Building Quality Across Industries and Through Generations

In June’s edition of Ingram’s magazine, Tension was recognized as one of Kansas City’s 50 Most Impactful Companies. The late Bert Berkley, grandson of the founder, was also honored. Both the Berkleys and Tension have made long-standing contributions to Kansas City. Read the piece in its entirety below.

The iconic Tension Envelopes sign has been part of the Kansas City skyline for more than six decades. While the quality of that sign has brightened our built environment for decades, it is the quality of Tension’s people and products that has kept Tension thriving for 138 years.

“We make it a priority to hire talented, customer-focused Associates. This strategy has provided the foundation for growth and quality products and services to our customers, and the ability to deliver the highest-quality products and services to our customers,” says Bill Berkley, Chairman and CEO.

Tension’s impact goes beyond envelopes, as Bill explains. “We produce much more than envelopes. Our products, from envelopes and printed products, to ecommerce packaging and the filling of prescriptions, help support our everyday lives.”

Today, Tension has three divisions: the Envelope & Print division produces sophisticated mailpieces that include not only the envelopes but also the printed products that go inside them. The Packaging & Automation division builds and designs sophisticated automated systems for the ecommerce and pharmacy industries. The International division, with facilities in Taiwan and China, serves regional customers throughout Asia. In addition to the two manufacturing locations in overseas, Tension has nine production locations in the US.

All divisions share the same vision, which is to bring our customers high-quality products and innovative solutions through collaboration and ingenuity.

Our Roots

How does a company that had “Envelopes” in its name for so many years now have a portfolio that spans industries? To answer that, we can look back at the spirit embedded in Tension’s early years. Founder William J Berkowitz, a creative entrepreneur, saw the prospect to expand his novelties business and become the only envelope manufacturer west of the Mississippi. He quickly capitalized on that opportunity and with his sons, Walter and E.B., he grew the business significantly.

Bert Berkley, grandson of William J and father of Bill Berkley, became president of Tension in 1962. Under his leadership, the company continued to grow steadily, adding more operating facilities and developing new and improved products and processes. “We continued to do things that were different,” Bert Berkley said. “We were awarded patents, and made the first photo envelopes, an example of one of the many patents issued to Tension.” Today, Tension has more patents than all the other envelope manufacturers combined.

At the time Bert was president of the company, his cousin Dick, who was Walter’s son, became secretary and treasurer. Later, Dick would become the only three-term mayor of Kansas City. His love for KC knew no bounds. Dick served as our region’s best ambassador, championing Kansas City both nationally and globally.

Building Quality into Every Product

Quality does not happen by accident. It results from the culture, which from Tension’s founding centers around high standards of excellence, finding a better way, respect for the individual, and giving back to its communities. In the mid-2000s, Tension further formalized its quality focus by integrating Lean Sigma into its operations.

Evolving Business

A plain envelope can get lost sitting in a mailbox among a sea of white envelopes. Tension understood from the beginning that its customers would benefit by mailing envelopes that help them stand out and get opened. Today, Tension is able to create high-end direct mail envelopes with specialized finishes, foil, embossing, and other unique print techniques that are proven to get results.

“More and more, our customers started asking us not only for the envelopes but also for what goes inside them, as well as other printed products.”

-Bill Berkley Chairman of the Board and CEO

“More and more, our customers started asking us not only for the envelopes but also for what goes inside them, as well as other printed products,” stated Bill. Tension’s King of Prussia location, acquired in 2022, produces all varieties of printed products, including direct mail inserts such as buck slips and forms, and creates other printed products like booklets and brochures.

While our product breadth helps set us apart, Tension further distinguishes itself with its Tension Design Group, a dedicated, in-house art department with in-depth understanding of the manufacturing equipment, printing processes, and printing specifications for our customers’ designs.

Tension Packaging & Automation: Evolving Our Core Business Beyond Envelopes

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tension capitalized on its expertise in direct mail marketing by providing customers with envelopes as it began to grow its internet retail business. Drawing on its engineering center of excellence, it was a further natural extension of Tension’s business to begin to design and build the machinery that helped customers automate their processes for packaging orders for delivery. Today, Tension’s Packaging & Automation division provides order fulfillment equipment and technology, software, consumables, service, support, and design solutions for the ecommerce and pharmacy industries. Tension’s growth in ecommerce and pharmacy was boosted by acquisitions that give the company the opportunity to design, engineer, and build its own automation systems in-house.

Setting Ourselves Apart

Tension’s products and processes could not exist without its people, as it is the strong culture that drives successful outcomes for our customers.

“We have been in business for well more than a century,” states Bill. “We incorporate the best of what has made us successful in the past while adapting to the changing landscape as we move forward. This drives a spirit of ingenuity and teamwork among our associates and allows us to fulfill our mission to be a trusted partner to our customers.”