Mr. Carota Rose from Union Leader to
Paper Industry Executive of Year over 53-year Career
It is with great sorrow and tremendous respect that Finch Paper announces the passing of our friend and former Chairman, President and CEO Richard J. Carota.
Mr. Carota, the one-time union laborer who rose to become Paper Industry Executive of the Year, passed away on Saturday, July 10, 2010. He was 73 years old, and had determinedly fought an illness that began in September 2009.
Mr. Carota retired from Finch on February 2, 2009, after 53 years of service, 26 of which were served as the company’s chairman, president and CEO. He was the first person who was not a member of the founding families of Finch, Pruyn to be elected chairman, president and CEO of the now-145-year-old company. He was also one of the few former labor union officers to become the CEO of a major American paper manufacturer. In 1993, Mr. Carota was honored as the Paper Industry Executive of the Year by the Paper Industry Management Association.
“Dick Carota was an icon in the North American paper industry,” said Finch Paper President and CEO Joseph F. Raccuia. “He was a blue-collar guy who rose to the executive ranks, but always remembered where he came from. He led the Finch mill through some of its most successful and most challenging times, and had an incredible knowledge of, and love for, this company and its products.
“Dick was Mr. Finch Paper for more than half a century, and he will be remembered for decades to come.”
Mr. Carota’s leadership was widely credited for keeping the Finch mill operating during the late 1990s and early 2000s as dozens of other American paper mills were forced to close due to troublesome economic conditions. Among his most significant career accomplishments at Finch, Mr. Carota: expanded the company’s market presence and product mix, developing a nationwide network of Finch Paper merchants; spearheaded the company’s entrance into the premium text and cover paper market, with the introductions of the Finch Fine and Finch Premium Blend products; and championed Finch’s receipt of the coveted Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) green certifications for the company’s forestry practices and its products. He also oversaw a $20-million modernization of the company’s largest and most productive paper machine; the development of a $25-million cogeneration plant that has made the company largely energy-independent; and the company’s $10-million conversion to an elemental chlorine-free pulp bleaching process to protect the environment.
Born on June 5, 1937, in Glens Falls, NY, Mr. Carota was the eldest of three children of Gladys and Patrick Carota of Hudson Falls, NY. He graduated from Hudson Falls Senior High School in 1954 at the age of 17, and in 1955 entered Miami University in Coral Gables, Fla., as a pre-med student.
In the Spring of 1956, following his freshman year at Miami, Mr. Carota’s paper industry career began almost accidentally. While home for the summer, he took a temporary job as a laborer at Finch, Pruyn, earning $1.35 an hour sweeping out rail cars that were used to ship paper from the mill. When he returned to the University of Miami in the fall of 1956 for his sophomore year, he was unable to find part-time work to help pay his tuition, and his family lacked the resources for him to continue his studies. He came home and returned to work at Finch, Pruyn.
Shortly after rejoining the company as a full-time employee in 1956, Mr. Carota was elected secretary-treasurer of Local 20 of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulfite and Paper Mill Workers, a union representing hundreds of Finch, Pruyn employees.
In 1958, Mr. Carota left the hourly union ranks and began to earn a steady series of promotions into management. He held positions in the company’s Quality Control, Paper Production, Mill Scheduling and Customer Service departments. As customer service manager for 10 years, Mr. Carota traveled widely to meet with Finch, Pruyn’s customers, many of whom became lifelong friends.
In 1970, at age 32, he became one of the youngest paper mill plant managers in the United States. In this capacity, he oversaw the implementation of Finch, Pruyn’s innovative ammonium bisulfite pulping process — a project that earned him a promotion to vice president of manufacturing.
In 1979, he was elected to the Finch, Pruyn Board of Directors and, in 1980, was named executive vice president. He was elected president in 1982, and chairman and CEO in 1983.
Mr. Carota was a member of the Paper Industry Management Association for more than 30 years, and served as a member of the Association’s Leadership Council. He was also a sustaining member of the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry, and a member of the National Rifle Association.
Mr. Carota is survived by his children: Timothy Carota and his wife, Kimm; Christopher Carota and his companion, Lynn Allen; and Michael Carota. He is also survived by his longtime companion, Nancy Sawyer; grandchildren: Taylor Carota, Kasey Carota, Nicole Carota and Brittany Goodro; his brother, Robert Carota and his wife, Sally; several nieces and nephews; and Gail Carota, his former wife and the mother of his children.He was pre-deceased by his parents, Gladys and Patrick Carota; and his sister, Ann.
The family suggests that donations in Mr. Carota’s memory be made to the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation, 126 South St., Glens Falls, NY 12801-9465.
Calling hours will be held from 1-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13, at Carleton Funeral Home in Hudson Falls, NY. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 14, in Union Cemetery in Fort Edward, NY.
