WestRock exec earns industry safety honor

The Pulp & Paper Safety Association (PPSA), headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, has awarded Tom Stigers, president of mill operations at Atlanta-based WestRock Co., its most prestigious award—the Executive Eagle.

The award is presented annually to an outstanding executive in the paper industry who has made major contributions to the cause of accident prevention in their own company and beyond, according to the PPSA. Stigers was awarded the Executive Eagle on June 15.

“Tom’s personal commitment to driving meaningful improvements in safety is inspiring,” WestRock Vice President of Safety James Strange says. “We are thrilled the industry is recognizing Tom’s many contributions over his storied career while also shedding light on the important work of promoting safety throughout our industry.”

WestRock Co.

Stigers has been with WestRock for 20 years and the company says he has more than 35 years of experience in the paper industry. Currently, he is responsible for the combined operations of 32 WestRock mills across the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and Brazil. Stigers previously was executive vice president of corrugated paper solutions and executive vice president of containerboard mills before becoming president of mill operations, and has held leadership roles at RockTenn, Southern Container Corp., Champion International, Simpson, Donohue and Abitibi-Consolidated.

WestRock says Stigers contribules to many industry and community organizations as well as serving as a member of the company’s Safety Council, an executive committee that identifies improvement opportunities based on trends and recommends strategic direction, policies and standards.

“[He] has built an impressive safety-first legacy,” WestRock says in a statement.