“There is no speed limit in the pursuit of excellence.”

-Mathew Chakola, founder and ceo

company history

A group of people in formal and casual attire standing outdoors on a gravel surface with a construction vehicle and dirt mound in the background.

1989: Photo from the Maryland Paper Company groundbreaking ceremony following construction.

Maryland Paper Company was founded in 1989 by President and CEO Mathew Chakola, a native to Kerala, India. After spending 15 years in the building materials industry, he concluded his role as a mechanical engineer for Tamko in Frederick, Maryland. Chakola, then turned his efforts to realizing his dream. He utilized ninety-six truckloads of salvageable machinery from a Celotox Plant in Philadelphia in the construction of his first paper mill in America.

The dream was further expanded, for a southern based paper mill four years following the construction of Mathew’s second paper machine in Maryland. Tuscaloosa was home to several of his current customers out of Maryland, and the rate of transportation cost was increasing exponentially. This was enough inspiration for him to switch gears and head south for the construction of Alabama Paper Products in 2001.

California Paper Products was a direct result of Chakola’s partnership within GMC Roofing and the increasing cost in transportation. Following the Great Recession, Chakola constructed his third and final paper mill directly across the street from GMC.

Today, Mathew is still the President and CEO of the companies. In 2018, he also constructed a large-scale fiberglass plant less than ten miles from Maryland Paper Company that he later sold. With an unorthodox managing style, he was able to pull from all aspects of society and change the lives of many throughout the entirety of his career, even hiring the homeless.

“I believe true happiness comes from watching our hard work take shape, my children growing tall in the Lord, and my whole family (including those at work) feeling the pride that springs from our shared experience.” -Mathew Chakola

SCROLL TO SEE OUR JOURNEY.

grit and determination since the 80’s

Historical photos regarding Maryland Paper Company, Alabama Paper Products, and California Paper Products.

A man with a mustache, wearing a beige blazer and dark pants, is kneeling outdoors and digging with a shovel. There are cars parked on the side of a road behind him, and flowering bushes surround him.
Group of ten people, including a woman holding a cane and a child, standing outdoors in front of trees and bushes, with a dirt mound in the background, possibly on a farm or rural area, during daytime.

1989

Mathew Chakola during the Maryland Paper Company groundbreaking ceremony.

Indoor industrial setting with large machinery and two men walking in the foreground.

1989

Mathew Chakola during the Maryland Paper Company Construction.

Two men standing together in front of large industrial machinery in a factory or industrial setting, with one man's arm around the other's shoulder.
Two men wearing safety helmets standing in front of an industrial facility with machinery, structures, and railroad tracks, under a cloudy sky.

1989

Mathew Chakola and Randy Kephart at the Celotex Plant.

Industrial factory setting with large machinery and equipment, worker in white uniform, yellow safety railing, and open hatch.
A man in business attire and a hard hat standing inside an industrial facility with large machinery, pipes, and equipment.
A worker in a hard hat and safety glasses inspects or maintains a large industrial machine using a long tool in a facility with metal floors and equipment.
Two men walk past a damaged industrial building with debris and rusted pipes on the ground.
A man in a beige suit with glasses, holding a microphone, speaking at an event.
Group of people standing outdoors during daytime, engaged in conversation, with a building, American flags, and a blue sky with clouds in the background.
Four men in suits and sunglasses, associated with a groundbreaking or planting event, are standing on a dirt field with a shovel, holding a small mound of dirt together. One man is holding a shovel upright, and they are all smiling.

1991

The first shipment of roofing felt leaving for California.

Four men standing in front of a large blue truck with a brown cargo container, during daytime. Handwritten notes at the bottom indicate the date, time, and location as November 6, 1991, at 12:30 PM, in Sacramento, California. The truck is parked outdoors.
A man with glasses and a mustache, wearing a white lab coat, seated at a desk in an office or laboratory, looking at the camera. In the background, there is a whiteboard with diagrams and a laboratory instrument.

1989

Mathew Chakola working in the lab during at the start of Maryland Paper Company.

Man in a suit and sunglasses standing on a construction site with steel beams and building materials, with a large crane in the background.
A man standing on a pile of cardboard and paper scraps in an industrial yard with stacks of large cardboard rolls and bags behind him, and trees in the background.

1989

Mathew Chakola during the Maryland Paper Company Construction.

A group of about thirteen people, including men, women, and children, standing on a rocky surface outdoors in front of a green field, trees, and a yellow construction vehicle, during daytime.
Construction site with a cement mixer truck and workers, one operating the truck's crane and another on the ground, under a clear blue sky.
Man wearing sunglasses, white dress shirt, and plaid tie standing at a construction site with heavy machinery and excavated dirt in the background.
A man wearing a white shirt and beige pants is standing and observing large industrial equipment in a warehouse. The equipment is placed on wooden pallets on a concrete floor.
Two men standing in front of a booth with G.A.P Roofing signs. One man is wearing a cowboy hat and blue shirt, and the other is wearing a black blazer with a name tag. They are smiling.

2001

Mathew Chakola during the Alabama Paper Products Construction.

Group of people attending an outdoor event near a white truck, with a table of food and drinks, on sunny day, in a mostly clear sky.

1989

Abi Lofti during the Maryland Paper Company Construction.

Two men sitting at a cluttered conference table with rolled-up blueprints and a large sheet of paper, in an office with maps and a whiteboard on the wall.
Three men standing outside in front of a building with a parking lot, smiling at the camera.

2002

The beginning of GMC construction.

Group of four men standing outdoors on a construction site with metal framing and a clear sky in the background.
Construction workers pouring concrete at a building site with wooden framework, a cement mixer truck, and construction equipment in the background.
Three men, one in a wheelchair, standing outdoors in a parking lot during daytime, smiling at the camera. All are dressed casually or in business attire, with two wearing sunglasses.
A woman and a man in a friendly pose, with the woman leaning on the man’s shoulder, both looking to the side. The woman has light brown hair, and the man has dark hair, glasses, and is wearing a tan jacket with a blue shirt and a yellow patterned tie.

2011

Mathew and Mally Chakola during the California Paper Products groundbreaking ceremony.

2011

Photos from the California Paper Products groundbreaking ceremony.

A man and a woman smiling and hugging outdoors, with a parking lot and building in the background.

2001

Photo from the Alabama Paper Products construction.

Four professionally dressed women and one man smiling at an outdoor event, holding plates of food with a tent in the background.
Group of eight people standing outdoors on a dirt area with buildings and trees in the background, dressed in business casual attire, some holding papers.
Group of people participating in a groundbreaking ceremony on a construction site, digging with shovels in the dirt.
A man wearing a white safety helmet and white shirt stands in an industrial facility with pipes, valves, and equipment on a concrete platform.