Domtar’s Cougar® paper brand has given life to creative ideas across North America for a half century. Featured in presidential holiday cards, the Kate Spade Brand Book and music festival posters, Cougar’s reputation for quality and consistency has set the brand apart.
But it all begins at our Rothschild Mill on the east bank of the Wisconsin River.
That’s where more than 320 mill employees recently celebrated 50 years of Cougar alongside senior Domtar leaders and community stakeholders. The two-day event included birthday cake, employee giveaways and mill tours.
The 50th anniversary event recognized the work behind the printed page. Employees and leaders celebrated the mill’s commitment to quality and safety. Guests included representatives from the Wisconsin Paper Council and the Wausau Chamber of Commerce.
“It was great to see the people behind Cougar who have helped Domtar build one of the industry’s leading brands over all these years, and all of the personal passion that goes into making the grade every day,” says Rob Melton, Domtar’s senior vice president of pulp and paper commercial.
Bill Edwards, Domtar’s senior vice president of pulp and paper operations, says, “It was great to be in Rothschild again, celebrating on the floor, shaking hands with the employees who have made 50 years of Cougar possible.”
Rothschild Mill Employee Pride Drives Cougar Quality
The Rothschild Mill began manufacturing Cougar paper in 1972 and quickly earned a reputation for top quality, consistency and a mystique unlike any other paper on the market.
As technology evolved, so did Cougar. Over the years, Cougar has evolved from a green-white shade to a blue-white to the more balanced white we have all come to love. It has gone from a lower brightness sheet to the 98 brightness that allows for jaw-dropping, vivid colors.
The brand — Domtar’s premium paper brand — continues to be produced exclusively at Rothschild, and its legacy begins with the people who make it.
The employees behind the Cougar brand take pride in the products they make. The team is dedicated to maintaining the quality and legacy of the number 1 premium opaque paper in North America.
David Faucett joined the team at Rothschild in 1996 and became mill manager in 2017.
“Cougar’s legacy is rooted in our employees’ pride,” says Faucett. “The Cougar brand, like all Domtar brands, continues to evolve to fit the market and our customers’ needs. The employees behind it deliver on this promise every day.”
