Season's greetings from the local Visy family celebrating 20 years in Wodonga

This is branded content for Visy.

Over two decades, Visy's cardboard box manufacturing facility in Wodonga has become more than a centre for employment but a part of the community.

This year marked 20 years in the region with impressive production numbers - more than eight billion boxes and packaging solutions have been crafted at the site for thousands of local businesses.

Successive waves of investment at the site have helped grow partnerships with over 3,000 customers, 108 of them working with Visy for the full 20 years.

Beyond the boxes, it's the people and the sense of community that Visy has loved being a part of.

And Visy has been backing the community since the beginning. To celebrate its anniversary, through the Pratt Foundation, Visy donated $100,000 to Wodonga Hospital for upgrades to its Maternity Unit and Special Care Nursery. This donation will enable the purchase of 30 new Atom NeoCots as well as new intravenous poles.

Angela McCully, a staff member at Visy's Wodonga factory for 14 years, said the donation holds special significance for her because her two daughters, now aged nine and 11, were both born at Wodonga Hospital.

"I'm proud to be celebrating Visy's 20th year in Wodonga," Angela said. "It's great Visy is making this donation to the hospital. Local families will really benefit from the upgraded facilities."

It's the team's involvement and love for the region that has grown this strong community connection.

Ricky Skey, the operations project manager, vividly recalls the journey of relocating to Wodonga 20 years ago and has enjoyed witnessing Visy's growth alongside the community's growth over the years.

"Wodonga has become home to my family," he said. "What truly sets Visy Wodonga apart is its deep-rooted connection with staff and the community."

Multiple generations of families now proudly call Visy's Wodonga site their workplace.

Mark Bain, another operations manager at Visy Specialties, works alongside his daughter, Kealy.

Working with Kealy is a recent benefit of working at Visy for Mark, who has built a successful career with the business.

"I walked into the Wodonga site 20 years ago as a process worker with an ambition to become a supervisor; fast forward 20 years and I am a site operations manager," Mark said.

The Visy team has formed a community within the community. "I enjoy the job and the friendships that have evolved over the years," long-term employee Drew Deary said.

"I think my favourite memories over the years are seeing how everyone in the company, regardless of position, gets around other team members in times of need."

Long-term employee James Wallace has had a similar experience. "I'll be forever grateful for the assistance that I received while my wife was having cancer treatment in Melbourne," he said.

"Helping with transport, and accommodation helped get through a tough time."

Visy is looking forward to another great year in 2024 and beyond, thanks to the commitment of its employees and support from the community.

As its milestone anniversary year draws to a close, the Visy family wishes the community a very happy and safe festive season.