FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeannine Young

Derby, VT 05829-0217

(802) 766-5108

Young Visits Dirigo Paper

Gilman, VT-Among the guests touring the new Dirigo Paper Company in Gilman on Friday, August 13 with Governor James Douglas, Representative Janice Peaslee (R-Essex-Caledonia) were Joseph Young and Jeannine Young of Derby and Lunenburg Selectboard member Richard Bryer. President of Dirigo Paper Company, Peter Hanson, led the group on a tour of the reopened Gilman paper mill. Prior to the tour, Governor James Douglas, Representative Peaslee and Mrs. Young greeted the workers as they clocked in for the morning shift and left from the night shift.

The mill recently reopened after the Gilman Paper Company closed the mill two years ago. The mill currently has about 70 employees, and anticipates employing up to 90. The mill runs three shifts and is still working to smooth the process for producing paper. Mr. Hanson showed the group the dam that produces the bulk of the mill’s electrical needs. The dam straddles the Vermont –New Hampshire border. The plant employs workers from both states.

The Dirigo plant produces specialty papers. As Mr. Hanson told Mrs. Young, “There is great demand for this paper. We have orders to fill.” Dirigo has the pulp and the fiber ready for production into paper. They had shipped one truckload of paper and had half a truckload ready in just the short time they had been open.

When the 7:00 a.m. whistle blew, all agreed it was a great sound. It meant people were back to work.###