This Week's Program was . .
October 6, 2026
Our speaker was Lisa Rhoades. Lisa is the Technical Sales Representative for Complex National Accounts for International Paper in their Madison location. Lisa moved to Northeast Ohio early last year, first as a temporary job but loved the area so much that she found a permanent job and bought a house in Painesville.
The Madison location of International Paper employs 50-75 people (depending on the need). IP is the largest paper company in the United States and has more than 300 locations across the US. Lisa told us that their facilities are broken up into 3 different types: Mills and Plants, where trees are made into pulp. They use a 50-50 mixture of recycled paper and trees to make the pulp. Recycling plants is the second type and the third is offices, supply hubs and processing plants. The IP in Madison specializes in retail displays and corrugated packaging.
Lisa Rhoades from International Paper.
Lisa spoke passionately about how International Paper is leading the industry in recycling cardboard. International Paper through their recycling: recover, sort, and process over 7 million tons of fiber annually. That's a lot of cardboard! IP's international motto is "We do the right things, in the right ways, for the right reasons, all the time." They received the American Sustainability Award in 2024 and in 2026 they received the World's Most Ethical Company Award for the 20th time. Lisa is proud to say that IP utilizes almost 100% of the harvested trees. They use some of the tree waste to create steam and electricity to run their mills and the rest is sold to make soaps, paints, and pine cleaners. Who uses Pine Sol?? Within their facilities, safety is a non-negotiable core value. Lisa is very proud of their safety culture!
At the Madison Plant, known as the Madison Display plant they create retail displays, die cut boxes, and regular slotted containers (corrugated boxes). They put the printing on the boxes and displays to complete the process. They work with several large area and United States companies.
Stu Lucker, President and Lisa Rhoades.Our next meeting is October 13, 2026 at Recreation Park at 301 Latimore Street in the River View Pavilion. It is our annual picnic. Food will be provided, but you may bring a covered dish or dessert if your feel the need.
