Little Rapids

What Little Rapids does

Little Rapids Corporation is a privately held, family-owned specialty paper manufacturer and converter founded in 1947 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company manufactures and converts paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven materials into finished products serving the Medical, Beauty, and Food Service markets, as well as flexographic printing and specialty packaging applications. Operations are concentrated across three Wisconsin facilities: the Green Bay headquarters (2273 Larsen Rd), a Green Bay printing and converting facility (2970 Walker Dr), and the Shawano paper mill (W7575 Poplar Rd), which carries over a century of papermaking heritage dating to its founding as the Wolf River Paper & Fiber Company in 1894. The company employs approximately 450 people and reports annual sales of over $200 million.

The company's product portfolio is organized across several operating brands. The 2026 unification of Nexxa and Shawano Specialty Papers created Rapids Paper + Packaging, a single division integrating specialty paper, flexible packaging, advanced flexographic printing, and functional coating technologies, including the Ecova™ paper-based sustainable packaging platform. Graham Medical supplies disposable products for medical professionals and healthcare facilities. Graham Beauty markets disposable products for beauty and barber professionals, anchored by the nationally recognized Sanek® and CelluCotton® brands acquired from Kimberly-Clark. Specialty Products serves the broader Medical, Beauty, and Food Service markets with disposable paper solutions. Proprietary products include Ultra Bond® for premium napkin applications. The company has built its capabilities over decades through forward integration, acquiring paper mills (Shawano, Pacific Papers, Potsdam) and adjacent businesses (Johnson & Johnson's Graham Medical Supply, Kimberly-Clark's barber and beauty unit, Famis Manufacturing, and Larsen Converting), while divesting commodity operations such as pulp and the Potsdam mill.

Little Rapids operates a direct B2B sales model with quote-based, multi-year enterprise contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is domestic U.S. with no international footprint indicated. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of manufactured and converted products across three primary verticals (Medical, Beauty, and Flexographic Printing/Specialty Paper), with Food Service as a secondary segment. The company has been continuously family-owned since Charles Egan founded it in 1947, with no private equity, venture capital, or institutional ownership indicated; the Egan Family Foundation, established in 1986, administers the company's philanthropic activities in the communities where it operates. Leadership is led by Kirk Ryan as President and CEO.

Name

Little Rapids

Legal name

Little Rapids Corporation

Website

https://littlerapids.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Little Rapids Corporation is a privately held, family-owned specialty paper manufacturer and converter founded in 1947 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It produces converted paper, film, and nonwoven products serving the Medical, Beauty, Food Service, and packaging markets through its Rapids Paper + Packaging, Graham Medical, and Graham Beauty divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Paper Manufacturing

NAICS

Paper Mills (32212), Paper Mills (322120), Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing (322220), Paperboard Mills (32213)

SIC

Paper Mills (2621), Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650), Plastics, Foil & Coated Paper Bags (2673)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper-Based Packaging & Single-Use Paper Products (Paper Bags, Wraps, Cartons) (CRADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical & Hygiene Disposables (Underpads, Disposable Washcloths, Bed Bath Products) (CRADALAK), Napkins, Tableware & Foodservice Disposables (Plates, Cups, Cutlery) (CRADALAD), Paper Bags & Sacks (retail, industrial, multiwall) (IMAMAHAC), Lidding, Sealant & Packaging Webs (Heat-Seal, Peelable, Retort Lids) (IMALABAG)

Keywords

• Specialty paper manufacturing
• Medical disposable products
• Beauty professional supplies
• Flexible packaging solutions
• Paper converting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Green Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Specialty Paper Products: Manufacturing and sale of specialty paper products for medical, beauty, and food service markets. The company operates three divisions including Graham Medical, Graham Beauty, and Rapids Paper + Packaging, generating over $200 million in annual sales.
2. Paper Converting Services: Conversion of paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven materials into finished products for healthcare, beauty, and specialty paper markets.
3. Rapids Paper + Packaging Products: Unified division combining specialty paper, flexible packaging, advanced printing, and functional coating technologies under one coordinated offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Little Rapids Corporation manufactures and converts specialty paper products, flexible packaging, and related nonwoven materials for the Medical, Beauty, and Food Service markets. The company operates three divisions—Rapids Paper + Packaging, Graham Medical, and Graham Beauty—producing medical disposables, professional beauty products, and paper-based packaging solutions including the Ecova sustainable packaging platform.

Product overview

Little Rapids Corporation is a specialty paper manufacturer and converter offering a diversified portfolio of paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven products through multiple divisions. The company operates three divisions serving healthcare, beauty, flexographic printing, and specialty paper markets. As of 2026, the company unified its paper and packaging businesses (Shawano Specialty Papers and Nexxa) into Rapids Paper + Packaging, combining specialty paper, flexible packaging, advanced printing, and functional coating capabilities. The company also maintains Graham Medical (medical disposables) and Graham Beauty (barber and beauty products) divisions. The product portfolio includes proprietary products like Ultra Bond and acquired brands like Sanek and CelluCotton. The company highlights its Ecova paper-based packaging platform as part of its sustainable product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ecova™: Paper-based packaging platform designed to help brands reduce plastic use while maintaining performance, part of the unified Rapids Paper + Packaging portfolio.
• Sanek®
• CelluCotton®

Products and services

• Rapids Paper + Packaging Specialty paper, flexible packaging, advanced flexographic printing, and functional coating technologies serving brands and converters with sustainable paper-based packaging solutions including the Ecova platform.
• Graham Medical
• Graham Beauty
• Specialty Products
• Ecova Paper
• Ultra Bond
• Sanek
• CelluCotton

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $200 million in annual sales
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Egan Family FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation established by the Egan family in 1986 with the mission to fund charities in communities where Little Rapids Corporation has facilities. Administers charitable giving and philanthropic efforts in alignment with the company's family ownership structure.
• Veterans 1st of NEW, Inc.minorOthersVeterans organization partnership supported through the Egan Family Foundation to support local veterans in Northeast Wisconsin communities.
• Boys and Girls Club of ShawanominorOthersYouth development organization partnership through the Egan Family Foundation supporting youth in Shawano area.
• Shawano Area Fire DepartmentminorOthersCommunity safety partnership joined in 2023 to enhance firefighter safety in the Shawano area.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Graphic Packaging: Major paperboard packaging manufacturer producing folding cartons and coated paperboard for food, beverage, and consumer goods. Competitor in sustainable paper-based packaging where Little Rapids positions Ecova, though at vastly larger scale and with broader converting footprint.
• Cascades: Canadian-based manufacturer of packaging and tissue products including recycled paper-based packaging, foodservice, and specialty converting. Overlaps with Little Rapids' food service and flexible packaging offerings, though at substantially larger scale and broader product range.
• Sonoco Products: Diversified global packaging manufacturer with paper-based and flexible packaging operations serving consumer, healthcare, and food service. Overlaps with Little Rapids' food service, medical disposables, and flexible packaging exposures, but at meaningfully larger scale.
• Neenah (now part of Sylvamo): Former Neenah Paper was a specialty paper leader in technical, packaging, and printing papers before its merger with Pixelle into Sylvamo. Historical direct peer for specialty and technical paper grades serving similar converting customers.

Direct peers

• Monadnock Paper Mills: Family-owned specialty paper mill producing high-performance, sustainable specialty papers for packaging, printing, and technical applications. Comparable as a privately held, vertically integrated specialty paper manufacturer with sustainability positioning similar to Ecova.
• Pixelle Specialty Solutions: U.S.-based specialty paper manufacturer producing release liners, specialty labels, and flexible packaging papers. Closely comparable to Little Rapids in scale, end-markets (industrial, medical, packaging), and converting-driven business model.
• Ahlstrom: Global specialty fiber-based materials manufacturer serving filtration, packaging, and hygiene end-markets. Comparable to Little Rapids in specialty paper technology, though Ahlstrom operates at significantly larger scale and with international footprint.
• Burrows Paper: Privately held specialty paper converter producing custom-engineered papers, lightweight packaging, and food service substrates. Closely comparable to Little Rapids in privately held specialty paper manufacturing, foodservice orientation, and converting-led business model.
• Glatfelter (Magnera): Specialty paper and nonwoven manufacturer serving healthcare, personal care, and packaging markets — now operating as Magnera following the Berry Global HHS combination. Direct competitor in specialty papers and converting serving overlapping medical and beauty end-markets.

Regional players

• FiberMark: Manufacturer of specialty fiber-based materials including saturated papers and flexible packaging substrates. Comparable as a specialty paper and converting peer, though with narrower product scope and different ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/little-rapids-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Little Rapids