CEO, Absopure Water Company and Plastipak Holdings
Spirit of UDM: Alumni Acienvement Award
2014
Bio:
William C. Young ’64 worked at his family’s Absopure Water Company while he studied electrical engineering at University of Detroit. When the plastics industry was growing in the mid-1960s, he and his father, William P. Young, founded Plastipak Packaging in 1967. He later became chairman, chief executive officer and president of the company.
In addition to bottling the company’s water in plastic blow-molded containers, the company manufactures plastic containers for a wide range of products, from beverages and cleaning products to industrial fluids. The company grew with major corporate accounts, including Kraft Foods and Procter & Gamble. In the 1990s, the company expanded to Brazil and Europe, making plastic pre-forms for beverage bottles. In 1998, Young became the chairman, CEO and president of Plastipak Holdings, the parent company.
Today, the company, which is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, records $2.3 billion in sales and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and seven other countries. Young leads several other subsidiaries of Plastipak Holdings and is president of the Young Family Foundation. He is director of Business Leaders for Michigan and a member of the 21st Century Club. In 2008, he was inducted into the Bottled Water Hall of Fame.
Through his personal donations and those of the Young Family Foundation, he has provided scholarship support to numerous area students, including UDM students. He also helped establish the Dollars for Scholars Willow Run/Ypsilanti chapter to assist college-bound students.
As an advocate for higher education, Young served as a member of the Mercy College of Detroit Board of Trustees and was chair of the UDM Board of Trustees, which he has served on since 1990. Young and his wife, Vivienne, reside in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Distinguished graduate of the College of Engineering & Science ’64, Mr. Young was honored with the Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award on April 11, 2014.
Citation:
Throughout his 47-year career, William C. Young has been a visionary leader of Absopure Water Company and Plastipak Holdings, which includes its subsidiaries of Plastipak Packaging, Inc., Whiteline Express Ltd., Clean Tech Inc., W.P. Young Company and LuxPet.
An innovative strategist in the global packaging industry, he is dedicated to the creative development of plastic containers that reflect socially responsible packaging solutions.
Recognized for his business acumen and leadership, he has served as a board member of Independent Bank and Scholarship America, as well as a director of Midwest Guaranty Bank and Business Leaders of America.
Strongly committed to the advancement of higher education, he supports the Dollars for Scholars
Willow Run/Ypsilanti chapter and other scholarship initiatives. He is a former Mercy College Trustee and Chairman of the UDM Board of Trustees, which he has served on since 1990.