Cullman-based Rusken Packaging has been named Partner of the Year by Fruit of the Loom. According to officials, a big part of that success came from — no pun intended — thinking outside the box.

Fruit of the Loom selects its annual Partner of the Year from more than 100 suppliers and vendors, and measures them all with a stringent rubric that takes into account everything from potential order delays, to quality control. For 2016, Rusken Packaging came out on top.

“This award speaks to your partnership with Fruit of the Loom, and we depend on companies like you to keep pace and innovate right along with us,” Fruit of the Loom’s Director of Purchasing Ken Fitzpatrick said.

In 2016, Rusken provided nearly 17 million boxes to Fruit of the Loom, with a 2.3 day lead time from order to delivery. Rusken also had zero quality issues in 2016.

Fitzpatrick said it’s that commitment to quality and timely delivery that landed the company the traditional eagle statue they award to the annual top selection.

Greg Rusk, owner of Rusken Packaging, said he was proud of the partnership his company shares with Fruit of the Loom and honored to earn the designation.

“We’re so thankful you trust us with your business, and y’all are very important to us, as well,” he said. “We have a lot of good folks, in a great community, who take pride in their work to make sure we’re the best. We want to help you succeed and prosper, because if you don’t, neither do we.”

In addition to being named Vendor of the Year, Rusken was also named one of Fruit of the Loom’s Top Ten Partners for 2016.

Rusken Packaging is a manufacturer of corrugated shipping containers based in Cullman.