ATLANTA, Ga. - TAPPI announced today that former Major League Pitcher Jim Abbott will welcome guests to TAPPI’s 7^th annual PaperCon event on Monday, April 28, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. Abbott is a popular speaker renowned for his message of overcoming adversity and adapting to achieve success.

“We’re very excited to bring Jim Abbott to this year’s PaperCon,” notes Larry N. Montague, TAPPI president and CEO. “His message is about how perseverance and dedication are the keys to his success in overcoming obstacles. This will be the perfect way to open this year’s event since PaperCon’s theme is Sustainability, Adaptability & Profitability.”

Abbott was born in Flint, Michigan without a right hand. He was an All-American hurler at Michigan, won the Sullivan Award in 1987 and was a pitcher for the Gold Medal Olympic Team in 1988. Jim played for four major league teams before ending has career in 1999 after 10 seasons. He threw a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees versus Cleveland on September 4, 1993. He has worked with The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) on several initiatives encouraging businesses to hire people with disabilities.

PaperCon is TAPPI’s annual pulp and papermaking conference which attracts nearly 1800 executives and technical professionals from around the world.   It is the largest technical program in the world and the largest industry trade fair in North America.   It will be held April 27-30, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee.