PIMA Foundation finds home at Paper Industry International Hall of Fame.

For more than three-quarters of a century, PIMA has worked to advance the education of its members and recognize the contributions of pulp and paper leaders. Through a unique partnership with another industry, group, PIMA is acting to further both goals.

The PIMA Foundation, created by members in 2001 to support education within the paper industry, recently announced a tentative agreement to join forces with the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame (Neenah, WI). PIMA will be given space in which to recognize the contributions of members and industry leaders. In turn, the Hall of Fame will receive promotional support and publicity.

"PIMA was looking for a place to hang its hat," said PIMA President Raymond J. Heuchling. "We needed a place to recognize our people, to hang plaques, to have ceremonies acknowledging the contributions of our donors. At the same time, the Hall of Fame has a space, but PIMA could help them out with promotion."

Both PIMA and the Hall of Fame were founded in Wisconsin's Fox River Valley, an area that has a rich paper industry history and is one of the country's top papermaking regions. PIMA was founded in Appleton in 1919 by mill superintendents wanting to share knowledge and improve the industry (see this month's "President's Corner"). Similarly, the Hall of Fame was created in 1992 by a group of former and current paper industry executives looking to find ways to recognize the importance of the paper industry as a cornerstone of the local and state economy, and to hail individual contributions.

The Paper Industry International Hall of Fame inducts individuals who have contributed to the development of the paper industry in a range of categories: Academic, Economics, Entrepreneur, Founder, Leadership, Marketing/Sales, Research and Development, Service, and Technology. Inductees are recognized at the Hall's annual banquet. Currently housed in the Neenah Historical Society's Octagon House, the Hall of' Fame plans to move its offices and museum to the World Paper Center in the old Atlas Mill, a 93,000-square-foot facility in Appleton, WI donated by Kimberly-Clark, after enough funds are raised to complete building renovations.

According to Hall of Fame Executive Director Valerie Wylie, the meeting of the two groups came about after Heuchling toured the mill and was struck by the potential mutual benefits of PIMA .joining forces with her organization.

"He was very enthusiastic and very supportive of what the Hall of Fame is doing, and he could see that this mill tells the story of the region and the industry, and how important paper is to mankind," she said. "He also saw opportunities for synergy between our two organizations, and that PIMA could help make the mill renovation a reality."

Heuchling has joined the Hall of Fame board. Further details of the arrangement between the two organizations will be determined once board consensus is reached. In addition to providing PIMA a forum for recognizing individual accomplishments and donor contributions, Heuchling says, joining with the Hall of Fame will enable PIMA to improve upon its history of celebrating the contributions of its members.

"PIMA started its life as the American Pulp and Paper Mill Superintendents Management Association," said Heuchling. "We want the world to take notice of the contributions of superintendents, because that's how we started, we want them to get excited about their contributions and come to this place, like baseball fans flocking to Cooperstown."

The PIMA Foundation was created in 2001 to provide scholarships and other educational programs through endowments and contributions. Because education has long been a cornerstone of PIMA's mission, members saw a need for an initiative to increase student involvement, boost management training and fund the education of promising students in the pulp and paper field.

For more information on the Hall of Fame, visit their web site at www.paperhall.org.