Southern Champion Tray (SCT), one of North America's longest-running independent foodservice packaging manufacturers, has promoted Tyler Siira to President effective July 1, 2026. Siira, who previously served as the company's Chief Financial Officer, steps into the role as Brian Hunt continues as Chief Executive Officer — a dual-executive structure the Chattanooga-based firm says is designed to accelerate growth heading into its centennial decade.
Siira's Background
Siira brings a cross-disciplinary résumé unusual for a packaging-sector president. Before joining SCT, he held the position of Vice President and Treasurer at Unum Group and ran his own manufacturing business, DCI Manufacturing, as Owner and President. He holds a BS in Accounting from Bryan College and an MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain. That mix of corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and hands-on manufacturing experience positions him to manage both the operational complexity of a multi-site packaging operation and the margin pressures that foodservice and bakery customers face in the current supply-chain environment.
What It Means for Customers
For operators sourcing bakery and foodservice packaging, SCT's leadership change arrives at a moment when paper-based packaging suppliers are navigating elevated fiber costs, sustainability mandates, and growing demand for custom retail-ready solutions. SCT serves customers across the bakery, foodservice, institutional, and retail packaging segments, distributing products throughout North America — including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America — from facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Fairfield, Ohio; and Mansfield, Texas.
Hunt's endorsement of Siira, citing his "extensive background and vision for the future," signals a deliberate succession of operational leadership rather than a reactive restructuring. With more than 950 team members across three facilities, the company's scale makes internal continuity particularly valuable for the bakery and restaurant supply chain customers that rely on consistent production output and service relationships.
Founded in 1927 and still family-owned in its third generation, SCT has built its competitive identity around responsiveness and service depth — attributes that become strategic differentiators as larger commodity packaging players consolidate. Siira's community involvement in Chattanooga, including board roles at several local civic and arts organizations, also reinforces SCT's positioning as a regionally rooted, relationship-driven supplier in a consolidating packaging market.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
