THE LOCALS
After a small corrugated box plant in Barrie closed their doors the year after he started, Peter jumped in and bought up all their assets. With only a sales orientated background to rely on, the learning curve was a huge one. He had bought the machines to start pumping out boxes but had no idea how to run them and Barrie was not a hotbed of experienced workers to show him how. “I NEVER EVER EXPECTED THE BUSINESS TO GROW TO THE SIZE IT IS TODAY WITH SALES OVER ONE MILLION A WEEK. IT JUST HAPPENED AND I OWE IT ALL TO MY LOYAL EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS, ALONG WITH A LOT OF LUCK.”
Besides the long hours and dedicated days, Peter credits a lot of his success to good luck. In 1982, there was a huge strike in Toronto in the corrugated manufacturing industry; it lasted over 6 months. Instead of sitting back and waiting it out, Peter hopped on a plane and flew to the states. He negotiated to buy corrugated sheets from an American supplier and shipped them to Barrie. Employees at Moore Packaging Inc. worked around the clock and within the six month strike, his business grew four times its size.
In addition, in 2005 peter pledged $250,000 to the RVH cancer treatment centre only to become one of the first patients for radiation treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010. Among the boards he’s chaired and the organizations he’s volunteered for, you wouldn’t get a good sense of Peter if we didn’t tell you about his endless efforts with Barrie Christmas Cheer. It’s an organization that helps over 5000 people during the holidays have a sense of Christmas. In 2004, Peter gave the charity space in one of his buildings as a permanent headquarters. This was the first settled home for the charity in its 37-year history. ‘THERE IS NOTHING OUT THERE THAT WOULD MAKE ME ANY HAPPIER THAN I AM. IN BUSINESS AND MY PERSONAL LIFE, I LOVE BARRIE … A GREAT CITY”
Where is the future going to take Moore Packaging Inc.? Peter has a 5-year plan — to use a new production — which will involve a huge investment. “AS AN ENTREPRENEUR YOU HAVE TO PUT THE HOURS IN AND YOU HAVE TO SEE IF YOU ARE JUST ON THE BANDWAGON OF A FAD BUSINESS OR IF IT’S A BUSINESS THAT HAS LEGS.”
“WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING”
It’s his “Yes we can!” attitude and the loyalty of his customers and employees that continues to grow Moore Packaging Inc. to a team of 220+ strong today. Now with a 200,000 sq. ft. state of the art manufacturing facility and a 500,000 sq. ft warehouse/distribution centre in Barrie, they can compete with anyone! The more successful Peter got the more he gave back. In June 2004, Moore Packaging Inc. which as a company shared Peter’s love of boats, donated a $25,000 dragon boat to the Barrie Public Library. It was a 39-foot green and gold boat used to help teams practice for the annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival. It was in October 2014 that Georgian College received a $250,000 pledge from Peter to create a Change-Maker space at the Barrie campus. It’s an area where students can be creative, research and bring their ideas to life! 96 PIE DIGEST
Moore Packaging Inc. is still in the game because of Peter’s perseverance, competitiveness, and dedication. “I LIKE TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE, NOT THE BACK.”
When will Peter retire? “When it’s not fun anymore!” He has two great kids, Phillip and Steven, and his wife, Pamela, they’ve been together now for over 20 years and they still share so much love. “IF YOU ARE NOT LAUGHING TOGETHER ANYMORE, YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM”
One thing you can be certain of is that when Peter Moore does decide to box up his working life and finally relax, he will be watching the world from behind the helm of a boat.