Thankful for mill

Editor, The Commercial:

I have been employed at the Evergreen Packaging (formerly International Paper) mill since 1987. I was born in 1961, grew up on Arkansas 81, just seven miles south of the mill.

The mill has been in continuous operation since 1958. My dad went to work at the mill in 1962, retiring in 1989. The mill has provided for three generations of my family, and for that I am unabashedly thankful.

I am a proud employee of our mill, happy to go to work each and every day, and I’m planning to be an equally proud retiree in a few years, joining the thousands of others who have done the same over the past few decades.

Not only in Pine Bluff, though, but also Star City, Woodlawn, Rison, Sheridan, White Hall, Dumas and Little Rock, just to mention a few, Evergreen Packaging provides around $54 million dollars per year (current dollars) to the economy in a large area of South-central and Southeast Arkansas.

It is beyond my abilities to calculate the overwhelmingly positive impact that our mill has and has had for 62 years. From the tree farmers to loggers to restaurant owners, car dealers and perhaps most importantly, as I have already mentioned, the generations of parents who have been able to provide for and raise their children because of the stable, steady presence of our mill.

Also beyond my abilities is to calculate how many doctors, welders, mechanics, lawyers, bankers, nurses, business people, teachers and engineers that are now out in the world making their own way, raising their own families, all because their parents had a good job at our mill.

Through the generosity of mill workers and Evergreen, our mill contributed over $265,000 to the United Way in 2020 and has done this (and usually more) for longer than my 34 years. Our mill has also been a supporter of Special Olympics for a long time. These are just two examples of dozens of ways our mill contributes to our community through the years.

Rethink paper mills? Indeed, Mr. Crum is correct, and I thank him for the suggestion! Because the more I think about it, the more positives I am coming up with, and I know I am just one of hundreds of loyal, thankful workers who are doing their best to make sure that that our mill continues operations far into the future to continue providing for our region’s economy and families for generations to come.

GREG STANFORD,

WHITE HALL