This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Saturday, friends and customers will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of a Utah company, whose late owner helped found the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City.
The arts center at 144 W. 300 South is located on property where an old adobe house once stood. It was the home of the Wagner family and for years was also the business address of the Wagner Bag Co., which manufactured and distributed packaging materials.
I.J. "Izzi" Wagner, who was born at the home in the rough part of the young city, took over the family bag business when he was 17 years old, shortly after his father died during the Great Depression.
The company expanded and by 1958 was relocated to 2850 S. 900 West. The firm eventually was branded as Wagner Packaging Solutions.
In 1993, the company became the first acquisition of the Los Angeles-based Ernest Packaging Solutions, which today has four other facilities in California, as well as Las Vegas and Reno, Nev., Portland and Houston.
Wagner, after a long and illustrious business career, died in 2005 at the age of 89.
"We are building on our shared histories of innovation and responsive customer service," Charles Wilson, Ernest CEO and chairman said in a statement on Wagner's 100-year mark. "We continue our strong tradition of providing customers the best solutions for their packaging challenges." —
100 years in business
Company • Wagner Packaging Solutions, 2850 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City, founded in 1912 as Wagner Bag Co.
Original location • 144 W. 300 South — site of today's Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
Parent firm • Wagner was the first acquisition of Los Angeles-based Ernest Packaging Solutions in 1993