PORT TOWNSEND — The new president of Port Townsend Paper Corp. said he hopes to strengthen the mill’s business and improve its profile in the community after he takes over May 1.
“My mission is to make the mill as sound as it can be in a way that is good for everyone,” said Roger P. Hagan, whose appointment was announced Monday in a memo from Dale Stahl, the company’s executive chairman, to employees of the mill, Jefferson County’s largest private employer.
“I plan to focus on safety, which is always No. 1,” Hagan said.
“But I also will continue the process of delivering products on time and being a good steward of the environment, which the mill has always done.”
Hagan, 59, replaces Roger Loney, who announced in March his resignation to return to the East Coast.
Loney is remaining in Port Townsend to help Hagan with a “quick and seamless transition of company leadership,” Stahl’s memo said.
Now the vice president of operations for Zilkha Biomass Energy/Fuels in Houston, Hagan has managed six different mills during his 35-year career, including RockTenn’s Solvay mill in New York, Hodge mill in Louisiana and Stevenson mill in Alabama.
Hagan holds a bachelor’s degree in pulp and paper technology from the University of Washington and a master’s from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.
Hagan will assume all financial, operational and external communications, said Stahl, to whom Hagan will report.
“I will be open with all the stakeholders,” Hagan said.
“We’ve had discussions about this and have determined that the best way to be is as open as possible. We all live in the same community, and the challenges at the mill are the same that affect all of us.”
He said openness has its limits, since some aspects of business need to be kept private.
Hagan said the paper corporation is well-positioned for the future, despite a move to a “paperless” existence driven by digital innovation.
“Many segments have been hard-hit by the digital revolution, but one that has grown is packaging,” Hagan said.
“There is a lot of new Internet commerce, but everything you order online comes in a paper box that is the kind of product manufactured at the mill.
“So this is a growth area.”
Hagan and his wife, Lynn Marlow, have rented a house in the uptown section of Port Townsend for one year.
After that time, they will decide whether to buy an existing house or build a new one, he said.
Hagan, who originally hails from Seattle, said he was excited to be returning to the Pacific Northwest, where he can finally utilize a family resource.
“My family has owned a cabin on the Hood Canal near Brinnon for 50 years,” he said.
“Whenever I’ve visited it, I’ve always wanted to spend more time there, and now, I’ll get the chance, which makes a great opportunity even better.”
Port Townsend Paper Corp., owned by Port Townsend Holdings, is operated by GoldenTree Asset Management, a New York-based equity investment company.
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
