Alumni Spotlight: Page Clayton

Alumnus Page Clayton is from Exmore, Virginia, on the eastern shore. Clayton says he chose Virginia Tech because there was a large offering of interesting majors and he had entered as undecided. He ended up choosing packaging “because it was a mix of many different disciplines and I felt that the industry was very hands-on and allowed you to have an impact.… I enjoyed the feel of the program and the department it was in. In the future I wanted to be able to make a difference by using more sustainable biomaterials in packaging.”

Clayton completed his bachelor’s degree in packaging systems and design in 2015 and his master’s degree in 2018. His graduate research investigated “The Effect of Corrugated Boxes on the Distribution of Compression Stresses on a Pallet.” His analysis found that box size can have a significant effect on the deflection of pallets, which means that pallets can carry more or less weight/product based on the size of the boxes in the unit load. His research has helped engineers design pallets in a more sustainable way.

Some of his most helpful courses were the ones focusing on wood science, plastics, packaging dynamics, and warehousing/distribution. These classes grabbed Clayton’s interest because he realized that all of them taught knowledge that would “ultimately affect how a packaging engineer appropriately selects the packaging system they chose. There are many more important classes that expand on these topics, but I feel those four are the ones that build the foundation.”

But the best part of his time at CPULD was his yearlong Distribution Packaging Internship, specifically, his work in the distribution packaging laboratory. This internship began with a retreat in May full of team-building exercises for all of the program’s interns and then consisted of a full-time job all summer helping in the testing lab. Clayton said the best part of the work was “learning how to perform all the tests and taking on some exciting projects from real clients.”

Now Clayton works as packaging sales engineer at Litco International in Vienna, Ohio. Litco is a long-standing supporter of Virginia Tech’s packaging program and one of the Silver level members of the Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. His general responsibilities include selling engineered wood products, writing technical information for the company, maintaining product inventory, and assisting manufacturing on new developing projects. Between his internship with CPULD, an internship with the Packaging Corporation of America, and his current engineering job, Clayton worked with many different helpful engineering and design software packages such as EskoArtos CAD, SAS JMP, and Best Load/Best Pallet.

Clayton credits his education at CPULD as being a big help at his current job. “My education background in wood, pallets, and polymers has helped me to excel at my job where we bind together repurposed wood fibers to create packaging solutions,” he explained. “An average day involves contacting current clients, prospecting for new business opportunities, testing and evaluating products, editing documents for advertisements, and managing our new product line.”

The position at Litco International fits Clayton well. On his LinkedIn profile, he shares that “I’m highly interested in packaging and systems design. I love the idea of taking a single product or SKU and designing the package to optimize its performance throughout its life cycle. However, at the same time I want to be able to provide a sustainable solution. One that provides the client and the consumer a happy medium, while appeasing my goals (sustainability) and ethics (resource management) realistically. Sustainability is more than just cutting costs and saving money in the short run. It’s reducing the effect a product takes from our stores of resources whether they be renewable or nonrenewable.”

While at Virginia Tech, Clayton received his ISTA’s Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional (CPLP) – Technician level certificate during his summer as a lab assistant. At Litco, he’s continuing to build his CV by working on another certification, the Certified Packaging Professional, through the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

Clayton enjoys living in the Ohio countryside. “I’ve lived in the country both by the ocean, in the mountains, and hills. I think it’s more preferable compared to the city.” He has been married for about a year to Shuo Huang, whom he met at Virginia Tech. His hobbies include plastic modeling and terrain building for tabletop games. For social activities, he attends a local gaming club, and he enjoys tending to his balcony garden and going to the dog park with his wife and their dog, Leo. A lot of his free time, both pre- and post-pandemic, is spent with his wife and dog. In fact, he said, “If I were an animal, I would have to be a Chow Chow, it’s the only dog breed I have ever owned and there is just something about their personalities that I relate to.”