NYC Mayor Salutes Pratt Industries Milestone at Staten Island
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Shortly before Pratt Industries, Conyers, Ga., USA, announced plans to build a fourth paper mill (see article above), New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued an official proclamation declaring this past September 17 "Pratt Industries Day" in the Big Apple to commemorate the recent production at Pratt's Staten Island mill of 5 million tons of recycled paper.
"About half of all the paper New Yorkers recycle is shipped here and recycled through the Pratt mill," the Mayor told an audience of Pratt customers, political and business leaders, and mill employees.
"If New Yorkers aren't impressed by that, they will appreciate the importance of what this paper gets turned into — pizza boxes, thousands of them every day! But pizza aside, Pratt Industries is really a key player in Plan NYC, our longer-term plan for creating a greater, greener, more sustainable city."
Bloomberg added that Pratt's barge system, which brings discarded paper from Manhattan down the Hudson River to the mill and eliminates the need for more than 350 trucks a week, "helps meet our ambitious recycling goal that we set in 2011, and that was to increase the city's recycling rate by 30% by the year 2017."
Pratt chairman Anthony Pratt noted that the company "has invested more than $350 million in New York, generating hundreds of jobs. And we would like to do even more by turning even more locally-generated paper into even more jobs and creating even more economic security for this great city."
Anthony also made special mention of employees at the mill, who have produced enough paper to fill the Empire State Building more than four times. "Thank you to manager Jay Hennessey and his dedicated team on reaching this milestone...well done to all," he said. "It's a wonderful achievement."
Not to be outdone, Pratt's sister mill in Conyers recently passed the 6 million ton mark, and the company's third mill, in Shreveport, La., has produced more than 1.5 million tons since start up in 2009.
In the photo, company chairman Anthony Pratt is joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (center) and Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro (left) at the unveiling of the plaque celebrating the mill's papermaking milestone.
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