Wow—50 years.
After high school, I graduated from SUNY Albany with both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees —although finishing the master’s was something of an adventure. I took a job while I was still in school to “get some experience”… and somehow, I’m still there 46 years later. That same year, my wife Nancy and I were married, beginning a partnership that has been the foundation of everything since. We now have three children, ages 32 to 42, and six grandchildren ranging from under one year old to 18.
The job I took was with Nice-Pak Products in Mount Vernon. Nice-Pak is best known as the inventor of the Wet Nap and the Alcohol Swab (among other innovations). In 1986, the company relocated its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations to Orangeburg—on 20 acres behind Udelco, of all places. The timing proved fortuitous, as wet wipes soon entered a period of explosive growth.
Over the years, that growth allowed me to work in a wide range of roles with increasing responsibility at Nice-Pak and, later, at PDI—the healthcare and food service company spun off from Nice-Pak in 2008. My career path has spanned manufacturing management, planning and inventory control, marketing, sales, and corporate leadership. It has been a long, challenging, and deeply rewarding journey.
An early stint in sales gave me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, particularly east of the Mississippi. Years later, my role in global development expanded that horizon significantly. From 2004 to 2018, I regularly commuted to our office in Shanghai, an experience that defined a fascinating chapter of both my career and my life. Along the way, I was fortunate to explore much of Asia through side trips that provided unforgettable cultural and personal perspectives.
Community involvement has also been an important part of my life. When our children were young, I coached baseball, basketball, and soccer, and spent several years as a Little League commissioner. Over time, that involvement expanded into the broader nonprofit community. I have served on boards and in advisory roles for several of Rockland County’s leading organizations, including the Rockland Economic Development Corporation, United Way, ARC, Bridges, VCS, and the Center for Safety and Change.
One of our proudest milestones came in 2024, when Nancy and I established the Nancy and Jonathan Kupperman Family Charitable Trust. The trust allows us to make modest annual donations to charitable organizations throughout Rockland County—in perpetuity—which feels like a meaningful way to give back to the community that has given us so much.
Outside of work and service, we love spending time with family and friends and have a strong predilection for travel, trying to take at least one “amazing” trip each year. I’m a fairly accomplished home chef, an unapologetic wine snob, a decent fisherman, and a truly terrible golfer. About three years ago, I finally hung up my cleats after more than 30 years of competitive softball in Rockland County.
So… what’s going on with you?