Gaylord Container Corporation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA former American integrated manufacturer of containerboard, corrugated containers, and related packaging materials.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Gaylord Container Corporation was an American paperboard and packaging manufacturer that operated from 1986 until its acquisition by Temple-Inland in early 2002. The company was formed from the container division of Crown Zellerbach after the forest-products company was dismantled following Sir James Goldsmith's hostile takeover in 1985. While Crown Zellerbach's more profitable fine-paper assets were sold to James River Corporation, its less profitable brown-paper and corrugated-packaging operations were separated into the business that became Gaylord Container. The new company was initially organized as a limited partnership and was sold in November 1986 for $260 million to Midwest investors led by Warren Hayford and Marvin Pomerantz. Hayford and Pomerantz had previously operated Mid-America Packaging, whose Pine Bluff, Arkansas, kraft-paper mill had been acquired from Weyerhaeuser in December 1985. Gaylord moved its headquarters from Crown Zellerbach's former location at One Bush Street in San Francisco to Deerfield, Illinois, reflecting its new Midwestern ownership and operating base. Gaylord's integrated model combined paper mills that produced containerboard with converting plants that made corrugated boxes and other packaging products. At its formation, the company operated mills in Antioch, California; Bogalusa, Louisiana; and Baltimore, Ohio, together with converting facilities in twelve states. The Pine Bluff mill was integrated into Gaylord in June 1988. The company also expanded in California by acquiring a nearby Fibreboard kraft pulp and paper mill from Louisiana-Pacific in March 1988. That facility required a reported $50 million investment but was closed in February 1991 after difficulties involving wood-chip supply and costs, aging equipment, and air-quality issues. Gaylord also had a notable recycling and energy profile at its Antioch, California, mill. The site had used recycled pulp on a large scale since the 1970s and eventually produced its linerboard and corrugating medium entirely from recycled fiber. Its operations included a secondary-fiber mill that processed old corrugated containers and a gas-turbine cogeneration plant. The company also operated a dimethyl sulfoxide facility at Bogalusa, an operation that later became associated with Gaylord Chemical Corporation. The company completed its initial public offering in July 1988 and traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol GCR. Its public-company life was relatively brief. Temple-Inland, a competing packaging and paper company, acquired Gaylord in early 2002. Following the transaction, Temple-Inland idled the Antioch west paper mill in September 2002 because of excess papermaking capacity within the enlarged business. The Antioch cogeneration plant continued selling electricity to Pacific Gas and Electric until it was shut down in February 2006. Temple-Inland itself was acquired by International Paper in 2012. Gaylord Container therefore survives primarily as a historical predecessor within the United States paper, packaging, and forest-products industries rather than as an operating brand.
History
Gaylord Container Corporation emerged from the restructuring of Crown Zellerbach after the latter was targeted in a hostile takeover by Sir James Goldsmith in July 1985. The takeover led to the breakup of the San Francisco-based forest-products company in May 1986. Crown Zellerbach's fine-paper assets were sold to James River Corporation, while the container division, which focused on brown paper and packaging, became the basis of Gaylord Container. The company took its name from an earlier Gaylord Container business that had been based in St. Louis and had produced the eponymous Gaylord container. Crown Zellerbach acquired that earlier company in 1955 and subsequently used Gaylord as the name of its brown-paper operations. The name was shortened to Container Division shortly before Crown Zellerbach's breakup, but it was restored when the successor company was established. Gaylord was briefly organized as a limited partnership before being sold in November 1986 for $260 million to Midwest investors led by Warren Hayford and Marvin Pomerantz. The investors also had connections to Mid-America Packaging, whose kraft-paper mill in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, had been acquired from Weyerhaeuser in December 1985. Gaylord relocated its headquarters from San Francisco to Deerfield, Illinois. At launch, Gaylord operated three containerboard mills: Antioch, California; Bogalusa, Louisiana; and Baltimore, Ohio. It also controlled converting plants in twelve states. The Pine Bluff mill joined the system in June 1988. In November of that year, Gaylord sold the Baltimore mill for $17 million because it produced mainly recycled corrugating medium and was considered less profitable within the company's portfolio. The Antioch operation was central to Gaylord's identity. Crown Zellerbach had opened the mill in 1957 to serve northern California markets, and Gaylord later concentrated the site on linerboard and corrugating medium. Its adjacent secondary-fiber facility recovered material from used corrugated containers. The mill had shifted to entirely recycled pulp for its relevant grades by the late 1970s and was promoted as having one of the world's largest recycled-paper machines. A gas-turbine cogeneration plant installed in 1982 supplied energy and later sold electricity to the local utility. In March 1988, Gaylord acquired an adjacent Fibreboard kraft pulp and paper mill from Louisiana-Pacific. The company invested approximately $50 million in an effort to revive the 1949 facility, which became known as the California east mill. The project was unsuccessful: wood-chip supply and pricing problems, outdated equipment, and air-quality concerns contributed to its closure in February 1991. The shutdown eliminated 320 jobs. Gaylord completed an initial public offering in July 1988 and traded on the American Stock Exchange as GCR. In addition to its paper and packaging activities, it operated a dimethyl sulfoxide facility at Bogalusa. That chemical operation later became Gaylord Chemical Corporation, although the packaging company itself did not remain independent. Temple-Inland acquired Gaylord in early 2002 after fewer than sixteen years of independent operation. Temple-Inland subsequently idled the Antioch west mill in September 2002 because the combined company had excess papermaking capacity. The Antioch cogeneration plant remained active until February 2006, when it ceased selling electricity to Pacific Gas and Electric. Temple-Inland was acquired by International Paper in 2012, placing Gaylord's former operations within the broader history of International Paper's packaging and paper assets.
- 2002
Acquired by Temple-Inland
[1]Temple-Inland acquired Gaylord Container, ending the company's independent existence.
- 1991
Antioch east mill closes
[1]Gaylord closed the former Fibreboard mill after unsuccessful efforts to overcome supply, equipment, and environmental operating problems.
- 1988
Initial public offering
[1]Gaylord completed its IPO and began trading on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol GCR.
- 1988
Pine Bluff mill integrated into the company
[1]The Mid-America Packaging mill in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, became part of Gaylord's integrated paper system.
- 1986
Gaylord Container is established
[1]The container division of Crown Zellerbach became the basis of a newly independent packaging company after Crown Zellerbach was broken up.
- 1955
Crown Zellerbach acquires the earlier Gaylord Container company
[1]Crown Zellerbach acquired the St. Louis-based company associated with the Gaylord container name and later incorporated the name into its brown-paper operations.
Products and positioning
An integrated, U.S.-focused paper and packaging manufacturer combining containerboard production, recycled-fiber processing, and corrugated-container converting.
Containerboard
Linerboard
Linerboard was one of Gaylord's principal containerboard grades and served as the facing paper used in corrugated board. The Antioch operation produced linerboard from recycled fiber, reflecting the company's emphasis on integrating recovered corrugated material into packaging production.
Containerboard
Corrugating medium
Corrugating medium formed the fluted interior layer of corrugated board. Gaylord produced the grade at several of its mills, including the Antioch facility, while the Baltimore mill was later sold because its output was concentrated in this less-profitable recycled-pulp grade.
Packaging
Corrugated containers
Corrugated containers were the company's principal converted packaging product. Gaylord's network of converting plants transformed containerboard into shipping boxes and related corrugated formats for customers across the United States.
Recycled paper packaging
Recycled-fiber packaging grades
Gaylord's Antioch mill used recovered old corrugated containers as a fiber source and ultimately operated with 100 percent recycled pulp for its linerboard and corrugating-medium grades. This capability distinguished the site within the company's mill network.
Brand decisions
2002
Sell the company to Temple-InlandM&ABackground
Gaylord had operated independently for fewer than sixteen years in a competitive paper and packaging market.
Action taken
Temple-Inland acquired Gaylord Container in early 2002.
Aftermath
Gaylord ceased to exist as an independent company. Temple-Inland later idled the Antioch west mill because of excess papermaking capacity in the enlarged organization.
2002
Idle the Antioch west millStrategyBackground
After Temple-Inland acquired Gaylord, the combined company had more papermaking capacity than it needed.
Action taken
Temple-Inland idled Gaylord's Antioch west mill in September 2002.
Aftermath
The mill stopped operating, while the associated cogeneration plant continued operating until February 2006.
1988
Acquire the Fibreboard mill near AntiochM&ABackground
Gaylord sought to expand its integrated paper capacity by acquiring an adjacent Fibreboard kraft pulp and paper mill from Louisiana-Pacific.
Action taken
The company acquired the facility and invested approximately $50 million in an attempt to restore and operate it.
Aftermath
The mill closed in February 1991 after difficulties involving wood-chip supplies and prices, outdated equipment, and air-quality issues. The closure eliminated 320 jobs.
Reported investment in mill revival. $50 million (1988-1991)
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/gaylord-container-corporation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled