Hazen Paper Company of Holyoke was recently recognized as Manufacturer of the Year at a State House ceremony sponsored by the Massachusetts legislature’s Manufacturing Caucus. The third annual Manufacturing Award Ceremony celebrated manufacturers “making it” in Massachusetts.
Hazen Paper is a family owned and operated specialty paper converter known worldwide for holography used in packaging, lottery tickets, and on the NFL Super Bowl program and the enshrinement yearbook for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Holography creates the illusion of motion and dimension on two-dimensional printed pieces by refracting and reflecting light.
Hazen President John Hazen attributes the company’s success to forward thinking, investing in future manufacturing capabilities and people—even when it was challenging to do so. “In 2009, when the world was still reeling from the Great Recession, Hazen launched a new holographic lab, design studio and metallizing factory to produce and promote original materials using Hazen-Lens technology. Our timing was bold, and our plan was aggressive: it required fortitude to stay the course.”
Hazen had also initiated an apprentice program in 2007 to train workers with the expertise this high-tech factory would require. In the last 10 years, Hazen has hired and trained more than 50 apprentices. In 2010, Hazen started an internship program with engineering students from Western New England University, several of whom are now full-time members of the Hazen management team. Hazen has long participated in the “World is Our Classroom” program that ensures every fifth-grader in the Holyoke Public Schools visits Hazen for a full day of teaching, demonstrations and tours. Since 2004, Hazen has welcomed an estimated 4,000 students.
Hazen was nominated for the award by Holyoke State Representative Aaron Vega. “Manufacturing is not only an essential component of our economy in Massachusetts, it’s in the DNA of cities like Holyoke,” said Vega. “We are a city born of innovation and manufacturing, with a rich history of making things.” Formed in August 2014, the Manufacturing Caucus includes more than 60 legislators from around the Commonwealth. Lawmakers focus on training for manufacturing employees; encouraging innovation by helping start-ups access resources; and expanding apprenticeship opportunities in key manufacturing sectors.
Founded in 1925, Hazen Paper Company is an innovative paper converter specializing in holographic origination, film coating, foil and paper lamination, metallizing, gravure printing, specialty coating and rotary embossing. It is the most vertically integrated producer of holographic paper and film in the Americas. A family-run company with three manufacturing facilities in Holyoke, Hazen is committed to sustainability, engineering products such as recyclable Envirofoil, and using renewable energy sources to produce specialty materials for worldwide use in retail display and POP, luxury, entertainment and media packaging, bookbinding, scratch-off lottery and other security-related tickets, tags and cards, and fine art applications. Hazen supplies converted paper and paperboards that are FSC, SFI and PEFC certified. For more information, visit www.hazen.com
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