The family-owned Acme Paper & Supply celebrates its 75th anniversary in business.
When Andy and Keith Attman were growing up in the 1980s, they used to visit their father, grandfather and uncle at work at the Acme Paper & Supply Co.
“We were filing. They would give us invoices and we’d put them in alphabetical order,” says Andy Attman, now Acme’s vice president. From a young age, he says, he and his brother learned the values of a strong work ethic, giving back to the community, and treating employees and customers right.
Today, Andy and Keith are among the third generation — in addition to their older brother, Scott, and their cousins, Michael and Shelby — in the family company started by their grandparents, Edward and Mildred Attman, in a small, rented garage in Baltimore.
This year, Acme celebrates its 75th anniversary in business. “It’s a tremendous milestone and achievement,” says Acme Co-CEO Ron Attman. “A family business making it to the third generation and lasting 75 years is a very rare occasion. It’s something we’re really proud of and don’t take for granted.”
The Jessup-based Acme is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of disposable food service packaging, hygiene and facilities solutions, restaurant equipment and supply, retail and industrial packaging, and custom-designed packaging. The company has thousands of clients across multiple industries.
In addition, the company’s headquarters and warehouses in Jessup and Richmond, Va., encompass more than 10 million cubic feet of space.
“One of the greatest things we’ve done is grow this business from what was six products in a 1,500-square-foot warehouse my father and mother started to multiple warehouses [across the mid-Atlantic] where we deliver today on a daily basis,” says Steve Attman, also a co-CEO.
Ron Attman recalls the long hours put into the business by his father during Acme’s early years.
“He’d get home in time to watch ‘I Love Lucy’ on Monday nights, and my mother would keep me up so that we could see each other,” he says. “Even though Acme was open five days a week, my father worked Saturday nights and Sunday mornings at Attman’s Deli to help the family subsist.”
The third generation of Acme leaders appreciate their grandfather’s entrepreneurship and business savvy. “It’s amazing to know my grandfather started the business out of the trunk of his car — true hustling,” says Andy Attman. “It’s an honor to be able to carry on the legacy.”
Edward Attman, who died in 2016 at age 95, always advised his grandsons, “Be the guy showing something new.”
Currently, eight of the family members work together at Acme, spanning the generations.
The third generation joined the business by choice, continuing the family legacy. “It’s great to be able to work with your family, but it doesn’t necessarily define the family,” says Keith Attman, vice president of supply chain. “If you’re not in the family business, that doesn’t mean you’re not part of the family. That’s so crucial for people to understand that we weren’t forced into this.”
The family looks at the older generation as an example of staying close. “My parents really set the bar high,” says David Attman, Acme’s president. “My dad was one of three sons and they got along fantastic. My parents always emphasized how important we should all be to each other.”
For the Attmans, it’s not just about their family but the entire team of almost 250 employees working at Acme.
“We have so many people who have been here for 10, 15, 20 or 30 years,” says Keith Attman. “It’s great to have this extended family that’s outside of our own. What we do isn’t to support our family, it’s to support the families of those people who work here.”
Says Steve Attman: “We take a lot of pride in how we’ve impacted our clients’ successes. The culture here at Acme, with our tremendous crew, is driven to make Acme successful and the customers happy every day.”
For example, Acme worked closely with the House of Representatives’ food service team in Washington, D.C., in the early 2000s to create a completely compostable product system at all of their facilities. The third generation of Acme leaders saw the opportunity to get into the sustainable food service product business before it was popular.
In honor of its 75th anniversary, Acme has committed to supporting 75 nonprofits — many of them Jewish organizations — with donations and volunteer time.
“My parents really took a lot of pride in charity work,” says David Attman. “My father always felt it was important to give to everybody, even if you can’t do the nth degree for everybody, but do something for people.”
The family recognizes the importance of tzedakah, a value passed down from the older generations, starting with family patriarch Harry Attman, who founded Attman’s Delicatessen of Lombard Street in 1915.
“Giving back to the community is a huge part of what we do,” says Andy Attman. “We’re fortunate enough to have what we have. We need to be able to help others and give back.”
Anna Lippe is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer.
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