Grimm came to American Eagle Paper Mills on Feb. 25, 2013, to succeed John Ferner, who served as the company’s president since its beginning in 2003 until his retirement in December 2012.

The Tyrone mill was closed in 2001, leaving hundreds of people without a job. Whitfield and John Ferner were among the leaders who formed a group called Team Ten LLC, which helped to reopen the ...