CINCINNATI, December 3, 2008 - Duro Bag Manufacturing Company today announced that John F. Gillen has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of Duro Standard Products Co.  Duro Bag is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of paper bags and luxury paper bags.  It sells to major foodservice, grocery, retail and wholesale/distribution businesses in North America.

Gillen, a 22-year veteran senior executive, most recently served as President for Stora Enso North America, a $2.3 billion revenue business of Helsinki-based Stora Enso Oyj.  In that post, he generated sales, revenue, earnings and productivity growth in the face of challenging market conditions, and he led the team that profitably sold Stora’s U.S. assets in 2007.

At Duro Bag, Gillen is responsible for managing all aspects of manufacturing, marketing and sales for Duro Standard Products, the business that produces and markets the majority of the company’s paper bags.  Duro Bag provides a wide variety of paper bags to blue-chip retailers and brands.

“Over its 55-year history, Duro Bag has developed a very customer-centered company backed by a strong operational base and dedicated, hard working employees,” said Gillen.

“I will continue to build on what the Shor family established, helping further develop a world-class company distinguished on product quality, service, environmental responsibility and innovation.  Everything the Duro Bag team does will continue to be driven, first and foremost, by what’s important to our customers.”

“Gillen’s appointment is an important step forward in the growth of our company,” said Charles Shor, CEO and Chairman of Duro Bag.  “He brings the right mix of seasoned strategic thinking, manufacturing and sales expertise as well as a passion for excellence.  He has an intense focus on customers and employees—and a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.”

Gillen has a strong performance record in senior management and sales, has overseen large, multi-site workforces and manufacturing operations as well as several major capital projects.  Throughout his career, he built deep customer relationships that resulted in sales and market share growth and, in his most recent position, was responsible for increased returns on capital, assets and equity, Shor said.

Over the past 13 years, Gillen held increasingly senior management positions at Stora Enso Oyj, Stora Enso North America and its U.S. predecessor company Consolidated Papers.

He started his business career with Motorola Corp. (NYSE: MOT) as a salesman for communications electronics in the Chicago area, where he consistently surpassed aggressive sales quotas.  Before entering business, Gillen from 1981 to 1985 was a professional football player, including linebacker for the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals and New England Patriots.  He received a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign in 1981.