How Shorr Packaging Grew from $450M to $1B in 4 Years with CEO Rob Onorato

How Shorr Packaging Grew from $450M to $1B in 4 Years with CEO Rob Onorato

February 19, 2026 · 26 min · Episode 95

About this episode

Rob Onorato discusses how Shorr Packaging grew from $450 million to $1 billion in four years through strategic decisions and leadership philosophy.

How does a 103-year-old packaging distributor double its revenue to $1 billion in just four years? In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Rob Onorato, CEO of Shorr Packaging, reveals the strategic decisions and leadership philosophy that transformed the company from a $450 million regional player into a billion-dollar national distributor. Rob shares the secret behind his first-year strategy with the company: asking questions and listening to customers, reps, and employees. After taking on the role of CEO, he navigated a cyber attack within days, followed by a multi-million dollar failed experiment—proving why "think big, start small, move fast" isn't just a mantra, but a proven framework for scaling distribution businesses. Rob shares unique insights on building high-performance teams by recruiting top distribution talent from outside the packaging industry, creating an ESOP culture that drives employee ownership and accountability, and why their "feet on the street" approach prioritizes customer relationships over transactional sales. Tune in to a conversation that offers practical lessons on scaling businesses, building high-performance teams, navigating…

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