Steve Voorhees, Chief Executive Officer of WestRock, has been named ASPI’s Customer Executive of the Year for 2016. Voorhees is scheduled to accept his award during the ASPI 2016 Spring Meeting, which will be held February 24-26, 2016, in Miami, Florida.

“Steve Voorhees has been a leader in the paper and packaging industry for many years and has helped lead the successful formation of WestRock following a merger last summer.,” notes ASPI President Mike Gray, Area SVP, Sales and Paper Business NA for Valmet.  “Steve’s aspiration for WestRock is to become an unrivaled partner for companies in the paper and packaging industry, and that includes strong relationships with all of their suppliers. We look forward to recognizing his contributions to the industry and hearing from him at our Spring Meeting in Miami.”

Previously, Voorhees was chief executive officer of RockTenn.  Prior to his appointment as CEO of RockTenn, he served in various executive leadership roles, including president and chief operating officer; executive vice president and chief financial officer; and chief administrative officer. Before joining RockTenn, Steve was in operations and executive roles at Sonat Inc., a diversified energy company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Northwestern University and a master of business administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

The Customer Executive of the Year Award is the highest honor that ASPI can bestow on an individual.  This award is presented annually to a customer executive who has worked diligently within his company, and with his company’s suppliers, to dramatically increase the benefits to his company of its supplied goods and services.  Nominations are accepted from ASPI member companies, and the ASPI Board of Directors votes on submitted nominations.