Mohawk Names Thomas D. O'Connor, Jr. as Chairman and CEO

FOR RELEASE: March 24, 2005

[COHOES, NY] — The Board of Directors of Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc., has named Thomas O'Connor Jr. as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to this appointment, O'Connor, Jr., was President and Chief Executive Officer.

O'Connor represents a third generation of the O'Connor family closely identified with the family-owned business. Other family members responsible for the management of the business include Joe O'Connor, Senior VP Sales, Corporate Accounts, and International Sales, and John O'Connor, Senior VP Administration. Together they oversee a highly successful operation with over 370 employees and manufacturing capacity of over 100,000 tons of premium printing paper per year.

"Our goal over the next 18 months is to continue to bring focus and clarity to the premium papers market.  Our customers don't need more choices, they need better choices.  We will continue to finetune our portfolio of brands to anticipate market needs. We are committed to continued investment in product development, marketing, and promotion to expand the market for our premium paper portfolios," said O'Connor.

O'Connor and his management team are directly responsible for:

• The launch of Mohawk's revolutionary Inxwell® papers


• The launch of Mohawk's new line of Digital Papers and the development of converting services required by the emerging digital presses


• The launch of Mohawk Color Copy, a breakthrough product line featuring Mohawk's unique Digital Imaging Surface, an exclusive technology engineered to produce superior color copies


• The opening of a series of distribution centers starting with the Western Regional Distribution Center at Reno, Nevada, followed by the Albany, New York Warehouse, and Southeastern Distribution Center in Atlanta, Georgia


• Distribution expansion: Mohawk papers are now distributed across North America and in all major international markets, including Australia, Japan, China, Indonesia, Europe, and South America

O'Connor joined the Company in 1986 as Manager, Customer Services.  In 1989, he became Manager, Operations, and in 1995 Vice President, Quality and Support Services.  In 1998, he became Senior Vice President and General Manager.  In 2000, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and was elected to Mohawk's Board of Directors in 2001.  He became President in 2002 and Chief Executive Officer in 2004.  On December 13, 2004, the Board of Directors appointed him Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

O'Connor graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and has participated in Executive Management programs at Harvard Business School, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Duke University's Fuqua School of Management.

Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc. is a leader in the manufacture of premium printing and imaging papers.  From its flagship grade, Mohawk Superfine™, to proprietary Inxwell® products, Navajo® and Options® to Mohawk Color Copy™, Mohawk engineers its papers to provide optimal performance for sheetfed, web and digital printing.  A leader in environmental stewardship, Mohawk is one of the first large-scale production facilities in the U.S. to use non-polluting, wind energy to manufacture paper.  Several of Mohawk's recycled products have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] and Green Seal.

For more information about Mohawk, please call 1-800-THE MILL.

Press Information:

Client Contact:
Laura Shore
Mohawk Paper
518.233.6208
shorel@mohawkpaper.com

Agency Contact:
Pam Williams
Williams and House
860.675.4140
pwilliams@williamsandhouse.com