How she shines: Caryn has spent much of her career working closely with the people responsible for keeping facilities clean, safe, and healthy, and she brings a real passion for that work to everything she does.
As Chief Strategy Officer for PortionPac Chemical Corporation, she helps guide the direction of the PortionPac brand, but she has never wanted to lead from a distance. She spends time on-site with customers, cleans alongside them, and listens to the people actually doing the work. She wants to understand what makes their jobs harder, what makes a cleaning program successful, and where better education, processes, or products can make a meaningful difference. That hands-on connection is important to Caryn because she believes cleaning is about much more than the product being used. The process matters. The program matters. Education matters. She is passionate about teaching proper cleaning methods and helping customers build programs that are practical, consistent, and easier for people to follow every day.
Caryn also cares deeply about the broader impact of the work. PortionPac’s concentrated, pre-measured products can help reduce unnecessary chemical use, packaging, and waste, and Caryn works to ensure those benefits are supported by good processes and education so they translate into real-world results for customers.
Her commitment to the cleaning industry extends beyond her work at PortionPac. Caryn is an active member of the ISSA Government Affairs Advisory Committee and has participated in every Clean Advocacy Summit, meeting with lawmakers to advocate for the legislative and regulatory interests of the cleaning industry.
People are also a major part of what motivates her. Caryn is generous with her time, experience, and relationships, and she looks for opportunities to help others move forward in their careers. She makes introductions, encourages people to pursue opportunities, connects them with people who can help, and offers guidance when she can. She is especially passionate about helping women build confidence, expand their networks, and advance professionally.
At the heart of Caryn’s work is a genuine belief in the importance of cleaning and in the people who do it. She cares deeply about helping customers create better cleaning programs, helping people understand the work they are being asked to do, and strengthening the industry by investing in the people who will carry it forward.
Years in the industry: 21 years
Job responsibilities: As Chief Strategy Officer, Caryn leads the strategic direction and growth of the PortionPac brand, with responsibility for market development, marketing, and customer engagement. She works closely with customers, partners, distributors, and internal teams to identify opportunities, strengthen relationships, and ensure PortionPac’s products and programs address the practical needs of the industry.
Her responsibilities include guiding national sales efforts, brand positioning and communications, identifying new markets and opportunities, and helping shape cleaning programs that combine concentrated, pre-measured products with education, standardization, and simplified processes. She also works across leadership, operations, product development, and regulatory teams to align priorities and move new products, programs, and market opportunities from concept through implementation. A significant part of her role is staying connected to customers and the people doing the work, using what is learned in the field to influence product, education, sales, and overall business direction.
Career path: Caryn’s career has never followed a carefully mapped path. It has been built by taking on challenges, learning from them, and finding ways to make a bigger impact in the role she is already in. She joined PortionPac after working in financial services and quickly found herself drawn to the complexity of the cleaning industry and the chance to make a practical difference. From there, her career grew because she kept stretching herself, learning new parts of the business, and taking on greater responsibility.
Caryn is a lifelong learner who is just as interested in regulations, processes, and technical details as she is in strategy, communication, and how the cleaning profession is valued. That combination has allowed her to connect different parts of the business and bring a broader perspective to her work. PortionPac has given her the room to grow within the company, and Caryn has made the most of it by continually expanding her knowledge, responsibilities, and impact. That path ultimately led her to Chief Strategy Officer, a role she has held for nine years.
What continues to make the role meaningful is that there is always more to learn, more to improve, and more ways to contribute. Caryn is deeply invested in the work she is doing today, while also helping others grow by mentoring, encouraging, and opening doors for people as they grow in their careers.
Best advice received: The best career advice Caryn has carried with her did not come from a single person or moment. Much of it came from observation: know your audience, build strong relationships, be honest and honorable, and treat everyone with the same level of respect. Those principles have shaped how she works with customers, colleagues, and industry peers throughout her career. She believes credibility is built over time, and that how you treat people matters just as much as what you accomplish.
Fun fact: People might be surprised to learn how much Caryn values quiet time. She is highly engaged and constantly moving in her professional life, but some of her best thinking happens when she can step away, whether that is walking, running, or sitting outside alone with a good book. Those quieter moments give her space to reflect, reset, and process what is in front of her.