MeadWestvaco Corporation · Glen Allen, VA United States ·(NYSE: MWV)

Things do not pass for what they are; most things - MeadWestvaco (MWV) might say -- are judged by their package. MWV's packaging operation (folding cartons, corrugated boxes, and printed plastics) pulls in nearly three-fourths of its sales. MWV wraps up healthcare, personal and beauty care, food, tobacco, and home and garden goods. It also makes school supplies (Mead, Five Star, Trapper Keeper), consumer office products (AT-A-GLANCE, Cambridge), and specialty chemicals (activated carbons, asphalt emulsifiers, tall oil). In 2005 MWV decided it would rather box than shuffle paper; it sold its Papers business -- which made labels, book/catalog/magazine papers, and business forms -- to Cerberus Capital Management. To read the full description, subscribe now.