RockTenn

RockTenn was an American manufacturer of paperboard, corrugated packaging, folding cartons, partitions, displays, and related recycling products. Based in Norcross, Georgia, the company grew into one of North America's largest integrated packaging businesses before ceasing to exist as an independent company in 2015, when it merged with MeadWestvaco and formed WestRock. The corporation was created in 1973 through the combination of Rock City Packaging and Tennessee Paper Mills. Its historical roots reached back to 1898, when Rock City Box Company was established in Nashville, Tennessee. The other principal predecessor, Tennessee Paper Mills, was incorporated in 1917 and began producing paperboard in Chattanooga in 1918. Tennessee Paper developed an early specialization in recycled paperboard, using wastepaper rather than the wheat straw originally contemplated by its founders. Rock City, meanwhile, expanded from box manufacturing into folding cartons, set-up boxes, corrugated packaging, partitions, and wastepaper collection. The relationship between the two predecessor businesses became increasingly close because Rock City was a major customer for Tennessee Paper's board. Tennessee Paper also acquired an interest in Rock City during the 1960s and provided loans to support its customer. Their 1973 merger created RockTenn Company, combining paperboard manufacturing with converting and packaging operations. W. Max Finley became chairman, while Worley Brown became president and chief executive officer. The new company continued an acquisition-led strategy, adding packaging plants and related businesses in the United States and Canada. During the 1970s and 1980s, RockTenn broadened its manufacturing base through purchases such as Crescent Box & Printing, Clevepak facilities, and other carton and partition operations. The Clevepak acquisition in 1983 was particularly important because it expanded the company's position in partitions used to protect glass and plastic containers. RockTenn served large consumer and industrial customers, including Coca-Cola, DuPont, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, while operating plants across a growing number of states. The company continued to expand in the 1990s through acquisitions of folding-carton, recycled-paperboard, partition, display, and wastepaper businesses. Purchases included Allforms Packaging, Box Innards, the former Specialty Paperboard mill in Vermont, Ellis Paperboard Products, Dominion Paperboard Products in Canada, Les Industries Ling, Olympic Packaging, and Alliance Display and Packaging. By the middle of the decade, RockTenn had dozens of facilities in the United States and Canada and ranked among major American producers of recycled paperboard. Recycling and vertical integration were central to RockTenn's business model. The company manufactured recycled paperboard, converted that material into cartons and other packaging, and operated wastepaper collection and processing businesses that supplied mills. This structure helped it control portions of its raw-material supply and gave it a sustainability-oriented value proposition for customers seeking packaging made from recovered fiber. RockTenn completed its first public offering in 1994, although existing officers and directors continued to hold substantial voting control after the offering. By the later stages of its independent existence, the business had developed into a broad packaging platform with operations in multiple countries, approximately 26,000 employees, and more than 245 facilities. Annualized net sales were reported at approximately $10 billion. In 2015, RockTenn merged with MeadWestvaco. The combined company became WestRock, ending the RockTenn corporate identity as a standalone public company.

RockTenn's corporate history began with two related streams of American packaging development. Rock City Box Company was founded in Nashville in 1898 and initially served regional manufacturers, including producers of footwear, candy, hosiery, and clothing. In 1944, Arthur Newth Morris acquired Rock City Box Company. Morris had previously built Southern Box Company in Baltimore and developed experience in corrugated boxes, partitions, and specialized packaging. After the acquisition, his packaging interests expanded throughout the American South. Morris's businesses added folding-carton and set-up-box operations, wastepaper collection, and plants serving textile and apparel manufacturers. In 1967, the various Morris companies were consolidated into Rock City Packaging, Inc., with Morris as chairman and Worley Brown as president. Rock City's sales grew substantially during the 1960s and early 1970s, and the company became a significant customer for Tennessee Paper Mills. Tennessee Paper Mills had been incorporated in 1917 by Andrew M. Tomlinson, John Stagmaier, and A. M. Sheperd. Its Chattanooga mill began operating in 1918. Although the founders initially considered wheat straw as a raw material, the company adopted wastepaper and became an early Southern producer of recycled paperboard. It invested in manufacturing capacity and energy infrastructure, and its output increased as demand for paperboard packaging grew. From the 1950s onward, however, Tennessee Paper faced pressure from integrated competitors and alternative packaging formats. To preserve markets, it began acquiring or supporting converting businesses and wastepaper facilities. The commercial connection between Tennessee Paper and Rock City became strategically important. Rock City's consumption of Tennessee Paper board increased from roughly 1,000 tons in 1944 to about 37,000 tons in 1972, representing a large share of Tennessee Paper's output. Tennessee Paper acquired a minority interest in Rock City between 1965 and 1968 and extended loans to its customer. These links prepared the way for the 1973 merger that formed RockTenn Company. W. Max Finley became chairman, and Worley Brown became president and chief executive officer. RockTenn pursued growth through geographic expansion and acquisitions. It added Crescent Box & Printing in 1973 and a Clevepak folding-carton plant in 1974. Under Bradley Currey Jr., who joined the company's senior leadership in the late 1970s and later became chairman and chief executive officer, RockTenn expanded its recycled-paperboard, folding-carton, corrugated, and partition operations. The 1983 acquisition of 11 Clevepak plants was a major step, particularly because several of those facilities produced partitions for glass and plastic containers. The acquisition program continued in the 1990s. RockTenn purchased Allforms Packaging, Box Innards, a Vermont paperboard mill, Ellis Paperboard Products, and Dominion Paperboard Products in Canada. It subsequently agreed to acquire Les Industries Ling, Olympic Packaging, and Alliance Display and Packaging. These transactions expanded its manufacturing and distribution network and increased its presence in folding cartons, coated recycled paperboard, partitions, and corrugated displays. RockTenn went public in 1994. The company remained focused on vertical integration: recovered paper supplied mills, mills produced recycled paperboard, and converting facilities transformed board into cartons, boxes, partitions, and displays. This model supported both operational control and a market position connected to recycling and recovered-fiber packaging. By the end of its independent corporate life, RockTenn had become a large international packaging producer, operating more than 245 facilities across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and China and employing approximately 26,000 people. In 2015, RockTenn merged with MeadWestvaco. The resulting corporation was named WestRock, and RockTenn ceased operating as a separate company.

1. 2015RockTenn combined with MeadWestvaco

   The merger created WestRock and ended RockTenn as a standalone company.

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2. 1994RockTenn became publicly traded

   The company completed its first public offering of Class A common stock.

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3. 1983Clevepak acquisition expanded partition manufacturing

   RockTenn acquired 11 Clevepak plants, strengthening its position in protective partitions and expanding scale.

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4. 1973RockTenn Company formed

   Rock City Packaging and Tennessee Paper Mills merged to create RockTenn.

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5. 1967Rock City operations consolidated

   Morris's packaging companies were consolidated into Rock City Packaging, Inc.

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6. 1944Arthur Newth Morris acquired Rock City Box Company

   The acquisition brought Rock City into Morris's expanding packaging group.

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7. 1917Tennessee Paper Mills incorporated

   The predecessor paperboard company was incorporated before beginning mill operations in Chattanooga in 1918.

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8. 1898Rock City Box Company founded

   The Nashville box manufacturer established the historical lineage that later contributed to RockTenn.

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An integrated, acquisition-driven packaging manufacturer combining recycled paperboard production, packaging conversion, corrugated products, protective partitions, displays, and recycling operations.

• Recycled paperboardPaperboard

  Recycled paperboard was a foundational RockTenn product. The company produced board from recovered wastepaper and used much of it internally in folding cartons, containers, partitions, and related converted packaging. Its recycled-fiber orientation differentiated the business within the paper and packaging sector and supported customers seeking packaging materials with recycled content.

• Folding cartonsConsumer packaging

  RockTenn manufactured folding cartons for consumer and industrial products through facilities in the United States and Canada. The business expanded through acquisitions of carton manufacturers and paperboard converters, allowing the company to combine board production with printing, die-cutting, folding, and distribution.

• Corrugated packagingTransport packaging

  Corrugated boxes and containers formed an important part of RockTenn's packaging portfolio. These products served manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers, and distribution channels requiring protective shipping and handling packaging.

• Protective partitionsProtective packaging

  The company produced solid-fiber and related partitions used to separate and protect glass and plastic containers during transport. The acquisition of Clevepak operations materially increased RockTenn's scale in this category.

• Corrugated displaysRetail packaging and displays

  RockTenn supplied corrugated displays for retail and point-of-sale use. The acquisition of Alliance Display and Packaging expanded this capability and complemented the company's broader carton and corrugated businesses.

• Wastepaper recycling servicesRecycling

  RockTenn and its predecessor businesses collected, sorted, and baled wastepaper for sale to paper mills. These activities supported the company's recycled-paperboard manufacturing and reinforced its vertically integrated operating model.

• 2015Combine with MeadWestvacoM&A

  RockTenn pursued a combination with MeadWestvaco to create a larger global packaging company.

  What changed. RockTenn merged with MeadWestvaco and the combined business adopted the WestRock name.

  Aftermath. RockTenn ceased to exist as an independent corporate entity, with its operations becoming part of WestRock.

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• 1994Complete initial public offeringOther

  After expanding through acquisitions, RockTenn sought access to public equity markets while existing insiders retained substantial voting influence.

  What changed. The company and selling shareholders offered Class A common stock to the public.

  Aftermath. RockTenn became a publicly traded company, although officers and directors continued to control most combined voting power at the time of the offering.

  Offering price per share. $16.50 (1994)

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• 1983Acquire Clevepak manufacturing operationsM&A

  RockTenn sought greater scale in packaging and protective partitions and aimed to broaden its manufacturing network.

  What changed. RockTenn acquired 11 Clevepak plants, including facilities producing partitions for glass and plastic containers.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded RockTenn's geographic footprint and strengthened its position in the partition market.

  Acquisition price. $40 million (1983)

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• 1973Merge Rock City Packaging with Tennessee Paper MillsM&A

  Rock City depended heavily on Tennessee Paper's paperboard, while Tennessee Paper needed secure customers and greater vertical integration in a market increasingly shaped by integrated packaging producers.

  What changed. The companies combined to form RockTenn Company, joining recycled paperboard production with packaging conversion and recycling operations.

  Aftermath. The merger created the platform for decades of acquisition-led expansion in cartons, corrugated packaging, partitions, displays, and paperboard.

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• 2015RockTenn merged with MeadWestvaco to form WestRock

  The combination created WestRock and ended RockTenn's existence as an independent company.

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• 1994RockTenn completed its first public offering

  RockTenn carried out an initial public offering involving Class A common stock, while existing officers and directors retained significant combined voting power.

  Other
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• 1983RockTenn acquired major Clevepak operations

  The acquisition of 11 Clevepak plants expanded RockTenn's manufacturing footprint and strengthened its position in protective partitions for glass and plastic containers.

  M&A
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• 1973RockTenn formed through the merger of Rock City Packaging and Tennessee Paper Mills

  The merger created a vertically integrated paperboard and packaging company with operations spanning recycled paperboard production, packaging conversion, and wastepaper activities.

  M&AOther
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1. RockTenn