Westrock paper plant to close

It’s the end of an era in St. Paul’s Midway industrial district as Smurfit Westrock shuts down in June. While the site is hailed by the St. Paul Port Authority for its redevelopment potential, the longtime employer and community supporter will be missed.

According to a filing with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the closing will mean the loss of about 190 jobs. A news release explained the closing.

“While closing facilities is never an easy decision, it is based on a realistic expectation of current and future capacity needs, operating costs and an unrelenting focus on improving our business,” said Tony Smurfit, president and CEO of Smurfit Westrock. “We are very grateful for the significant contributions made by the teams at these locations over the years, and we will do all we can to support them throughout this process.”

The company will provide support to employees including career transition assistance and relocation opportunities where possible.

In May, a longtime paper drop-off site used by the public was closed.

The plant along Vandalia Street has been part of the neighborhood for more than a century. It most recently produced coated recycled paper board for use in product packaging. Over the years a wide variety of paper products were made there.

 

BAKER COLLINS AND WALDORF

The Midway plant traces its roots to 1886 and Baker Collins, a small printing firm downtown. It because H.L. Collins Company a few years later, offering a wide range of products.

Michael W. Waldorf soon joined the firm, which by the early 20th century had expanded its wares to include folding paper boxes. In 1907, Waldorf established the Waldorf Box Board Company and relocated it to the Midway.

In 1915, the Waldorf Paper Products Company was created through a three-way merger. The American Paper Stock Company, Waldorf Box Board Company, and the H.L. Collins merged through the leadership of Waldorf and Paul Myers.

Waldorf died in 1928, but his namesake company continued. He was cited for his work to promote recycling paper to make new products, and reducing waste.

 

The company was a longtime Midway leader, with its executive serving with the Midway Club (now Midway Chamber of Commerce) and various civic groups. Some people might remember workers dressed in robot-like costumes made of cardboard boxes, marching in the Winter Carnival parades. 

Others might remember holding paper drives as church, school and club fundraisers, taking bundled papers and magazines to Waldorf to be weighed and paid for.

Keokuk, Iowa-based Hoerner merged with Waldorf in 1966, creating Hoerner Waldorf Corporation. That company lasted for a little more than a decade, until a fight between shareholders led to the sale of the company to Champion International.

The company again came into local hands in 1985 when Eugene Frey led the St. Paul management into a successful buyout. He served as its chairman and CEO for 12 years before the sale to competitor Rock-Tenn Company in 1997.

At that time Waldorf was an industry leader. It produced more than 400,000 tons of recycled paperboard annually and had about 2,200 workers. Paper packaging was manufactured for companies including Hormel, General Mills, Proctor and Gamber and many others. At one point Waldorf operated nine plants in seven states.

MPR News reported in 2007 that the mill accounted for half of the paper recycled in Minnesota.

Over time as demand for paper products decreased, the plan laid off workers, discontinued products and downsized.

The plant was dealt a blow in 2007 when the old Xcel Energy high bridge Plant was replaced. That meant the loss of a steam line that ran from the West End neighborhood all the way to the plant. A “Save Rock Tenn” campaign highlighted the need for a replacement energy source and the preservation of jobs. Studies of different energy sources, and even a district energy system for the Midway, took place.

Westrock was the next owner. That company formed in May 2015 after the merger of MeadWestvaco and Rock Tenn. Smurfit Kappa and WestRock merged in 2024 to form Smurfit WestRock.