Atlanta packaging company has a new chief

Michael Doss, a 25-year veteran of Graphic Packaging, recently stepped in as chief executive of the Atlanta maker of consumer packaging.

He replaced David Scheible, who headed the company for 17 years. Scheible will remain chairman of the company through its May 25 annual shareholder meeting.

"David and I have worked together over the past several years to transform Graphic Packaging into a pure-play global paperboard packaging company with a clear profitable growth strategy," Doss recently told investors in a conference call discussing the company's 2015 financial results. "I am proud of the work we've done, and even more excited about the company's future," he said, according to a recent transcript of the call on Seeking Alpha.com.

Graphic Packaging said its profit increased almost 160 percent last year, to $230 million, from $89 million in 2014. Revenue declined 2 percent last year, to $4.16 billion.

Doss, 49, took over as CEO on Jan. 1. He was named president last year.

Doss recently told investors that his focus will be on investing in the company’s core paper mill and packaging business, controlling costs, and making “strategic acquisitions.”

In 2015 and so far this year, he said, the company has completed five acquisitions and announced another.

So far this year, the company has announced plans to buy Colorpak, a carton supplier with operations in Australia and New Zealand, and acquired carton manufacturer Walter G. Anderson, with plants in Minnesota and Iowa.