RockTenn history

In 1982 Rock-Tenn's sales volume reached $133 million and its production of recycled paperboard peaked at 180,000 tons, most of which it used itself in the manufacture of folding cartons and containers and corrugated boxes.

Rock-Tenn made its biggest acquisition yet in 1983, when it paid $40 million to buy 11 Clevepak Corporation plants, seven of which were making partitions to protect glass and plastic containers.

Morris remained chairman of the executive committee until his death in January 1985.

In 1989 net sales had reached $515.9 million, and net income was $31.1 million.

In 1990 Rock-Tenn acquired Allforms Packaging Corp. of Long Island and Box Innards Inc. of Orange, California.

In December 1993 Rock-Tenn paid $35 million for Les Industries Ling, a Canadian company that used recycled paperboard to make folding cartons.

The first public offering of RockTenn stock, amounting to about 14 percent of the shares outstanding, was made in March 1994.

Class A stock was selling at $16.75 a share at the end of March 1995.

Also in 1997, Rock-Tenn and Sonoco Products Company created a fiber partition joint venture called RTS Packaging, LLC, with Rock-Tenn holding a 65 percent stake and Sonoco the remaining 35 percent.

Later in 2000, Shuster, having been passed over for the CEO position, left the company.

In November 2001, Advertising Display Company, a producer of both temporary and permanent point-of-purchase displays, was acquired.

In August 2003 RockTenn paid about $16 million for Pacific Coast Packaging Corp., located in Kerman, California.