994, the Foundation has supported granting higher-education assistance to the children of Fabri-Kal employees. Young adult children of every Fabri-Kal employee are offered generous higher-education tuition assistance, and to date, over 150 children have received $4.6 million collectively. The other $2.7 million has been donated to benefit the communities in which Fabri-Kal employees live and work. Mr. Kittredge’s company has been a SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association member for 55 years. During that period, he has served the association in several leadership positions, including board chairmanship.
Areas of Expertise: Plastics processing, Plastics packaging