May 2010
Plans are underway to celebrate – in a big way – Boise White Paper’s 100th Anniversary at its operations in International Falls. Boise, the largest employer in the city and Koochiching County with 840 employees and 300 contractors, began as the brainchild of Minneapolis industrialist Edward Backus. Backus came to the area at the turn of the century and saw the potential of the hydro power of Koochiching Falls. He first built the hydro dam in 1909; the papermill with four paper machines followed in 1910; a short line railroad and international bridge connecting International Falls and Ft. Frances, Ontario completed his vision. He later developed the first fiber board (Insulite) plant and constructed a sawmill at the site. The growth and identity of International Falls was tied directly to the mill and the city was dubbed “The City that Pulpwood Built”.
On June 6, 1910, the mill began manufacturing newsprint from the Minnesota and Ontario (MANDO)Paper Company’s Number One paper machine. The mill operated as MANDO until 1965, when it was acquired by Boise Cascade. It changed hands twice in the last decade, first to Madison Dearborn Partners in 2004, then Aldabra 2 Acquisition Corporation in 2008. Another significant event in the 2004 deal was the sale of over 300,000 acres of Boise forestlands in Minnesota to Forest Capital Partners. The mill produced newsprint and bag paper until 1948 when it added a bleach and water filter plant that allowed it to transition to white and coated paper. In 1990, the company invested in a major expansion of a new paper machine that is the core of its copy paper line in addition to its other products colored copy paper, label and release papers, envelope paper and other specialty papers.
The mill is the life-blood of the community with an annual payroll of over $60 million dollars. Some other impressive statistics: the mill spends over $100 million annually in Minnesota for goods and services (this does not include payroll), the mill uses over 600,000 cords of wood annually, the mill produces approximately 1550 tons of paper per day, and the mill has invested over $200 million in environmental equipment and controls to ensure clean water and air.
While the pulp and paper industry remains tremendously competitive in this down economy, the mill in International Falls continues to operate profitably thanks to aggressive cost containment, a strong workforce, and solid demand for its core products.
Bob Anderson, Public Affairs Officer at Boise’s International Falls Mill, is part of a committee of mill employees planning the 100th Anniversary Celebration. The celebration is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 25th, according to Anderson, and will involve a number of events.
