What legacy really means: How trust turned transition into transformation

Facing a rare third-generation transition, Morrisette Packaging partnered with Truist Leadership Institute to learn how to navigate legacy, leadership, and growth. Together, they transformed a moment of uncertainty into a breakthrough, setting the stage for an innovative future.

Synopsis

After decades of leading more than 250 employees, Bill Morrisette Jr., CEO of Morrisette Packaging, knew it was time to look toward the future. What he did not anticipate was how difficult that would be. He and his son John had to navigate the emotional weight of legacy, the courage to change, and the trust required to guide the company’s future as both family and peers.

Through Executive Coaching, Legacy Coaching, TORCH Leadership Development Experience, and other leadership development programs, Truist Leadership Institute created space for the family to face unspoken questions about succession and to explore how a culture that honors the past can also shape what comes next. Coaching helped Bill and John see each other in new ways, strengthen communication, and witness their leadership ripple far beyond the boardroom.

Challenges

A multilayered leadership transition saw Bill passing the business to John as other leaders retired.
Leadership transitions within a close-knit family business added emotional and relational complexity.
Underlying tensions around identity, control, and evolving leadership styles made succession more complex.
Ongoing leadership transitions risked straining culture and relationships if not intentionally supported.

Solutions

Executive and Legacy Coaching for Bill and John, including joint sessions with coaches.
TORCH Leadership Development Experience for John, providing a deep dive into self-awareness, a peer forum with other next-generation leaders, and preparation for executive leadership.
Mastering Leadership Dynamics™ and Leading Culture, Change, and Engagement™ for the broader leadership team.
Discovering Conscious Leadership for mid-level leaders and rising talent to build alignment and spread development beyond the executive team.

About Morrisette Packaging

Transcript

00:00:04 - 00:00:20

Bill

Morrisette Packaging was started by my parents in 1962 and has evolved into a leader in paper packaging supply solutions in the southeast United States.

00:00:21:00 - 00:00:31

John

As I started to get to know the family business more and more and became more mature and became appreciative of what it is that we have here, I started thinking, you know, this is the path that I want to take.

00:00:32 - 00:00:46

Bill

Family businesses are complicated for lots of reasons, but the biggest reason is you've got to protect the love and integrity that exists today. And that has to be protected at all costs. My fear and concern is, well, yeah, the business may survive the will the family survive?

00:00:47 - 00:01:10

Jenni

Bill and I met at a community breakfast for United Way. He was telling me when he realized the company that I represented, the Truist Leadership Institute. He said, oh, I need to send my son. He's an upcoming leader in our company. He's going to follow me. And I immediately said to him, “It’s hard to step up, but it's also hard to step away. And maybe there's some support for you there as well.”

00:01:11 - 00:01:24

Bill

I think I'll be one of those people that doesn't want to admit they need help. When I met with Jenni, there was just an immediate connection to the organization and the world class facility that you all have constructed here in Greensboro.

00:01:25 - 00:01:41

John

The executive coaching process has been probably one of the greatest gifts I've had in my career, both personally and for the business. It's helped me dive into what is it that I am extremely good at? What is it that I have to work on? How do I respond in certain situations?

00:01:42 - 00:02:00

Amalia

Each family has their own culture, and it gives you the possibility of accelerating the transition when you partner with somebody whose craft is to just help people talk about the things that you typically don't and see what the impact on those things is on the organization.

00:02:01 - 00:02:17

Bill

You can't do it alone and you need outside professional help. These folks have been around a long time, and they have the resources and facilities to do it. And we've continued to reinforce that learning and continuing education and training matters, and it makes our people feel more satisfied, more valued, more appreciated.

00:02:18 - 00:02:36

John

We have a better sense of where both of us are coming from, and we also have a better sense of how to communicate, especially in moments of conflict. Some of those conversations may have never happened in the past because we didn't have the awareness, we didn't have the perspective of the other, and we didn't have a platform on how to communicate through those difficult moments.

00:02:37 - 00:02:45

Bill

The love that I have for John and vice versa is really special, and if we lose that, then everything else doesn't really matter.

Leadership

Bill Morrisette Jr., Chief Executive Officer
John Morrisette, President
Harrison Hood, Executive Vice President of Sales

Locations

Browns Summit, NC

Founded

1962

Industry

Packaging solutions

Employees

274

Website

Morrisette Packaging

Relationship

Truist Leadership Institute client since 2022

Bill and John Morrisette reflect on decades of growth and the company’s next chapter in Browns Summit, North Carolina.

The decision to face succession head on

Since 1962, Morrisette Packaging has grown from a family-run distributor into a packaging partner that designs, tests, and delivers innovative packaging solutions across various industries. Guided by founder Bill Morrisette Sr.’s philosophy of people first, the company has built its reputation on service and steady growth.

Now the family was preparing for a rare milestone: A third-generation transition. Bill Morrisette Jr. was beginning to step back after decades of leadership. His son, John, was stepping forward as President, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives shaped by his MBA studies. Other longtime executives were nearing retirement, and a new group of leaders, including John’s brother-in-law, Harrison, was rising.

The transition raised questions of identity, family dynamics, and culture. Could a company so rooted in personal connection continue to grow while leadership shifted?

Bill Morrisette Jr, CEO, Morrisette Packaging

A burden becomes a breakthrough

Morrisette Packaging’s partnership with Truist Leadership Institute was already taking shape when several executives completed Mastering Leadership Dynamics™. Soon after, that connection deepened at a United Way breakfast in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Bill met Jenni Marsh, Senior Executive Consultant. Bill shared that he was preparing his son John for leadership. “Jenni told me that it’s hard to step up,” Bill says. “But she also said that it’s hard to step away. That really stuck with me.”

That conversation became the start of a Legacy Coaching relationship that reshaped not only how the family planned for succession but also the way they approached leadership and the hard, personal conversations that come with it.

Succession in a family business carries a weight beyond financial responsibility. “I really had to work through the challenge of letting go after taking over from my father for decades,” Bill says. “For John, it was the pressure of inheriting a legacy while trying to make it his own.”

Both Bill and John described their feelings in the same way. “It was a burden,” John says. “I really had to work through whether this was the right step for me as well as my family.”

Coaching gave them a safe space to talk about what had long been unspoken. With Jenni working with Bill, and Amalia Jansel, Senior Executive Consultant, coaching John, the conversations quickly turned to identity, control, and the emotional toll of transition.

“Families are complex, and businesses are complex,” Jenni says. “When you combine the two, you have a perfect storm. But when things are named, they start to feel lighter.” What was once overwhelming can begin to shrink to something that feels manageable

Bill and John meet with Truist Leadership Institute consultants Jenni Marsh and Amalia Jansel, whose coaching helped turn succession planning into shared leadership.

Parallel coaching, shared courage

Individual coaching was the first step. Jenni and Amalia then brought Bill and John together. These joint sessions gave them space to share openly, guided by partners they trusted.

In one session, Jenni and Amalia described Bill’s experience as his “cornerstone of wisdom” and John’s approach as his “cornerstone of innovation.” Naming and honoring both allowed father and son to see each other with new respect.

“Both Bill and John accepted and answered hard, uncomfortable questions,” Amalia says. “But they went right in. They were both willing to do the work.”

John Morrisette, President, Morrisette Packaging

Wisdom and innovation find balance

Eventually, Bill decided to complete Mastering Leadership Dynamics™, which provides a deep dive for leaders to question who they are and how they lead. His willingness to enter the same program as younger leaders showed that growth is possible at any stage in one’s leadership journey.

“Bill set the tone by demonstrating he was willing to work on himself too,” Jenni says. “That opened the door for everyone else.”

Meanwhile, John embraced TORCH Leadership Development Experience, a 12- month leadership program that pairs next-generation successors with a peer cohort as they move their respective organizations into the next era. The experience combines Mastering Leadership Dynamics™ with a one-day Forum Chartering Session and 10 virtual forum sessions held quarterly. Together, these create a structure of reflection, accountability, and shared growth.

“TORCH has been as impactful as any formal education I’ve had,” John says. “It has taught me to pause, reflect, and show up in ways that are true to me and meaningful to others.”

Together, Bill and John began to balance wisdom and innovation. Bill continued to offer perspective rooted in decades of experience, while John introduced fresh approaches that emphasized service, humility, and fun.

At the heart of that balance was love. Although the word or concept of love rarely surfaces in business conversations, for Bill and John it was central to everything. Their love for one another, their family, and their employees became the anchor that guided them through moments of uncertainty and change. “Love to us is everything because love is synonymous with family,” John says. “There were some hard conversations we had to go through, but it’s all founded from the core of love.” That foundation gave them the courage to face hard truths and continue to grow a business rooted in care.

Culture evolves to embrace innovation

As Bill and John grew, the impact spread across Morrisette’s leadership team. Top executives joined Leading Culture, Change, and Engagement™ to prepare for disruption and transition. Mid-level leaders attended programs like Discovering Conscious Leadership, bringing new awareness and practices to their teams, and strengthening Morrisette’s potential leadership pool.

“Culture doesn’t just happen,” Amalia says. “It takes leaders at every level showing up in consistent ways.”

The shift could be felt across the organization. Leaders began inviting feedback, speaking more openly about challenges, and encouraging new ideas. What had long been a culture of stability was evolving into one where stability and thoughtful innovation could thrive together.

A legacy redefined

The transition reached a milestone at a company event, where John officially stepped into the role of President. Employees shared memories, spoke about their hopes, and celebrated the future. There were tears in the room, not only for what was changing but for what was continuing.

For Jenni, the moment reflected the heart of the journey. “They didn’t just pass the torch,” she says. “They redefined what leadership means for their family and their company.”

For Bill and John, legacy is no longer just about continuity. It’s about growth, respect, love, and the relationships that make a business last.

REAL RESULTS, SHARED BY MORRISETTE

Bill and John developed stronger communication around strategy and decision-making.
John stepped into leadership with a style grounded in service and authenticity.
Morrisette’s culture began to embrace innovation, opening new paths for growth.
A new generation of leaders gained the tools to guide the company into the future.
The Morrisette family—both in name and the company at large—continued to strengthen relationships that define the business and continue the journey into the third generation.

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Related resources

What legacy really means | Truist Leadership Institute

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