Brian Hunt named president of Southern Champion Tray

Southern Champion Tray LP is proud to announce the appointment of Brian Hunt as president, effective July 1.  Hunt follows John Zeiser, who has served as president since 1993 and recently celebrated 40 years with SCT. Southern Champion has operations in Chattanooga, Tenn., Mansfield, Texas, Fairfield, Ohio, and a 300,000 square-foot expansion is under way in Chattanooga. John Zeiser will become chairman of the board, and his brother, Bruce Zeiser, will serve as vice chairman.

“While our family will remain active and fully committed to SCT, we are confident in Brian’s abilities to lead the company into its next chapter of growth," said John Zeiser. "Brian is a proven leader who values people and has more than 30 years’ experience in the paperboard industry. He has been an integral part of SCT’s growth since 1999, serving in progressive leadership roles including general manager, vice president of operations and most recently, chief operations officer. Brian’s strong technical skills and industry expertise will be critical to guide our growth.”

Hunt is the first non-family president of Southern Champion and will be responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company, leading over 850 associates in continuing the company’s 95-year track record of growth and service along with its values-based culture and mission.  

Hunt currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Paperboard Packaging Council, the industry association serving North American suppliers and converters of all forms of paperboard packaging. He is a past president of the Chattanooga Kiwanis Club and has served on the boards of multiple non-profits in the Chattanooga community including Goodwill Industries, Tennessee National Federation of Independent Businesses, and Chattanooga Area Red Cross. He and his wife, Judy, reside in Chattanooga.

“I am grateful for the confidence the Zeiser family has placed in me to lead the company," Hunt said. "I am blessed to work each day with an incredibly servant-hearted team and am inspired by their dedication and drive to succeed. I’m humbled to be given this opportunity, and look forward to continuing our 95-year history of serving the customers who place their trust in us for their packaging needs.”

Established in 1927 and headquartered in Chattanooga, SCT is a third-generation, family-owned company that serves customers in the bakery, food service, institutional, and retail packaging market segments, and distributes products throughout North America including Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.

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