Walter P. Paepcke led the formation in 1926 of Container Corp. of America, which united several smaller manufacturers of paper boxes and containers and included 14 plants around the country. The enterprise had its national headquarters in Chicago, and by 1928, it operated four plants around the city, including those formerly owned by the Chicago Mill & Lumber Co., the Robert Gair Co., and the Sefton Manufacturing Co. By the mid-1930s, Container Corp. employed about 1,300 area residents. As the company grew, annual sales rose from about $20 million in 1936 to over $400 million by 1965, when Container Corp. employed over 20,000 people nationwide. In 1968, the company merged with Montgomery Ward Co., the giant Chicago-based retailer; the new parent company was called Marcor. In 1976, when Container Corp. had 150 plants around the world, Marcor was purchased by Mobil, the giant oil company. In 1986, Mobil sold Container Corp. to Jefferson Smurfit Corp., another box manufacturer. This company's 1998 merger with the Chicago-based Stone Container Corp., which created the Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., meant that the remnants of Container Corp. were again managed from Chicago. See also Ward (Montgomery) & Co. and Stone Container Corp.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.