James River Corporation
 | |
| Industry | Pulp and paper |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with Fort Howard Paper Company |
| Successor | Fort James Corporation |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Defunct | 1997 (merger) |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
Key people | Miles Marsh, CEO[1] |
| Revenue |
 $5.7 billion[1] (1996) |
 $157 million[1] (1996) | |
Number of employees | 23,000[1] |
James River Corporation was an American pulp and paper company based in Richmond, Virginia.[2] The James River Corporation was once the largest paper manufacturer in the world.[2]
History
The company was founded in 1969 as the James River Paper Company by Brenton Halsey and Robert Williams, with the purchase of Ethyl Corporation's Specialty Papers Division.[2] Halsey and Williams were both former employees of Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company.
In 1973, the company changed its name to the James River Corporation.[2]
In 1982, James River acquired the Dixie/Northern division of American Can Company.[3]
In 1986, James River acquired the fine paper mill assets of Crown Zellerbach, making them the largest paper manufacturer in the world.[2] The brown paper division of CZ became Gaylord Container Corporation.
James River began producing 100 percent recycled paper products in 1991 at its mill in Green Bay, Wisconsin.[3] Some of the products included Recycled Northern Bath Tissue, Recycled Brawn Towels, and Recycled Northern Napkins. Also that year, the company sold twenty-two paper mills to Specialty Coatings Group.[4]
In 1997, the company merged with the Fort Howard Paper Company of Green Bay, forming the Fort James Corporation.[2][5] At the time of their merger, James River was one of the largest paper manufacturers, with 60 manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe.[1]
In 1998, Halsey and Williams, the company's founders, were both inducted into the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame.[6] [7]
Legacy
The historical records of the James River Corporation are housed at the Virginia Historical Society.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "James River Corp.". Washington Post. April 28, 1997. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "James River Corporation". Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- 1 2 "Green Bay operations". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; James River to Sell Special Paper Unit". New York Times. March 19, 1991. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Paper Product Firms in $5.8-Billion Merger". Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1997. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Brenton Halsey". Paper Industry International Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Robert Williams". Paper Industry International Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 18, 2016.