Fleenor Paper given SBA honor

May 14th, 2012

Fleenor Paper given SBA honor

As Published in: Central Valley Business Journal

STOCKTON – A leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging for a variety of industries that was founded 50 years ago in a garage has been named U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2012 Northern California Small Business of the Year.

Fleenor Paper Co., with a 130,000-square-foot plant in the 4200 block of East Fremont Street in Stockton, will be honored this week during Fleenor_Paper_Co._logoSmall Business Week in Washington, D.C.

“I was proud to tell my employees we were chosen for this award,” Rebecca Fleenor, the chief executive officer of the Oakland-based company, said in a statement released by TMC Financing. “We’ve grown by $10 million per year these last few years. Everybody’s had to work very hard, and there have been personal sacrifices. The award gives us a boost.”

TMC Financing approved and funded an SBA loan for Fleenor Paper to buy the 130,000-square-foot building in Stockton in 2005. Fleenor Paper subsequently worked with TMC to purchase two office condo facilities. It was TMC that nominated Fleenor Paper for the award.

“For us to get a building as nice as the one we have in Stockton and to be able to afford it was a huge step,” said Fleenor. “Getting the building was the whole reason Fleenor was able to expand these past few years. We wouldn’t have been able to do it if we had to come up with a 20-25 percent down payment. The extra working capital went directly into the growth that we’ve experienced.”

“Fleenor is an outstanding business, showing tremendous growth, giving back, and supporting its employees,” said Mark Quinn, SBA San Francisco district director. “Since the mid-’90s it has grown under the leadership of Rebecca Fleenor and John Rochex from a small, family-owned business to becoming a national leader in the paper conversion business with 300 employees and $60 million in sales.”

“TMC is thrilled to nominate Fleenor, a woman-led, environmentally-friendly company, for this award,” said Barbara Morrison, TMC’s president and chief executive officer. “Rebecca and her family not only contribute hundreds of jobs to the economy, they also have a well-rounded vision of success that rewards hard work and gives minorities and women opportunities to move into positions traditionally held exclusively by white males.”

Fleenor Paper Co. was founded in 1962 and is a leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging for a variety of industries. It has five manufacturing plants across the country and network distribution centers covering the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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