Phil Castle, The Business Times

Like any skilled business executive, Donna Peterson thinks outside the box, pondering different ways of doing things to improve operations and increase sales.

Like any skilled business executive, Donna Peterson thinks outside the box, pondering different ways of doing things to improve operations and increase sales.

But as managing partner of a packaging company, Peterson also has to think inside the box and what products best fit what her customers need. That’s not to mention whether or not an even better fit might be in the bag.

These days, Peterson thinks both outside and inside the box as she contemplates how to position Grand Mesa Packaging for additional growth. She expects the recent move to larger quarters and a more convenient location in Grand Junction to help. “I just hope we continue to grow and expand and become an even better local source for what everybody needs.”

Grand Mesa Packaging relocated from Cedaredge at the beginning of the year and moved into a portion of the former Halliburton complex at D and 32 roads.

The new location offers nearly 15,500 square feet in one building, Peterson says. That’s more than the total of 10,000 square feet spread over three buildings in Cedaredge and what used to be an apple processing facility.

The move will help in other ways, she says, in eliminating what used to be two or three trips a week from Cedaredge to Grand Junction for deliveries and offering a more convenient base from which to serve customers, most of them in Western Colorado. The new location also better accommodates large trucks bringing in inventory.

Peterson expects to not only increase business-to-business sales from the Grand Junction location, but also set up a retail area where customers can come in to purchase boxes, packing materials and moving supplies. “We want to become like your full-stop shop for packaging.”

It’s another step in the nearly 20-year evolution of Grand Mesa Packaging.

Peterson traces the origin of the company to 2003 and a time she was working in Rifle for a corrugated plastics company. The firm added corrugated paper to the operation and relocated to Cedaredge. The business found a partner in Wasatch Container, a sheet paper company based in Salt Lake City with design, manufacturing and printing capabilities.

One partner was subsequently bought out, and Peterson and Wasatch Container now operate Grand Mesa Packaging.

Peterson works with her daughter and son-in-law, Mandi and Josh Hernandez, as well as Michael Smith, a driver.

Over the years, the operation has grown and along with it annual sales, Peterson says, from just $1,000 that first year to $1.5 million. “Obviously, we would love to expand that.”

Grand Mesa Packaging supplies corrugated boxes, cartons and crates in a wide range of sizes and for a variety of products, Peterson says. That includes packaging for wine and produce as well as mailers and envelopes. The company also provides plastic bags, point-of-sale displays and packaging supplies. The firm’s online catalog includes more than 20,000 items.

In addition, the firm also serves as a distributor for wine and produce bags.

In addition to stock packaging, Grand Mesa Packaging works with Wasatch Container to offer custom packaging and printing, she says.

A number of factors go into designing and manufacturing custom packages, Peterson says, including the products, how many components fit into a single box and how the package will be shipped. Custom-cut foam is available to provide additional protection for products. Grand Mesa Packaging also has responded to increased demand for more efficient and environmentally friendly packaging.

“Each company is special in its own way,” she says.

Grand Mesa Packaging offers flexibility, she says, in accommodating large and small orders. That includes situations in which customers need just one or two stock boxes on short notice. “If we have it, you can pick it up.”

That will help as well to increase retail sales and serving walk-in customers who need boxes and packing supplies.

The COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems have presented challenges and lengthened the lead time required to fill some orders, Peterson says.

But at the same time, demand for packaging has increased along with online sales, she says. Some customers closed retail locations and switched strictly to online sales.

Peterson says she has high hopes for continued demand and continued growth for Grand Mesa Packaging at its new location in Grand Junction. And that keeps her thinking both outside and inside the box.

Grand Mesa Packaging is located at 3199 D Road, Unit B, in Grand Junction. For more information, call (970) 856-4820 or visit the website located at https://grandmesapackaging.com.