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| Press Archive > Corporate |
Mohawk Paper Mills Donates $60,000 to Disaster Relief Funds on Behalf of its Distributors |
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COHOES, NY – On September 11, Tom O'Connor, Jr., president and chief operating officer of Mohawk Paper Mills in Cohoes, N.Y., was stunned to learn that first one plane and then another had crashed into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. "My first reaction was to make sure that all our employees were safe," he recalls. "And though we had a number of folks stranded in airports around the country– we finally accounted for everyone." It bothered Tom, however, that others had not been so fortunate. Though the company is several hours from New York City, it has always had an active presence there. As the days wore on, customers from around the country called to express their shock and concern and asked if he knew of something they could do to help. In response, Mohawk set up a Disaster Relief Fund. The company offered to donate a portion of its October sales receipts to charities designated by its merchants. According to Tom, the offer didn't make a lot of business sense: "Dollars for the program came off the top of already weak October sales – but we have a lot of customers and friends in the metro New York region whose lives will never be the same." To date the fund has distributed $60,000 to fourteen charities, on behalf of its 176 distributors, including: national and local chapters of the American Red Cross, the United Way of NY September 11 Fund, the Salvation Army, the NYC Police Foundation, the NYC Firefighters September 11 Fund, the United Firefighters Association Widows and Orphans Fund, The NYC Police Widows and Orphans Fund, the NYC Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund, The Twin Towers Fund, and the NYTimes 9/11 Neediest Fund. "The response from our customers has been really gratifying," said Tom. "It seems to have brought people together at a difficult time." Tom O'Connor, Jr. was appointed president and chief operating officer of the company in September 2000. He was recently named to the board of directors. Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc., celebrating its 70th anniversary, is a leader in the manufacture of premium printing grade papers. From its flagship grade, Mohawk Superfine, through patented Inxwell products, Navajo and Options, Mohawk has engineered its papers to provide optimal performance for sheetfed, web, and digital printing. For press information, please contact: Laura Shore shorel@mohawkpaper.com
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