Steve Voorhees, CEO, of WestRock, Richmond, Va., USA, has been named ASPI’s Customer Executive of the Year for 2016. Voorhees is scheduled to accept his award during the ASPI 2016 Spring Meeting, which will be held Feb. 24-26, 2016, in Miami, Fla.

"Steve Voorhees has been a leader in the paper and packaging industry for many years and has helped lead the successful formation of WestRock following a merger last summer," said ASPI President Mike Gray, Area SVP, Sales and Paper Business N.A. for Valmet.  "Steve’s aspiration for WestRock is to become an unrivaled partner for companies in the paper and packaging industry, and that includes strong relationships with all of their suppliers. We look forward to recognizing his contributions to the industry and hearing from him at our Spring Meeting in Miami."

Previously, Voorhees was CEO of RockTenn, Norcross, Ga. Prior to his appointment as CEO of RockTenn, he served in various executive leadership roles, including president and COO, EVP and CFO, and chief administrative officer. Before joining RockTenn, he was in operations and executive roles at Sonat Inc., a diversified energy company headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. 

Vorhees earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Northwestern University and a master of business administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

The Customer Executive of the Year Award is the highest honor that ASPI can bestow on an individual. This award is presented annually to a customer executive who has worked diligently within his company, and with his company’s suppliers, to dramatically increase the benefits to his company of its supplied goods and services. Nominations are accepted from ASPI member companies, and the ASPI Board of Directors votes on submitted nominations.

WestRock’s 41,000 team members support customers around the world from about 268 operating and business locations spanning North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. 

ASPI is an association of companies that supply products and services to the pulp, paper, and board industry. Member participation consists primarily of CEOs, owners, and senior management executives. ASPI’s mission is to assist its member supplier companies in providing increased economic benefits to their customers through collective knowledge, initiatives, and efforts.