Officials from Green Bay Paper Converting said they will likely return to full production at the Larsen Road property in Green Bay this summer, while the company continues to recover from a devastating fire.
Firefighters responded to an alarm at 7:45 a.m. March 16 and found smoke coming from the roof. Blizzard conditions, including heavy snow and strong winds, hampered firefighting efforts which continued for more than a week.
The fire destroyed the warehouse and inventory. While production facility and equipment were largely preserved, smoke and water entered the facility. Other operations continue to support current customer needs wherever possible.
A multiphase recovery continues with the first phase focused on cleaning equipment. That work is more than 50 percent complete, according to a statement from the company. The next phase will focus on the cleaning, repair, and remediation of the structure, including the walls, floors, ceilings, and insulation.
The company hopes to reoccupy offices and restart production in a portion of the Larsen facility within the next 60 days. The rebuild of the warehouse will take longer, but that should not significantly limit the ability to restart production.
According to a statement issued by the company, “We have continued to carry our full payroll and support our workforce since the fire, while our employees understandably seek clear direction on the path forward. Due to the disruption to operations and the timeline required to return to our pre-fire scale, we have made the difficult decision to support some of our employees in transitioning to employment elsewhere. Fewer than 35 of our more than 200 employees in Green Bay are impacted by this decision. We are supporting those employees with financial assistance, transition resources through the company, and coordination with state and local employment agencies.”
“We remain deeply grateful for the continued support and patience of the community, our peers in the industry, our customers, our vendors, and most importantly, our employees.”
