WestRock CEO Steve Voorhees named executive papermaker of the Year

PaperAge announced that Steve Voorhees, Chief Executive Officer of WestRock, is the recipient of the 29th annual “Executive Papermaker of the Year” award. An exclusive interview with Mr. Voorhees will be published in the March/April 2016 issue of PaperAge. PaperAge selects its Executive Papermaker of the Year based on corporate vision, strategic objectives and strong leadership both within the individual’s company and in the paper industry as a whole. The award has been an industry tradition since 1988. In January of 2015, Voorhees, who at that time was CEO of RockTenn, announced that RockTenn would merge with MeadWestvaco “to create a new, more powerful company with leadership positions in the global consumer and corrugated packaging markets.” The deal created WestRock, which would have a combined equity value of $16 billion. Following the merger, WestRock acquired SP Fiber Holdings, a producer of recycled containerboard and kraft and bag paper. The acquisition is expected to produce significant synergies and better position WestRock to serve the increasing demand for lighter weight containerboard and kraft paper. In a continuation of strategic moves, WestRock in October formed a joint venture in Mexico with Grupo Gondi, whereby the two companies combined their operations in Mexico, creating a leading paper and packaging company in that country. In January of 2016, WestRock completed the acquisition of Cenveo Packaging, a leading provider of value-add folded carton and litho-laminated display packaging. “By combining our operating expertise in folding cartons and integrating WestRock paperboard with Cenveo Packaging’s packaging and printing capabilities, we will be able to better serve our customers while generating significant synergies and performance improvements,” Voorhees explained at the close of the deal.