From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A basic 16 ounce Solo cup.

Solo Cup Company is a manufacturer of consumer packaging products: disposable beverage cups, disposable plates and bowls. Solo Cup Company is located in Highland Park, Illinois. The founder and owner for many years of Solo Cup was Leo Hulseman. His wife was known for her stage name Dora Hall. Leo Hulseman was also the founder and owner of Premore Inc. Premore was a TV Production company on the Culver Studios lot for may years in the 1970s-1980s and later moved to North Hollywood. Solo Cup Company is still privately owned and run by the Hulseman family. Current CEO Robert M. Korzenski took over from is Robert L. Hulseman in Aug. 2006. Robert L. Hulseman is the son of the founder, Leo Hulseman and became CEO in 1998. Robert M. Korzenski had been with Sweetheart Cups for over 10 years. Solo Cup Company had 2006 sales of $2.4 billion.

In March 2004 Solo acquired Sweetheart Cup Co. for $917.2 million, in part, with public debt. Since then, Solo has been hit with higher prices for plastic resin and an inefficient information technology system. Solo executives have hired a consulting firm to find ways to cut costs and increase manufacturing efficiencies.

Solo Cup customers include Starbucks, Così, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods, as well as many universities, such as the University of Connecticut.

Red Solo plastic cups have become synonymous with underage drinking and binge drinking in the United States. Although ostensibly first used as a more discreet alternative to simply drinking beer straight from the can or bottle or in a transparent cup, today a red Solo cup, especially in a collegiate setting, is considered more likely to contain an alcoholic beverage than not. Solo cups have become the cup of choice for Beer Pong and Flip Cup on college campuses. It is not clear why red cups are used with such disproportionate frequency in this context, even though the cups are produced in other colors.

The most noted and played Dora Hall TV show (1979) was Rose On Broadway with Frank Sinatra Jr., Dora Hall, Donald O'Connor and Scatman Crothers. She also has TV special called Once Upon a Tour. Her Songs are found on Premore and Cozy Records Labels.

Premore Produced Children TV shows like: "Tony the Pony" (like the later "Barney"), "The Clifford Avenue Kids" (like "Our Gang"). Premore's Television studio stage, Remote Truck and Post Production was used for Dora Hall's Shows and rented for TV Specials and TV Sports.

Leo Hulseman (1898-1989) was a former employee of the Dixie Co. in the 1930s. Leo created the "Solo Cup," a paper cone he made at his home and sold to bottled-water companies. He founded the Solo Cup Company in 1936. He came up with other products like wax-coated cups and the plastic Cozy Cup. Leo was an active Polo player. A few years afters Leo died Premore Inc was closed.

• Solo Cup
• Struggled after acquisition of its rival. October 20, 2006, Chicago Business.
• Forbes Report
• CNN Money profile
• Dora Hall web site
• Culver City Studio

This article related to a manufacturing company is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.