NASHVILLE—Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd along with Resolute Forest Products U.S., Inc. officials announced the company will invest $270 million to undertake a major expansion at its pulp and paper mill located in Calhoun. Resolute Forest Products, a top global paper products manufacturer, is one of McMinn County’s largest employers and through this expansion, will create 105 new jobs.
“We want to thank Resolute for expanding in Tennessee and for the new jobs they’re creating in Calhoun and McMinn County,” Haslam said. “We think it says a lot when companies like Resolute, who can choose to do business anywhere in the world, continue expanding here, and today’s announcement is another step toward our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“Resolute and the jobs they provide make a major impact in Calhoun and McMinn County,” Boyd said. “They’ve been a cornerstone of this community since 1954 and this investment is a big vote of confidence in the quality of our state’s workforce. We’re focused on giving Tennesseans access to quality education so companies like Resolute have a pipeline of talented workers to ensure success for decades to come.”
“Resolute’s entry into the tissue market involves the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility at our Calhoun plant, which will employ the very latest technology to manufacture tissue for use in the at-home, premium private label tissue market, including bath tissue and towel. Once fully operational, Resolute will produce high-quality products at one of the most competitive and efficient tissue operations,” Richard Garneau, Resolute President and Chief Executive Officer, said. “This is an important step forward for Resolute as we execute our growth strategy in a way that maximizes our ability to capture synergies and deliver superior value for customers.”
Resolute will build a new, state-of-the-art facility to manufacture approximately 60,000 metric tons per year of at-home, premium bath tissue and towel, focused on the growing private label market.
The company’s tissue paper machine and converting operations will be built at the Calhoun mill. This expansion represents the largest investment made by Resolute since 2010.
“We want to thank Resolute for their continued faith in the McMinn County workforce, as made evident by this $270 million investment. We understand they had other options, but they chose us and for that we are humbled and truly grateful,” McMinn County Mayor John Gentry said. “Resolute continues to diversify and pivot with the changing market demands. We are indeed both fortunate and proud they will continue to call McMinn County home for many years to come.”
“TVA congratulates Resolute Forest Products on its recent announcement of expansion plans involving major investment and adding more than 100 new jobs in the Calhoun community,” TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley said. “We, along with the state of Tennessee and community economic development partners, celebrate Resolute’s continuing business success and longstanding commitment to grow in the Tennessee Valley.”
Resolute’s Calhoun mill, established in 1954 as one of the earliest newsprint mills in the southern United States, is located on the Hiwassee River in Calhoun, Tenn. The paper mill is one of the largest in North America as a result of continued expansion and investments, and employs a workforce of more than 500 people.
Construction on the tissue project will begin in early June 2015 with production expected to start in the first quarter of 2017.
Calhoun and McMinn County are represented by Sen. Mike Bell (R – Riceville) and Rep. John Forgety (R – Athens).
About Resolute Forest Products
Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including newsprint, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. The company owns or operates some 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea, and power generation assets in Canada. Marketing its products in close to 80 countries, Resolute has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to at least one of three internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. The shares of Resolute Forest Products trade under the stock symbol RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Resolute and other member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada, as well as a number of environmental organizations, are partners in the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The group works to identify solutions to conservation issues that meet the goal of balancing equally the three pillars of sustainability linked to human activities: environmental, social and economic.
Resolute is proud to be ranked by Corporate Knights as one of Canada’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens for 2014. In addition, the company and Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer, have been named to Canada’s Clean50. And in January 2015, Resolute was awarded The New Economy magazine’s global Clean Tech Award for best forestry and paper solutions.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Tennessee was named 2014 and 2013 “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
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