Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated Morris Packaging, a leading Minority Business Enterprise-certified manufacturer of flexible products, on plans to build a new $60.9 million production plant in Marion County, a project that will create 276 full-time jobs. “I’d like to welcome Morris Packaging to Marion County and to their New Kentucky Home, as well as the 276 quality jobs the company will create with this investment,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is the latest company to recognize the value of locating in Kentucky and the many strengths our state offers to ensure businesses thrives. Morris Packaging will be a great addition to our sustainability efforts and to our manufacturing sector, which continues to diversify and grow.” The more-than-100,000-square-foot facility in Lebanon will provide Morris Packaging with increased printing and bag converting capacity and provide a redundancy option to its customers across the United States. As a leader in sustainable packaging products, this state-of-the-art production plant will be Safe Quality Food-certified and allow the company room to grow in the future. Construction on the new facility in Lebanon is expected to be completed by October.

Atlantic Packaging Products, Ltd., of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, is pleased to announce the formation of a strategic partnership with York Container Company (YCC) of York, Pennsylvania. Details and terms of this partnership are not being disclosed. Stephen Tansey, President and representative of YCC's shareholders, commented "York Container is committed to growth and providing innovative solutions to our customers. We have enjoyed robust growth over the past several years, but we believe that in order to take our plans to the next level we need to partner with a like-minded company to expand geographically and extend our capabilities to a broader customer base. After an evaluation of our various options, we are thrilled to join forces with Atlantic. This is the best possible outcome for all of our stakeholders, in particular, our customers and employees." Irving Granovsky, Chairman of Atlantic Packaging, describes the rationale for this transaction: "Atlantic is always looking for progressive and well-managed companies to team up with. We feel York Container is a wonderful addition to our partnership portfolio." Click Read More below for additional detail.

Metsä Board’s CEO Esa Kaikkonen: “I started as Metsä Board’s CEO on 7 April. The forest industry and Metsä Group are very familiar to me, as I’ve held various duties at Metsä Group over the last 27 years. I wish to thank my predecessor Mika Joukio, who served as Metsä Board’s CEO since 2014. Mika’s profound knowledge of the paperboard market and his ability to build long-lasting customer relationships have played a key role in Metsä Board’s development and transition from a paper company to one of the world’s leading paperboard producers. Uncertainty in global trade policy is at a record high due to the decisions made by the US President, and the operating environment is expected to remain unstable in the near future. In addition, the difficult market situation has weighed on Metsä Board’s profitability for quite a while, and we are far from our long-term targets. However, I recognise several strengths at Metsä Board. Our leading position in premium fresh fibre paperboards, our know-how in the paperboard business, our long-term customer relationships, and our solid financial position offer us a good foundation for business development and shareholder value growth.