Champion International Corp. is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and includes New York State. It is an American forest products plant engaged in the manufacture of building materials, paper, and packaging materials. It was acquired in 2000 by a competitor, an international paper company. For financial reporting, their fiscal year ends December 31st. This page contains a list of all SEC registrations as well as all documents filed by Champion International Corporation.
The company was founded by Peter G. Thomson, who bought a patent for a card coating machine from Pepperell’s Champion Card in Massachusetts and Charles H. Gage, president of Paper Corps, who in turn gained half-interest in Thomson’s initiative. Thomson founded Champion Coated Paper Co. in 1893 and built a plant in Hamilton, Ohio, 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Cincinnati on the banks of the Great Miami River. His aggressive quick thinking turned some of the early misfortunes of his organization into success. In December 1901, the Hamilton Paper Mill caught fire. In 1913, after the arson, the great Miami River floods again destroyed the Champion Mill. Peter Thomson died in 1931 and the company was run by his eldest son Alexander. Another son, Logan, became champion in 1935 and served until his death in 1946. In 1967 the company was founded by Champion Papers, Inc. Associated with it became U.S. Plywood – Champion Papers, Inc. and in 1972 the corporate name became Champion International. In the 1990s, environmental concerns affected the company’s prospects for future growth. In the United States, a growing awareness that the country is running out of space in its garbage dumps indicates a shift in the markets served by the paper industry. Peter Thomson established the primitive rules for his corporation, on the condition that the only son in each of these four families, especially the eldest son, be allowed to enter the business. In 1932, about 73 percent of the champion’s stock belonged to members of the Thomson family. In 1960, that number was still close to 42 percent.
The company’s headquarters moved to One Champion Plaza (now 400 Atlantic Street) in 1980 at Stamford, Connecticut. In 2000, Champion International was bought by Paper, which later bought its headquarters, moving from NY to Stamford’s Champion’s headquarters. However, in the early 1970s, Champion re-focused business on most of these companies’ wood products. In 1977 the champion acquired Horner Waldorf, the fourth-largest American producer of paper bags and boxes. Due to the rising production size of the champion mills, they were hitting the industry hardest since the recession began after World War I in 1912. The champion, however, recovered quickly and continued to churn out high amounts of coated paper at a later stage for decades. The sudden announcement created economic and environmental concerns in Lawrence County, Alabama. Residents, current employees, and local businesses hope the holiday will serve as a home for another organization but will have a devastating economic impact.
