Maine Trade Center Names SFPNA International Investor of the Year
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Sappi Fine Paper North America (SFPNA), Boston, Mass., USA, has been named International Investor of the Year for 2011 by the Maine International Trade Center. The award honors foreign owned companies that have made a strategic decision to invest in Maine, either by opening a plant or enhancing their existing operations.
Sappi, based in South Africa, has invested nearly $90 million in its two Maine mills during the past three years, including a strategic rebuild of its Somerset pulp mill to improve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon imprint. In fiscal year 2010, the company spent approximately $168 million in the state and provided 1,362 jobs in Maine. Sappi's specialty release paper business, located in Westbrook, Maine, exports 90% of its production outside of North America to more than 50 countries worldwide.
"We're honored to receive recognition for our investment in Maine's economy and value the ongoing support of the Maine International Trade Center," said Mark Gardner, president and CEO of SFPNA. "We care about the communities where we operate, and we have roots in Maine, so it is wonderful to receive this award for our contributions. Sappi Fine Paper North America is proud to have an incredibly skilled and talented workforce in Maine, providing our company with the ability to deliver excellent products and services to our customers."
SFPNA has a substantial presence in Maine with four facilities, including the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, a Shared Services Center in South Portland, and the Westbrook Mill and Technology Center, both located in Westbrook. In 2011, the company was awarded an Efficiency Maine grant from the state of approximately $300,000 for a capital project to improve the energy efficiency at its Somerset Mill in Skowhegan.
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