Calhoun has seen a busy few months on its social calendar. First it won the county economic development authority’s Innovator of the Year award this summer. Then, by the fall, its team was standing in front of the cameras again. This time they were handing two sizeable cheques to regional Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity representatives.
$5000 to charity for 250,000 accident-free hours
Each time a mill works 250,000 hours without a safety incident, Resolute gives the operation $5,000 to donate to charities of its choice. And the American Red Cross was one obvious choice for 40-year Calhoun veteran Johnny Hooker. He’s an active volunteer with the Southeast Tennessee Chapter, which received $2,500. Johnny was profiled in May on this blog when his work was honoured by the Red Cross with a Volunteer Leadership Award.
Giving back to the community
The other $2,500 went to Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland. The donation will go to one of the five houses under construction to be dedicated in November. “It means we are doing something right here at Calhoun, because it means we are able to give back to the community,” Rob Martin, the mill’s general manager told the Cleveland Daily Banner.
Pulp digester project recognized for community benefits
The recent $105 million upgrade that will see the installation of a modern continuous pulp digester and other woodchip processing equipment is another example of the mill doing right by the community. The McMinn County Economic Development Authority named the mill APEX Innovator of the Year for its continuous cooking digester project – developed by mill personnel and approved by the company.
Creating a competitive advantage
The award recognizes the effective use of technologies to create a competitive advantage. The selection committee considered a number of aspects, from the energy the new digester will save, to the improved wood yield and reduced chemical costs to the overall project’s ability to secure the long-term future operation of the Calhoun site. (It is an operation that has a $357,000,000 economic impact to the surrounding community and State.)
