Business News
Coker, Schrum and Tiede Elected Sonoco Officers
Wednesday 11. February 2009 - Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest global packaging companies, today announced that R. Howard Coker, vice president and general manager, Rigid Paper and Closures, North America; Roger P. Schrum, vice president, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs; and Rob C. Tiede, vice president and general manager, Flexible Packaging; have been elected corporate officers, according to Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., Sonoco chairman, president and chief executive officer.
Coker is responsible for Sonoco’s 21 rigid paper container and seven metal and peelable membrane convenience closure operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He reports to Rodger Fuller, vice president, Global Rigid Paper and Closures. Coker began his career with Sonoco in 1985 and has served in a variety of sales, manufacturing and management positions. Prior to his most recent assignment, he served as division vice president and general manager, Sonoco Phoenix; director of sales, Rigid Paper and Plastics, North America; and general manager, Rigid Paper and Plastics, Asia/Pacific.
Coker is a 1985 graduate of Wofford College with a B.A. degree in business administration and received an M.A. degree in business administration from Wake Forest University in 1990.
Schrum is responsible for the Companys investor relations, corporate communications and corporate affairs activities. He reports to DeLoach. Prior to joining Sonoco in 2005, Schrum was vice president, Human Resources and Communications for NorthWestern Corporation. He also served as general manager, Marketing Communications and Public Affairs for SCANA Corporation and held communications management positions with Ashland, Inc. and Diamond Shamrock Corporation.
Schrum is a 1977 graduate of Pittsburg (Kansas) State University with a B.S. in education and journalism and completed the Executive Development Program at the Indiana University Graduate School of Business.
Tiede is responsible for Sonoco’s North American flexible packaging operations, including seven flexographic and rotogravure converting and two cylinder engraving and flexographic plating operations in the United States and Canada. He reports to Charles Sullivan, executive vice president, Consumer.
Tiede joined Sonoco in May 2004 as president of Sonoco CorrFlex following the acquisition of the CorrFlex Graphics’ point-of-purchase merchandising display and supply chain management business. Tiede also was president of Bostic Packaging/CorrFlex, president of Sterling International and executive vice president of Graphic Packaging International, Inc. Tiede received a diploma in Business Administration from Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1980 and is a chartered accountant with the Canadian Institute of Charted Accountants for Manitoba and Canada.