Gorham Paper and Tissue, the last paper plant in the North Country, will soon be operating again – but with far fewer workers...
The plant was closed for about a month while officials considered a new business strategy, but now they have it worked out, said CEO Mike Cummings.
Two of the three paper machines that were running earlier this year will start within the next week or two. They’ll produce tissue paper and the type of paper towels typically found at gas stations, Cummings said.
The plant won’t be running the third machine. It produced paper used for printing reports and packaging.
“We will be employing about 100 on a regular basis starting next week.”
On January 1st the plant had 210 workers.
The core of the North Country’s economy was once paper plants but international competition killed all of those off except for Gorham.
It was closed when – in 2011 - a private investment firm, Patriarch Partners, purchased it and made improvements including buying a new paper machine for about $35 million.
