Hoffmaster Group Inc.

Hoffmaster Group Inc., a producer of paper plates and napkins once owned by the Solo Cup Co. and Scott Paper Co., has announced plans to close its plant in Appleton, resulting in the loss of 300 jobs there, the Appleton-Post Crescent reported recently. The company said that production will be moved to its plant in Clintonville. Hoffmaster was founded in Oshkosh as a paper napkin manufacturer in 1947 by B.T. Hoffmaster, according to the firm's Web site. The firm expanded and underwent a series of ownership changes, including a purchase of the company by Scott Paper in 1985 and an acquisition by Solo Cup in 2004.