New Mexico Awards Grant to Distributor Roses Southwest Papers in $12-million Expansion

A family owned paper company that supplies the national janitorial and restaurant market is expanding in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, with assistance from a state LEDA grant, Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes has announced.

Roses Southwest Papers converts industrial rolls of paper into toilet tissue, hand towels, and napkins for retail and commercial consumption for the Away from Home (AfH) market (food service and janitorial applications).

The expansion includes new equipment, conveyor, and palletizing capacity that will eventually allow Roses Southwest Papers to add 38 employees. The company also hopes to add solar-energy to offset the higher operating costs of the new equipment.

The expansion will be funded by a private investment of $12 million, in addition to the state LEDA grant of $100,000. In December 2019, the company was also approved for a$163,000 grant through the state's Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP).

The LEDA assistance comes at a time when the company is seeing both higher shipping costs and reduced demand from restaurant customers due to the COVID-19 health emergency.

“It’s an important injection of capital at a time that is really helpful for us,” James LaFata, chief administrative officer for Roses Southwest Papers, said. “We are trying to think long-term by bringing in new equipment and expanding capacity. The resources that the State of New Mexico is making available to companies are really fantastic and make this growth more sustainable.”

“This is a homegrown manufacturing company that sells its products across the United States,” Keyes said. “Roses brings jobs and dollars into New Mexico and the state will stand by these businesses so they can continue to grow and hire workers through this health emergency.”

Bernalillo County is the fiscal agent for the grant.

“Roses has been a steady South Valley business for many years, and I will continue to support all businesses in my district,” Bernalillo County District 2 commissioner Steven Michael Quezada said. “Helping South Valley businesses, and all business in Bernalillo County, is a top priority in these challenging times and the county will continue to do all it can to keep our neighbors in business.”

Roses Southwest Papers Inc. was started in 1984 by Belize natives Roberto and Rose Marie Espat. Incorporated and headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, it sells product throughout the US and Canada. As a family- and minority-owned business, Roses Southwest Papers supports and pursues, to the fullest extent possible, employment opportunities for minorities and business relations with other Minority Owned enterprises. Roses Southwest Papers was recently ranked as the fifth largest family owned business in New Mexico by Albuquerque Business First.

Back to Tissue360 Newsletter