COVINGTON - If you've been to Covington you've probably seen the paper mill.
The role MeadWestvaco plays in the community is as big as the plant itself.
“Just about everybody recognizes Covington and MeadWestvaco being together,” explained Becky Johnson, Communications Manager for MeadWestvaco.
Johnson says 1500 folks are on the company's payroll, but hundreds more in this community depend on the mill for a job, like J.W. Tingler and his business Covington Farm and Fuel.
Three years ago he recognized an opportunity to expand services to the loggers in and out of the mill.
“We actually started off here with 3 employees January 1, 2007 and now we're up to 38 employees and three locations,” explained Tingler.
His charts show capitalizing on the needs of wood providers has been positive for Tingler, but if the MeadWestvaco ever closed up shop it would obviously destroy local businesses.
Many use the same word to describe what that would be like.
“It would be devastation no doubt it,” Tingler said.
“I think it would be pretty devastating to the area since we are the largest employer,” Johnson said.
If you've ever wondered what that smell is its wood cooking inside the plant.
“I’ve traveled a lot over my career and I went to a lot of different places and people would mention yeah, I know Covington, Virginia I know what it smells like there and I always made light of that and said you know what that smell is and they said no and I said well it's the smell of money,” Tingler joked.
In Covington you'll hear that same saying over and over again.
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