Lucca, Italy has been at the center of the world’s papermaking industry since 1307, when the “Corporazione dei Cartolai” began making vellum paper for merchants’ “books of reason.”
In 1870, Green Bay became home to the state of Wisconsin’s first newspaper as lumber milling, and subsequently railroads, exploded at the mouth of the Fox River.
Despite their difference in age, Lucca and Green Bay have similar stories to tell, and foreign direct investments between the two communities are growing the two papermaking hubs into global partners.
At a Sept. 19 luncheon appropriately outfitted with both wine and paper napkins, members of the Greater Green Bay business community came together with Italian partners — and competitors — to celebrate that special relationship. The event was organized by the Greater Green Bay Chamber and the Wisconsin Paper Council.
Thomas Botzios, a Chicago-based diplomat who is serving as the Midwest region’s Italian consul general, touted his territory as the consulate’s largest in the U.S.
“I am always reporting back to Rome that the United States is not only the East Coast and West Coast,” he said in his opening remarks at the luncheon. “There are so many opportunities to explore in the middle. There is a direct connection between Green Bay and Lucca; my job is to make this cooperation stronger and stronger.”
Within the paper and packaging industry, however, the concentration of companies in Green Bay and Lucca also means stiff competition. Botzios’ Midwest territory includes a community of about 30,000 Italians and 100 Italian companies, he says. Among those represented at the luncheon were Georgia-Pacific, Sofidel, Körber Tissue, Maflex, Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) and Pulsar America.
But, says Green Bay Chamber VP for Economic Development Kelly Armstrong, industry clusters like those found in Lucca and Green Bay have competitive advantages. “It increases connectivity and drives innovation,” she says.
Stefano Giannini, Sofidel’s operations manager in Green Bay, agrees.
“Green Bay, for the paper industry, is the place to be,” Giannini says. “A lot of our main vendors are located here, so we can help create synergies with them. The importance of being here, it’s kind of like a statement.”
Sofidel, the seventh-largest paper manufacturer in the world, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the U.S. this year. CEO Luigi Lazzareschi says that the decision to plant roots in Green Bay was relatively easy; he had visited the city many times due to its cluster of paper industry suppliers. And due to the light weight of Sofidel’s products, Green Bay offered a major competitive advantage on the all-important transportation logistics front.
Giannini’s first American assignment for Sofidel landed him in Florida; he was then transferred to Green Bay. Giannini says his boss was somewhat shocked when he announced he wanted to stay.
“I had a connection with the people right away. There’s a warmness to the people, and I felt at home,” Giannini says, adding that the company’s Green Bay workforce is its strongest asset.
But despite the warmth and work ethic of Green Bay’s people, labor remains a universal challenge for the industry. A luncheon panel of industry executives discussed ongoing challenges with workforce, as well as inflation and supply chain.
The panelists agreed, however, that ensuring global competitiveness and solving global challenges starts with global reach — and leveraging the plentiful resources to be found both in Italy and Wisconsin.
Pulsar America Vice President Massimo Capisani says his company’s presence in Green Bay is essential: “It’s the Lucca of North America.”
