Meet the Team: Steve Holvey, Technical Manager, Materials & Sustainability at Inovar Packaging Group

Steve Holvey serves as the Technical Manager for Materials and Sustainability supporting all facilities at Inovar Packaging Group. His work focuses on helping customers navigate material selection, sustainability initiatives, and evolving industry requirements while finding practical solutions that support their packaging goals.

What Steve enjoys most about working in the packaging and label industry is helping customers solve challenges. Whether it’s identifying the right material, improving recyclability, or addressing technical requirements, he values being part of the solution and helping customers succeed.

One of Steve’s most memorable projects at Inovar has been helping improve the Dallas facility’s EcoVadis sustainability score. The project required collaboration across teams and reinforced the importance of continuous improvement in sustainability efforts.

Steve describes Inovar’s culture as one where teamwork comes naturally. Rather than hearing “that’s not my job,” he consistently hears people asking how they can help. This willingness to support one another is one of the things he values most about the organization.

His approach to problem-solving starts with understanding the technical, business, and sustainability goals of a project. He often uses methodologies such as the 5 Whys and the 4S approach to identify root causes and develop effective solutions. Steve enjoys collaborating with experts across the organization to create solutions that deliver both immediate results and long-term value.

One aspect of his role that continually challenges and helps him grow is keeping pace with the rapidly changing regulatory environment, new material technologies, and evolving customer expectations. Balancing innovation with practical, scalable solutions provides exactly the type of challenge he enjoys.

Steve’s first job was detasseling corn at 13 years old. While the experience taught him the value of hard work, it also helped him realize he wanted to pursue a different career path in the future.

If he could switch jobs with anyone for a day, Steve would choose Warren Buffett. He would love the opportunity to better understand the legendary investor’s approach to decision-making and investing.

A fun fact about Steve is that his family and friends continually encourage him to open a bakery. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time e-biking and kayaking whenever he gets the chance.

If he could have dinner with any historical figure, Steve would choose Nikola Tesla. As someone fascinated by innovation, he would enjoy discussing Tesla’s inventions and learning more about his creative thought process.

When asked if there was anything else he’d like to share, Steve had a simple message: “Bear Down!”