Paper Maker Expansion Creates 25 Jobs

Thursday, May 20, 2010

HAINES CITY | One of Haines City’s largest employers, the paper manufacturer Cellynne, is about to get even larger thanks to an expansion that helped create 25 jobs.

Cellynne has its headquarters in Haines City, and also has plants in Las Vegas and Green Bay, Wis., producing toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, facial tissues, and other household paper products.

“Here we manufacture and convert the paper,” said Mario R. Maltais, the chief operations officer for the Cellynne plant on Marley Drive. “We make the paper here and convert it into small rolls.”

The expansion actually dates back to January 2009, when Cellynne decided to build a new paper machine to enhance production. Despite the fact that the economy was heading into the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the plant had reason to be optimistic about the new investment. As Maltais noted, even in bad times, who stops using products like toilet paper or paper towels?

“It’s a very competitive field, but it is recession-proof,” he said. “Someone used to say, ‘If the economy goes bad, there are two fields you have to be in – bread or toilet paper.’”

The expansion doesn’t stop here. As Maltais noted, business has been so good that Cellynne is now building a de-inking machine that takes recycled fiber, screens it, and uses it as a pulp substitute – a way to create a more environmentally friendly product. He said that would create a lot of future subcontracting jobs at the plant.

“With the de-inking machine, while that’s being built, that’s going to mean a lot of people are needed here,” Maltais said.

Cellynne is an economic success story strongly embraced by the team at the Haines City Economic Development Council office in downtown.

“The economy has been in their favor as they expanded their machinery,” said Paul Senft, Haines City’s economic development director.

“It brings their total square footage to over 500,000 and makes them one of our largest employers. It gives them a competitive advantage over others in the field, and they are generating $120 million in property tax value for the city.”

Senft noted that Cellynne has done well since it opened its plant in Haines City in 2004.

“They cater a lot to large airports and hospitality hotels,” Senft said, adding that Cellynne also sets a high standard for other manufacturers by being environmentally friendly.

“It’s a green process they use,” he said.

“It’s one of the more environmentally sensitive plants in the state. They use recycled water, and they buy used paper and de-ink it. They’re a good environmental citizen.”

It’s also a good job creator, added Allison Beeman, the deputy economic development director.

“They’ve created 25 new jobs, which brings them up to 275 jobs,” she said.

“This is a success story,” Maltais said, adding that the company that started out in Miami 20 years ago has grown substantially.

Hurricane Andrew, which devastated so much of South Florida in 1992, sent the plant to Orlando before company officials settled on Haines City.

The Haines City plant is now the largest of the company’s three locations.

Noting their humble beginnings in Miami, Maltais said, “We were so proud when we made 50 packages there. Now we’re making 700,000 cases a month. We’ve always had good guys, good training, and good preparation.”

About 90 percent of Cellynne’s customers are what Maltais called “out of home,” meaning they sell primarily to other businesses, not the general public.

Cellynne’s customer base includes Wal-Mart and cruise lines.

“It’s a ready product. It’s finished goods,” Maltais said.

“Now we’re making 70,000 tons of toilet or tissue paper. But in the U.S., we use 8 million tons a year, so we’re just a drop in the bucket.”

For more information, contact Michael W. Freeman at The Ledger.