DeWayne Bone (left), senior safety director for the Paper Excellence paper and packaging business unit, presented the PPSA Distinguished Service Award to Randy Adams, health and safety director at the Kingsport Mill (right).
Randy Adams, Kingsport Mill health and safety manager, recently won the Pulp and Paper Safety Association’s Distinguished Service Award. It’s the PPSA’s highest honor, recognizing individuals for their leadership and service to the association and the paper industry during their careers.
The award was presented to Adams by DeWayne Bone, ex-officio PPSA board of directors general chairman, and the Paper and Packaging business’ senior director of health and safety.
“I was surprised but honored to be recognized by the PPSA,” Adams says. “Personally, it means that I left a legacy with my organization. Professionally, it means I got to share this with an organization that values safety just as I do.”
Adams started his career as a clerk in 1979 and soon moved into managerial roles in production, quality and raw materials, as well as environmental, health and safety. He joined the paper industry in 2009 as the environmental, health and safety manager for Kruger Products. After a decade, he moved to Graphic Packaging International’s mill in West Monroe, Louisiana, as the health and safety manager. Adams briefly returned to Kruger Products before becoming the Kingsport Mill health and safety manager in April 2024.
“My very diverse background has taught me many life lessons over the years, but building lasting relationships has been the steppingstone for success,” Adams says. “Health and safety are a value, not a priority. Values do not change, but priorities do.”
Adams continues to build relationships with his Kingsport Mill colleagues.
“I see my current role as an effective way to show the employees I care about them,” he says. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is all part of building the relationships to partner for safety success. Listening to the employees and their safety concerns will always add value to the conversation.”
For Troy Wilson, Kingsport Mill manager, Adams’ role as Kingsport Mill health and safety manager is key to ensuring employees return home safely after each shift.
“Randy is very deserving of this award, not only for his work at our mill, but for his successful career in the health and safety field,” Wilson says. “We are very happy to have him as a member of our team.”
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