Champion International was a large paper and wood products producer based since 1980 in Stamford, Connecticut.
It was the largest coated paper manufacturer in the country through World War II, but struggled in the decades after that with industrial, labor and environmental issues.
Thomson established the Champion Coated Paper Co. in 1893, building a plant in Hamilton, Ohio, along the Great Miami River, 20 miles (32 km) north of Cincinnati.
[5] In 1977, Champion took over Hoerner Waldorf, then the fourth-largest manufacturer of paper bags and boxes in the United States.
[7] In the 1980s, Champion's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew C. Sigler, pushed the company to find ways to redesign and improve manufacturing operations and quality of products.
In the US, a growing awareness that the country was running out of space in its garbage dumps signaled changes in the markets served by the paper industry.
Their former headquarters at 400 Atlantic Street was sold to the Landis Group, who stopped providing free space to the Whitney.
Residents, current employees, and local businesses hoped the vacated facility would serve as home for another company but braced for a devastating economic impact.