Rand-Whitney and Governor Maggie Hassan Open New Warehouse in Dover, NH
NEWS & INSIGHTS > PRESS RELEASE
Ribbon Cutting Celebration Was Attended by Local Business Leaders and Dignitaries
July 14, 2016 marked the grand opening of Rand-Whitney’s new 118,600 SF container facility located on Stonewall Drive in Dover, NH. Rand-Whitney President and CEO Nick Smith hosted the ribbon cutting celebration that was attended by local business leaders and dignitaries. Governor Maggie Hassan, NH Senior Business Development Manager Michael Bergeron, Dover Mayor Karen Weston, Senator David Watters, as well as Robert, Jonathan and Dan Kraft of the Kraft Group attended. PROCON of Manchester, NH designed and constructed the expansive packaging facility. The company’s Chairman and CEO Mark Stebbins, Vice Chairman John Samenfeld and the PROCON team were present to celebrate the project’s successful completion with the Rand-Whitney team. Summit Land Development of Dover, NH was the land developer for the project.
High-Quality Jobs for Workers in New Hampshire
The festivities included a tour of the warehouse facility and the ribbon cutting ceremony. Several guest speakers expressed their thanks and congratulations to the Company. Governor Maggie Hassan began by saying, “The opening of this facility and its expansion will help create good high-quality jobs for workers here in New Hampshire, and will spur economic development and boost our innovation economy.”
A Team Effort
Excited Rand-Whitney employees gathered at the event with their company’s leadership – clearly pleased about their larger, new facility. Rand-Whitney President and CEO Nick Smith took a few moments to share his gratitude with those gathered, “I am so proud of how everyone involved in this project pulled together to make it happen, from Dover city officials to Summit Development to PROCON. I am also proud of the Rand-Whitney team, who all entered the spirit of this move with such support and enthusiasm. And, it is thanks to such a great company of dedicated hard workers that we stand here today.”
Dover officials have welcomed Rand-Whitney as part of the City’s commitment to attracting new businesses to the area as reiterated during the event by Mayor Karen Weston’s statements, “One of our goals as a city has been to develop our economy, and we thank Rand-Whitney for helping us to achieve this goal.”
Remembering Our Roots
The Kraft Group, who also owns the New England Patriots, owns Rand-Whitney. Robert Kraft flew in from the West Coast to participate in the morning’s festivities for a company, which has been so meaningful in his family’s history. He acknowledged their achievements while adding, “We believe in the family business, we are about tradition and remembering our roots, which began in 1972 when I opened my first Rand-Whitney warehouse in Dover.” He elaborated about how much the State of New Hampshire means to him and the Kraft family and concluded with, “Thank you so much to PROCON for doing the work you did, and for being such strong leadership in the State of New Hampshire.”
In fact, the Company occupied a corrugated sheet plant in Dover from 1972-2002. Subsequent company growth and expansion required relocations to various Granite State sites over the years – with Portsmouth as most recent. It has taken years of searching for the new Dover location that allows them to increase their equipment capabilities, and enhance their production capacity. Nick announced that he intends to hire an additional 15-20 employees during the coming months that will boost their productivity by 40 percent over the next year.
118,600 Square Foot Structure
The 118,600 SF structure’s magnitude is an impressive three and one-half football fields in length and bears the company’s signature blue hue. The facility is segmented by function with 112,500 SF dedicated to manufacturing and warehouse storage and 6,100 SF of office space.
Rand-Whitney traces its origins to 1857 when Elvira Dodge started a company making carton boxes at her home in Leominster, MA. In 1938, Whitney Box of Worcester, MA acquired Dodge Paper Box forming the modern company, and the combined entity became Rand-Whitney. In nearly 80 years, the company has become a household name by pioneering innovative and environmentally friendly corrugated packaging.
Until a couple of years ago, the site of the new Rand-Whitney warehouse was a gravel pit. Developer Chad Kageleiry of Summit Land Development turned it into The Stonewall Industrial Park with the intent to develop it with multiple commercial and warehouse industries.
Playing an Important Role in the Success of New Hampshire
Senator Kelly Ayotte sent a congratulatory video in lieu of attendance saying, “I am delighted in celebrating you and welcoming you back to Dover. You are incredible business leaders and New Hampshire is lucky to have an important company like Rand-Whitney continue to create jobs in our great state.” She went on to say, “New Hampshire has a bright economic future and I know that Rand-Whitney will play an important role in our success.”
Eight months of dedicated construction was summarized by PROCON Vice Chairman John Samenfeld, who highlighted the new warehouse’s remarkable size and energy-efficient features before concluding with recognition of the PROCON team for their hard work. “It took a team of people to get all this work done, and we are very proud of this building and our association with the Kraft’s.”
Source: This press release originally appeared on the PROCON website.