Published by: Berlin Sun
A massively sized new boiler, one that provides the steam to operate the paper machine, is now operating in the 19th-century plant.Employees, local and state officials marked making the plant more efficient in a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 27.
“It just needed something like this facility to just look like it’s not from 1890 but from 2025,” company owner and investor Evan Behrens said.
The Behrens Investment Group acquired the company out of bankruptcy in 2020.
This $2 million investment was in part funded by a grant from the Paper & Pulp Manufacturing Industry Stabilization Program, and likely would not have been able to proceed without it. Completion of this project helps position the Gorham mill for more efficient and cost-effective operations.
Behrens' thanks went to many, including former commissioner of the then-named Department of Resources and Economic Development, George Bald. At the ceremony, current commissioner of the Department of Business of Economic Affairs Taylor Caswell, District 1 Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, Benoit “Beno” Lamontagne, of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, Chuck Henderson, special assistant for policy and projects for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mike Waddell, chairperson of the Gorham selectmen, and Berlin Mayor Robert Cone were among the sunny summer morning’s attendees at the mill.
And he thanked the plant’s employees, including its union, United Steel Workers Local No. 4- 0075.
“We want to be a modern mill that can be here for 50, 60, 70 years,” said Behrens.
“We’re at an inflection point,” he said.
The new boiler is expected to reduce energy costs by 20 to 30 percent. It also will enhance the capacity for future expansion.
The boiler and other plant improvements and upgrades are making up for many years of deferred maintenance, as Behrens described. The 90-acre site has been home to a paper mill since 1852.
High-quality tissue and paper towel are produced at the Gorham mill. About 100 employees work for White Mountain Paper Co.
Employee Randy Rand received recognition as being “the diagnostic doctor of paper machines,” said Behrens.
A steady hum of machines at work along with employeescould be heard. It was neither deafening nor overbearing.
“It’s great. We’re going to be here for a long time,” said Jamason Levesque, a six-year employee at the plant.
The new boiler installation is part of Project Nave, as business consultant Alexandra Ritchie of Ritchie Associates notes.
“At our historic paper mill, it symbolizes renewal and a fresh start while respecting the site's legacy. In history "Nave" refers to the central part of a church, symbolizing a foundation or core, which aligns with the boiler's role as a vital, foundational component supporting the mill's ongoing operations. It emphasizes blending tradition with innovation, honoring the mill’s history while highlighting a new chapter of modernization and sustainability," she said.
Ritchie explained the technical workings of the boiler.
“The Superior 8X4000S250M Apache boiler provides the high-pressure, high-capacity steam essential for the operation of a Yankee dryer in a paper mill. This steam heats the Yankee cylinder internally, enabling rapid and uniform drying of the paper web, which is critical for maintaining product quality and efficient production. Additionally, the boiler supplies steam for other key processes like pulp cooking, refining, and chemical recovery. Its advanced features — such as economizers, deaerators, and reliable combustion controls— ensure consistent, clean, high-quality steam while optimizing efficiency and minimizing maintenance. Overall, this boiler supports continuous, efficient paper manufacturing by delivering the robust steam supply necessary for the Yankee dryer and other vital paper manufacturing operations,” Ritchie noted.
From the time the financing, including grants, was available to purchase the new boiler, at least 12 months had passed.
“The Mill began leasing a temporary boiler to maintain its operations after the existing boilers did not pass inspection in September 2021. The Mill has been leasing the interim boiler since then. The installation of the new boiler eliminates the rental cost plus associated operating costs,” said Ritchie in an email to the Sun.
The new boiler operates at a far greater efficiency than the smaller boiler that was replaced.
“The Superior Apache boiler is larger and more powerful than a typical mobile boiler. With 800 BoHP capable of producing 206,800 pounds of steam per hour, and operating pressures up to 250 PSIG (pounds-per-square inch-gauge), it’s designed for large, continuous industrial use like paper mills, unlike smaller, portable mobile boilers used in outdoor event venues, construction sites and disaster recovery,” said Ritchie.
Bureau of Economic Affairs Commissioner Caswell, speaking to the gathering, said there are two paper mills in N.H., the Monadnock Mill and the White Mountain Paper Co. in Gorham. Caswell spoke of the Gorham mill, which benefited greatly.
“The total boiler replacement project was approximately $2 million, of which approximately $1 million came from the Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Industry Stabilization Program. The Gorham-based mill also was awarded a $250,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program grant for this project. The balance of the project cost was arranged for by the White Mountain Paper Co.,” Ritchie clarified after the ceremony.
The vastness of the site where paper tissue is currently made is striking upon entering the mill building.
Catie Hubley, of Conway, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, along with her husband, Scott Hubley, a member of the plant’s leadership team at White Mountain Paper Co.
She spoke of the mills that she has seen from a roadway, such as the former mills in Lawrence, Mass. The sites have history and may cause some to wonder what can be done to rehabilitate them. Yet it is not such a simple fix as renovating a mill once you see what is inside — the space is vast, and its history is on display. At the Gorham mill, the history is preserved, and the paper company continues to function.
“It’s good to see that it can still be alive,” Catie Hubley said.
Employee Randy Crain took photos throughout the morning ceremony, including by video. The small video camera stood upright, attached to the crown of his work helmet. The video captured a 360-degree view of the activity inside the mill. He demonstrated how the video worked, downloading the video onto his cell phone camera. Almost as an art form, the quickly produced film showed the mill’s buzz of activity.
A sense of pride in the mill’s work and its future shone through.
“To see the time and effort that’s being put into the mill,” he said, to bring it up to date. “It's nice to be a part of it.”
Cascade Mill timeline, Gorham
A timeline on display at the June 27 dedication gives the history of the Gorham Cascades Mill, “where tradition continues.”
The history as presented, including different corporate owners of the mill as the years changed:
1852: Founded Berlin Falls Lumber Mill.
1888: Entered pulp and paper industry with ground wood mill.
1891: Installed first two paper machines producing newsprint.
1904: Berlin Paper Mill launched.
1912: Converted to production of Kraft paper, became world’s largest producer.
1917: Due to World War I, namechanged to Brown Paper Co.
1940s: New Kraft Mill Tissue Machine No. 9, Mr. Nibroc.
1968: Gulf & Western.
1981: James River Corp.
1995: Crown Vantage.
1999: American Tissue.
2002: Fraser Paper.
2011: Patriarch Partners launches Gorham Paper & Tissue.
2012: Tissue Machine No. 6 begins production.
2020 New ownership and White Mountain Paper Co.