walter p. paepcke
Born in Chicago in 1896 and a graduate of the Latin School of Chicago, Walter Paepcke began his career working for his immigrant father at Chicago Mill and Lumber. Walter eventually took over as CEO and began producing cardboard containers and paper. After acquiring several other manufacturing and box companies, Walter formed the very successful Container Corporation of America in 1926, producing packaging for Procter & Gamble, Sears Roebuck, and General Electric. CCA emphasized quality products and artistry, making their boxes stand out.
Aspen, CO was a place Walter and his wife Elizabeth loved to visit in the 1940s. As part of a larger effort to establish Aspen as a skiing and cultural destination, Walter founded the Aspen Ski Company, Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival, and the International Design Conference.
The first chair lift of the Aspen Ski Company, Lift 1, opened on December 14, 1946, and was the world’s longest chairlift at that time. In 1950, the company hosted the first international skiing competition in the United States. The company opened three more ski areas in Aspen and Snowmass in the following decades.
Walter sought a forum “where the human spirit can flourish,” and created the Aspen Institute as a gathering place for writers, musicians, thinkers, and artists. The organization also hosted executive seminars to help business leaders recapture what he called “eternal verities," or the values that guided them intellectually, ethically, and spiritually as they led their companies.
Aspen, CO was a place Walter and his wife Elizabeth loved to visit in the 1940s. As part of a larger effort to establish Aspen as a skiing and cultural destination, Walter founded the Aspen Ski Company, Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival, and the International Design Conference.
The first chair lift of the Aspen Ski Company, Lift 1, opened on December 14, 1946, and was the world’s longest chairlift at that time. In 1950, the company hosted the first international skiing competition in the United States. The company opened three more ski areas in Aspen and Snowmass in the following decades.
Walter sought a forum “where the human spirit can flourish,” and created the Aspen Institute as a gathering place for writers, musicians, thinkers, and artists. The organization also hosted executive seminars to help business leaders recapture what he called “eternal verities," or the values that guided them intellectually, ethically, and spiritually as they led their companies.