American Eagle Soars
TYRONE, PA—The paper industry may be contracting, but don't tell that to American Eagle Paper Mills.
A former member of the then-Westvaco family of paper mills, the Tyrone, PA-based facility was shut down in 2001, just as Westvaco was merging with Mead. But backed by the Team 10 ownership group and a $3 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania, the mill reopened last September with 170 employees and an annual goal of producing 90,000 tons of commercial offset, envelope and BRC stock.
American Eagle will cater to customers such as magazine publishers, envelope producers, direct mailers and corporations.
"We've always been owned by a large corporation, but with the restart is an old-fashioned way of doing business," states Pamela Retseck, product manager/business development. "Many people who got other jobs after the mill closed have come back. We've developed a sense of team spirit and the desire to make it. It's nice to see that entrepreneurial spirit."
The company touts itself as a flexible, low-cost producer that will also capitalize on the interest in recycled paper. American Eagle is setting itself apart in a hotly-contested industry; producing a product with 30 percent postconsumer waste that is process chlorine-free. While some of their equipment is mature, it does boast state-of-the-art recycling equipment.
"A lot of people may question, 'Do we need more paper?' I say we need the right paper," Retseck remarks. "The big guys can't make recycled paper economically; they're set up to be virgin pulp mills. We have the combination of location and flexibility that others don't have."
For more information, call Retseck at (215) 579-0622.