Austin E. Cofrin
Fort Howard Corporation
Fort Howard Corporation
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The opening of the [Fort Howard Corporation](/wiki/Fort_Howard_Paper_Company "Fort Howard Paper Company") in 1919 on the [Fox River (Wisconsin)](/wiki/Fox_River_%28Wisconsin%29 "Fox River (Wisconsin)") paved the way for others in northeastern Wisconsin. The location of the paper mill was close to the fruitful timber industry and other natural resources in the region. Green Bay soon became a hub in the paper industry. Cofrin's hard work and resourcefulness was instrumental in the success of the Fort Howard Paper Company. His dedication to innovation helped lay the foundation for the paper industry as it is known today. Cofrin devoted much of his time to creating cutting\-edge ideas that would forever change the way the paper industry did business. Fort Howard was the first paper mill to run nearly self\-sufficiently. The mill housed a [machine shop](/wiki/Machine_shop "Machine shop") to build and service the paper converting equipment, which ensured speed and accuracy while cutting costs. Fort Howard produced many of their own chemicals used in the paper making process, as well as generating their own power to operate the mill, and maintained their own landfills for waste.

Cofrin was an early proponent of recycling waste paper to create a new type of usable paper. His vision for recycling continues to influence how paper and other raw materials like pulp and ground wood are recycled and reused today. Cofrin's work and early visions of environmentalism earned Fort Howard the first corporate award for national recycling in 1991 by the [United States Environmental Protection Agency](/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency "United States Environmental Protection Agency") (EPA).


What industries were nearby to influence Fort Howard Corporation's location?