In April 1964, it was announced that Morart Gravure Corporation was being sold to Mead Corporation. Mead operated 18 paper and paper converting plants in the East, South and Midwest. One of its recent acquisitions was the Hurlburt Paper Company of South Lee, whose largest customer was Morart Gravure. The proximity of the two plants made sense to the buyer. The President of Mead Corporation did not anticipate forthcoming personnel changes, as the company relied on its skilled workers.
At the time, 110 employees were working in Holyoke and 80 at the Dayton, Ohio, plant. The buyer envisioned increasing the workforce to meet additional demand. On Monday, July 6, 1964, the sale was consummated, and the Morart division of Mead Paper Corporation was formed. Edward H. Allen of South Hadley, son-in-law of Charles F. Moriarty, was named President of the Holyoke division. The business had been owned by the family since its inception in 1927.
In May 1966, within two years of Mead's purchase, the company announced that the plant would relocate to South Lee, Massachusetts. Groundbreaking for a new 80,000 square-foot building in Berkshire County was imminent. On August 28, 1967, the machinery and equipment were in place, and the new plant in Lee started production, ending 40 years of operations in Holyoke.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
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