Fort Howard Paper Company

Paper bales outside the Green Bay mill

Austin E. Cofrin founded the Fort Howard Paper Company in 1919. It was named after Fort Howard, a 19th century U.S. Army fortification located along the west bank of the Fox River in Green Bay.[3][4]

In the 1930s, the company began experimenting with recycled paper production.[1]

In 1960, Austin E. Cofrin stepped down as CEO, and handed control of the company to his son, John P. Cofrin.[1][4]

In 1971, the company was taken public, and common stock was offered.[1]

In 1976, the company began construction on its second facility in Muskogee, Oklahoma.[1]

In 1980, the company acquired The Harmon Group of New York City. They also expanded internationally by acquiring The Sterling Group of Manchester, England.[1]

In 1983, they purchased the Maryland Cup Corporation, the largest manufacturer of paper and plastic food products.[1][4]

In 1988, the company was taken private, and in 1989 they sold their cup operations, because it was not cost effective.[1]

In 1997, the company merged with another Green Bay paper company, the James River Corporation. The new company became the Fort James Corporation.[1][4] Three years later, the Fort James Corporation was acquired by Georgia-Pacific.[1]

In 1990, the Fort Howard Paper Company was recognized with the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator’s Award for Recycling Leadership.[1]

In 1991, they received the National Recycling Coalition Award for Recycling Innovation as well as the American Paper Institute’s Environmental and Energy Achievement Award.[1]

The historical records of the Fort Howard Paper Company are housed at the Area Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.[5]