About
Derek Volk
Derek Volk is the owner of Volk Packaging Corporation, a third-generation family-owned and operated corrugated box manufacturer in Biddeford, Maine, and Volk Paxit, a contract packaging fulfillment center in Sanford, Maine. He has been working at Volk Packaging since high school and has been running the company for 20 years. Derek is a Maine businessman, best-selling author, former radio personality, and nationally recognized public speaker. He is a grateful supporter of veterans’ organizations and created the Volk Packaging Heroes Wall as a way to honor members of the US Armed Forces, past and present. Along with his family, Derek was named the 2015 Spurwink “Humanitarian of the Year.” That same year, Maine Biz named Derek to their NEXT List, recognizing him as one of Maine’s business trailblazers. In 2020, Derek was inducted into the Manufacturer’s Association of Maine’s “Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame.”
Derek and his son Dylan have traveled across America speaking to thousands of people in 22 states about autism after authoring the Amazon Best Seller Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum. Derek’s book, which has over 200 Five Star Reviews on Amazon, is available at Chasing the Rabbit website. He and his son have traveled all across the United States sharing their story with tens of thousands of people.
Volk Packaging Corporation has also been the recipient of several awards, including: Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, Institute for Family Owned Business’ Family Business of the Year, and The Wolak Customer Service Award. They are one of the few small manufacturers ever named to Maine Best Places to Work. For additional information about Volk Packaging, visit Volk Packaging Online.
A graduate of the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in Communications, Derek has always been comfortable speaking to an audience. From 2012 to 2018 he hosted a popular Saturday morning radio talk show on WLOB 100.5 FM in Portland.
Derek has been married to Amy Volk, for 34 years. Amy, former State Senate Assistant Majority Leader, served four terms in the Maine Legislature and authored landmark legislation to address human trafficking, as well as legislation benefitting women in recovery, and protecting children from devastating lead poisoning. Amy and Derek, who now live in Saco, are the proud parents of four children. They enjoy visiting their condo in Costa Rica in the winter, relaxing on summer weekends in Lee, Maine and spending time with their granddaughter in Pennsylvania.
The box business is a key economic indicator in any market. With Volk Packaging supplying over 1,000 large and small manufacturers and producers throughout New England, eastern Canada and upstate New York, Derek is uniquely qualified to evaluate the state of manufacturing in Maine and New England in general. His opinion has repeatedly been sought by national experts, including the Wall Street Journal.
Dylan Volk
Dylan Volk is the author of Bad Choices Make Good Stories: My Life with Autism. Dylan’s memoir is a deep look inside the brain of a young man with autism. Bad Choices Make Good Stories: My Life with Autism is also the sequel to the book he co-authored with his father, Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum. After years of what his parents called “the diagnosis of the month club,” Dylan was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of eight. Life has always been challenging for Dylan.
When he was little, he struggled with how to learn the rules and follow directions that often did not make sense to him. As he got older, he was challenged, especially socially, by a world that consistently moved too fast for him to keep up.
Even today, Dylan works hard to figure out what he needs to do in order to get through each day as a 32-year-old adult in a very fast-paced society.
Dylan is currently living in Los Angeles pursuing his goal of earning a living as an entertainer. He enjoys traveling around the country and sharing his story to thousands of people. Dylan hopes his work and presentations about his books are helping families as they navigate through the difficulties of living life on the spectrum.
Dylan’s book and more information is available at www.badchoicesmakegoodstories.com