Rob Onorato, CEO of Shorr Packaging, joined the Driven by DCKAP podcast to talk through one of the more compelling growth stories in distribution: taking a 103-year-old, employee-owned packaging company from roughly $490 million in revenue to more than a billion dollars in just four years.Â
The conversation with host Karthik Chidambaram covered:
- How Onorato spent his first year in the business listening before leading
- What a cyber attack during his first days as CEO taught him about culture and crisis
- Why Shorr keeps passing on acquisitions in favor of organic growth
It’s a practical look at how a distributor with deep roots can move fast without losing what made it successful in the first place.
Podcast Highlights
Listening Before Leading
When Onorato came in as president ahead of becoming CEO, the board gave him a specific directive: go find out what you have. He spent months on the road with a notebook, asking customers and sales reps what was working and where Shorr had room to improve. That discipline of asking questions before drawing conclusions became the foundation for every decision that followed.
“I had a notebook for the first six months. It was just filled with customer comments and feedback. Then we’d come back, put the team together, and say, are we seeing any common themes? Are there parts of the business that maybe we’ve taken for granted or we’ve neglected? Then we would put our heads together and figure out how to improve it,” said Onorato.
When the board told him to build out his leadership team for growth, he did the same thing; scanning the distribution world broadly rather than packaging specifically, bringing in a COO, CIO, and head of HR who understood how to scale.
Accountability Built In, Not Bolted On
Shorr has been 100 percent employee-owned since 2012, and Onorato said it is the single most important driver of how the company operates. When every employee holds stock in the company, the stakes of customer service become personal in a way no bonus program can fully replicate. He saw it clearly on day one.
“If you’re driving the forklift in the warehouse, you care. You care that that product gets on the truck on time to satisfy that customer. If you’re a customer service rep and that phone rings and that customer’s got a question, you’re answering that immediately. Everybody in the organization knows about it,” Onorato said. That accountability was tested almost immediately when a cyber attack hit within days of him taking over as CEO. Shorr went to manual order processes, contacted every top customer directly, and kept product moving. “We told them we’re not going to let you down,” Onorato said, and the response from customers was supportive because they trusted Shorr’s people to follow through.
“Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast” Means Knowing When to Stop
Onorato has leaned on a three-part growth framework throughout his time at Shorr: think big, start small, move fast. The organic growth strategy has driven expansion into cold chain, sustainability, and contract packaging.
But the same framework also tells him when to stop. Shorr invested millions in building an inside sales group, ran it through a disciplined test, and shut it down when the results weren’t there.
“It was a colossal failure. Our customers want to talk to live people because they’re not buying widgets, they’re buying specific solutions. So despite millions invested, we said lesson learned,” Onorato said.
The contrast with bets that did pay off is instructive. When Shorr began working with a meat stick manufacturer on point-of-purchase displays, the relationship expanded into full-scale kitting, fulfillment, and logistics management for a major Costco account.
Starting small and moving fast let Shorr find the opportunity without overcommitting before the fit was proven. It’s the same discipline that shut down the inside sales group: know quickly whether something works, and act on the answer either way.
More Information
- For more details, visit the Driven Podcast portal or tune in on YouTube or Spotify
- For information about ERP integration, check out the DCKAP Distributor Blog
- Subscribe to the Driven by DCKAP Podcast
About the Driven by DCKAP Podcast
The Driven by DCKAP Podcast is an audio and video show that explores B2B leaders’ stories, digital journeys, and insights on trends in distribution and manufacturing. The podcast is hosted by Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO of DCKAP, who grew the company from a startup to a global team of more than 200 employees. Follow Driven by DCKAP Podcast on YouTube or LinkedIn.
About DCKAP
DCKAP is a leader in digital solutions that help distributors’ systems talk to each other. Its technology simplifies software integrations, e-commerce, and product information management for B2B companies. DCKAP’s flagship product, DCKAP Integrator, helps distributors and manufacturers automate data between ERP, e-commerce, and CRM systems. Founded in 2005, DCKAP is a global and distributed team headquartered in Austin, TX. Visit dckap.com or follow on LinkedIn.
About Shorr Packaging
Shorr Packaging is an industry-leading, award-winning distributor of packaging products, equipment, and services. The company represents best-known packaging product manufacturers and brands in the industry and is one of the largest independent packaging distributors in the nation. Founded in 1922, Shorr is an established, employee-owned company with a long history and success record built on one principle: listen to the customer. To learn more, visit www.shorr.com.
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