Submitted by Karen Shexnayder
Nassau County Economic Development Board
October 21, 2015 10:11 a.m.
Nassau County site to be the new home for their Southeast processing facility
Akron, Ohio-based River Valley Paper Company, a manager, processor and exporter of waste paper, has chosen Yulee, Florida as the new home for their Southeast processing facility. The move brings their processing operations closer to their regional sales office, which has been a part of the Nassau County community for 10 years. The company also has a processing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan and markets recovered paper throughout North America, and exports worldwide.
“Our existing businesses are crucial to the success of our county’s economy. This is by definition economic gardening at its best. Fernandina Beach has been the home to River Valley Paper Company’s sales office for the past 10 years and we are grateful that they chose to expand their industrial footprint in Nassau County as well as it shows their commitment to the community,” said Laura DiBella, executive director for the Nassau County Economic Development Board.
“In the 10 years that River Valley has been here, we have watched the area grow at a great pace and thankfully, River Valley Paper has also grown at a terrific pace in that time frame,” stated Quinn Garber, general manager – sales for River Valley Paper Company. “When we started our facility in 2010 in Jacksonville it did not take us long to realize we were going to outgrow the space. Within six months, we were full to capacity and forced to look for outside warehousing options for our materials. As the time came near to the end of our five year agreement at our previous facility we looked all over the NE corner of Florida.”
The company will lease 120,000 square feet of the former Stone Container Company bag plant, also known as the Trinity Plant, on US 17. Location and logistics played a large role in River Valley Paper Company’s decision to choose Nassau County and this facility, in particular. According to Garber, their business pulls materials in from throughout the Southeast and often, further. With their new facility in Yulee, River Valley Paper Company will be able to take advantage of their close proximity to the local ports to export their product.
The building was constructed in 1953 and to make the formerly vacant site viable, the current owners have invested in significant improvements which included ensuring current fire codes are met and updating electrical throughout. According to a representative for the building, the owners are renovating the two large main restrooms/locker rooms inside the facility, as well as, replacing the roof over all the restrooms and offices. River Valley Paper transports substantial quantities of their product via rail and as a result, the owner is repairing and reactivating one of the four rail spur lines on the property, which are serviced by a CSX line that connects the facility to the Port of Jacksonville and the Port of Fernandina.
“Like all expansions within the county, it takes a village and I applaud the teamwork among the stakeholders, county staff and real estate brokers to bring River Valley Paper Company to Nassau County. Their patience and perseverance are what ultimately brought this deal to the finish line,” stated DiBella.
“The Yulee location brings great access from all areas. We know our dollar will stretch a lot further at our new location and there is room for more growth as we are not limited by space restrictions with the Yulee facility. The list goes on…nothing could beat the value of Nassau County,” added Garber. “Our intent is to continue to grow and service opportunities that we have previously had to turn down due to lack of space. Even further beyond our national business, we continue to realize the growth of Nassau County and we know as Nassau grows, our opportunities will only continue to grow locally, as well. We are very excited to get started in our new home and to become more of a contributor to what has become our southern home in the past 10 years, Nassau County.”
About the Nassau County Economic Development Board
The Nassau County Economic Development Board is a private-public partnership whose mission is to leverage Nassau County’s competitive market position by attracting new business to and within the county, while fostering business expansion opportunities that produce jobs, generate economic opportunity and improve quality of life. The NCEDB serves as a workforce development liaison between local businesses and educators.
About River Valley Paper Company
River Valley Paper Company is a manager, processor and exporter of waste paper headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with offices and processing facilities in Florida and Michigan. They manage in excess of 30,000 tons per month and market recovered paper throughout North America, as well as exporting worldwide.