Woodstock, IL—62-year-old custom thermoforming company, Dordan Manufacturing, welcomes the 4th generation, positing the packaging thermoformer for multi-generational growth.
Julian Slavin, grandson of Dordan CEO & President Daniel Slavin, is the first of the fourth generation to join the family company. Dordan Manufacturing was founded in 1962 and is a designer and manufacturer of thermoformed packaging solutions.
“I am proud that at his young age he thinks enough of the company and the culture and wants to continue it,” Daniel says. “What Julian has brought is an aggression with regards to his motivation for the growth of the company. By his performance and attitude, he is reinvigorating multiple facets of company.”
Julian began his career at Dordan working in the factory part time in the summers and then transitioned into quality control at 17. Daniel required his grandson to complete college before hiring him long-term, which he did in 2024.
“Julian is a bright, articulate, aggressive individual,” explains Daniel. “He is willing to do anything and everything that is asked of him. While going to college, he worked in the factory—there wasn’t any job that was beneath him and every job he did with the same energy and commitment to doing it well.”
This approach to integrating family members into the company from the ground up isn’t unique to Julian. His father and Dordan GM, Aric Slavin, took the same path, starting in the factory and then working his way up to becoming plant manager, sales manager, and GM. “Most challenges I learned to solve on my own,” Aric comments, “and that was the best thing I could have done.”
Even though Julian has several years of experience under his belt at Dordan, he remains humble, commenting that he needs to better understand Dordan’s processes so he can feel confident talking to anyone about the company. He wants to work in every department at Dordan to learn how all the pieces fit together. He hopes his siblings will join him, commenting that his brother would be such a good salesperson because he’s very charming and charismatic.
Bringing in the next generation comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Any time you add a new family member, different dynamics among the personalities emerge that must be managed to maintain professionalism and productivity.
“With this new generation,” Daniel explains, “it creates obvious family dynamic issues because now I have two father-son dynamics on top of the dynamics among the other family members working at the company.”
For Aric, it isn’t just managing his son and the other personalities at Dordan that is challenging. “When I began my career at Dordan, I didn’t fully understand the commitment required. I had reservations about Julian coming to work at Dordan because being in his position 25 years ago, I didn’t realize what the commitment to the family business really meant—you must be all in all the time.”
Dordan’s transition from first to second generation ownership was easy, as the founder retired shortly after his son, Daniel, took the over. When the third generation joined Dordan, Daniel was still very much in his prime and the corporate culture and management hierarchy already established. With some of its management nearing retirement, there is more opportunity and flexibility for roles, responsibilities, and new ways of doing things.
“For multi-generational companies to succeed,” Daniel says, “new talented people are needed for the continuation of the family business. Just because they’re family, doesn’t mean they’re good for the company. They must bring something to the table and understand the culture and how they fit in. If a family member is talented, then they can continue the legacy.”
For Julian, committing to a career at Dordan is a great honor and one that he intends to treat with care and respect. “I’ve always loved Dordan and I’m excited to grow my skills to be a valuable addition to the family company. I hope I can meet my dad’s and Pa’s high expectations and show them my aptitude through doing, not saying.”
Above: Aric Slavin with son, Julian