8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 18, 2012

CLEARWATER PAPER CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-34146	20-3594554
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
601 West Riverside Ave., Suite 1100 Spokane, WA		99201
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (509) 344-5900

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

On December 20, 2012, Robert P. DeVleming, Senior Vice President, President Consumer Products Division, announced his decision to retire from that position effective January 1, 2013, after nearly 32 years of service to the Company and its predecessor, Potlatch Corporation.

Thomas A. Colgrove, who currently serves as Senior Vice President, President Pulp and Paperboard Division, for the Company will become the Senior Vice President, President Consumer Products Division, and Danny G. Johansen will become the Senior Vice President, President Pulp and Paperboard Division, effective January 1, 2013.

A copy of the press release announcing the appointment of Messrs. Colgrove and Johansen, which contains additional information, is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

Clearwater Paper Corporation announced the completion of its through-air-dried, or TAD, paper machine at its Shelby, NC facility.

A copy of the press release announcing the completion of the TAD paper machine, which contains additional information, is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits.

99.1	Press release issued by Clearwater Paper Corporation, dated December 20, 2012.
99.2	Press release issued by Clearwater Paper Corporation, dated December 18, 2012.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: December 20, 2012

	CLEARWATER PAPER CORPORATION
By:	/s/ Michael S. Gadd
	Michael S. Gadd, Corporate Secretary

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Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press release of Clearwater Paper Corporation dated December 20, 2012.
99.2	Press release of Clearwater Paper Corporation dated December 18, 2012.

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Clearwater Paper Corporation

601 W. Riverside Avenue

Suite 1100

Spokane, Washington 99201

News Release

Contact:	(News media)	(CFO)	(Investors)
	Matt Van Vleet	John Hertz	Sean Butson (IR Sense)
	509.344.5912	509.344.5905	509.344.5906

CLEARWATER PAPER ANNOUNCES DIVISIONAL

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

Names Thomas A. Colgrove President of Consumer Products Division;

Danny G. Johansen President of Pulp and Paperboard Division

Robert P. DeVleming to Retire After 34 Years at Clearwater Paper

SPOKANE, Wash. – December 20, 2012–Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) today announced two key divisional executive appointments, effective January 1, 2013. Thomas A. Colgrove, president of the pulp and paperboard division, has been named president of the consumer products division, succeeding Robert P. DeVleming, who will retire after a transitional period during the first half of 2013. Danny G. Johansen, vice president of sales and marketing for the pulp and paperboard division, has been named president of the pulp and paperboard division.

“We look forward to the continued contributions from Tom and Dan in their new positions, and congratulate Bob on a long and successful career at Clearwater Paper,” said Gordon Jones, chairman and CEO. “Tom and Dan are highly accomplished executives, each with more than 30 years of industry experience, and they have both been integral to our success. I am confident that, together with incoming CEO Linda Massman, they will successfully advance our strategic priorities and continue to deliver significant shareholder value.”

Mr. Colgrove joined Clearwater Paper as vice president of the pulp and paperboard division in 2009. Before joining the company, he was North American senior director, family care products, for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he was responsible for

seven manufacturing facilities with 4,200 employees. Mr. Colgrove’s 25 years of tenure with Kimberly-Clark included management of numerous facilities and product lines. Prior to joining Kimberly-Clark, he also served as vice president of manufacturing for Central Paper Company, and held management positions with Procter & Gamble Corporation. Mr. Colgrove earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

“Tom’s extensive knowledge regarding running and managing major tissue operations will be a critical asset in helping drive stronger results for the company,” said Clearwater Paper President and COO Linda Massman. “Tom has successfully led our pulp and paperboard division for more than three years, and we are fortunate to have an individual of his deep experience, which includes more than 33 years in consumer tissue products, leading our consumer tissue business.”

Mr. Johansen joined the company in 1973 and during that time, has served in many leadership positions, including senior director of sales for pulp and paperboard, production and strategic planning manager for pulp and paperboard, and vice president of the western wood products division. He was named vice president of sales and marketing in 2008. Mr. Johansen received his Bachelor of Arts from California State University Humboldt.

“Dan’s nearly 40 years of experience is both broad and deep at Clearwater Paper,” continued Ms. Massman. “His intimate understanding of our customers and markets and his knowledge of our pulp and paperboard business make him a strong addition to our leadership team.”

Added Ms. Massman, “On behalf of the entire management team and everyone at Clearwater Paper, I would like to thank Bob for his leadership and countless contributions to the company. Bob has been an integral part of our success, and we wish him the best in his retirement.”

ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER

Clearwater Paper manufactures quality consumer tissue, away-from-home tissue, parent roll tissue, machine glazed tissue, bleached paperboard and pulp at 15 manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada. The company is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retailers and wholesale distributors. This includes grocery, drug, mass merchants and discount stores. The company also produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters. Clearwater Paper’s employees build shareholder value by developing strong customer relationships through quality and service.

For additional information on Clearwater Paper, please visit the company’s website at www.clearwaterpaper.com.

EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2

Clearwater Paper Corporation

601 W. Riverside Avenue

Suite 1100

Spokane, Washington 99201

News Release

Contact:	(News media)	(CFO)	(Investors)
	Matt Van Vleet	John Hertz	Sean Butson (IR Sense)
	509.344.5912	509.344.5905	509.344.5906

UP AND RUNNING: CLEARWATER PAPER ADDS NEW TAD PAPER-MAKING

CAPABILITIES IN SHELBY, N.C., UPGRADES IN LAS VEGAS

SPOKANE, Wash. – December 18, 2012–Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) today announced the completion of the next phase of the company’s newest facility at Shelby, N.C., culminating in the start-up of the company’s new through-air-dried (TAD) paper machine. The machine produced its first saleable ton and converted product on December 13.

“Construction of all phases to date of the nearly one million square-foot facility came in on-time and on-budget,” said Gordon Jones, chairman and CEO. “The dedication and support of Clearwater Paper’s 200 Shelby employees have already made this facility a huge success.”

Upgrades to a second Clearwater Paper TAD paper machine, located at the company’s facility in North Las Vegas, have also been completed. The enhancements enable the facility to produce TAD ultra-bathroom tissue and household towels.

New production and distribution capability at Shelby is expected to increase the company’s ultra and premium offerings to existing southern and East Coast customers. Collectively, the two TAD machines will create new opportunities to expand the company’s private label consumer tissue business around a national manufacturing footprint—supplying these key products to customers across the United States.

“The completion of the flagship facility in Shelby fulfills one of Clearwater Paper’s primary business strategies — to focus on growing the consumer products segment of the company,” said Linda Massman, president and COO. “Combined with the recent upgrade at our North Las Vegas facility, these two important projects have helped Clearwater Paper achieve our goal of a coast-to-coast manufacturing footprint focused on best serving our private label customers.”

The Shelby project, announced in June 2010, involved significant coordination with local and state agencies.

“The ongoing support from the people of Cleveland County and our new, exceptionally talented employee team has made this world-class facility come true for all of us,” said Vince Reese, Shelby plant manager.

“We clearly owe a big thanks to the hundreds of contractors who have worked methodically night and day for two years to build one of the finest tissue manufacturing complexes in the world,” said Brian Hoaglund, expansion project leader. “We worked seamlessly with government agencies from Shelby, Cleveland County and the state of North Carolina throughout the process.”

Clearwater Paper’s Las Vegas TAD machine was completed in 2004 to fill an important void in the private label tissue marketplace, which lacked a leading national brand equivalent (NBE) ultra-premium quality paper towel product. Since the machine became operational, Clearwater Paper has been a leading supplier of TAD paper towels to regional and national private label retailers throughout the United States.

“The Las Vegas upgrade was a success for many reasons including excellent project management,” said Bill Copenspire, vice president consumer products manufacturing. “We completed significant pre-installation work before the scheduled outage and had very good communication between Clearwater Paper and an army of vendors.”

“Clearwater Paper can add NBE TAD bath tissue to our product lineup at a time when the ultra-quality tier is the highest growth segment in bath tissue,” said Bruce Woodlief, director of marketing. “The addition of TAD bath provides retail customers with a significant quality improvement over their existing conventional ultra-bath product.”

ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER

Clearwater Paper manufactures quality consumer tissue, away-from-home tissue, parent roll tissue, machine glazed tissue, bleached paperboard and pulp at 15 manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada. The company is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retailers and wholesale distributors. This includes grocery, drug, mass merchants and discount stores. The company also produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters. Clearwater Paper’s employees build shareholder value by developing strong customer relationships through quality and service.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as amended, including statements regarding the enhancement of product offerings, expansion of business and customer opportunities regionally and nationally, increased production and distribution capabilities, enhanced of customer relationships, the benefits of TAD technology, the completion of the TAD paper machine and the expected timing of initiation of overall operations of

Clearwater Paper’s Shelby paper machine operations. Statements contained in this press release that refer to non-historical facts reflect Clearwater Paper’s goals and expectations and are not predictions of actual performance or results. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, mechanical or other difficulties affecting the operation of the TAD paper machine or the converting operations at the Shelby or Las Vegas facilities, market acceptance of the TAD products offered by the company, customers’ product preferences, changes in the United States and international economies, changes in raw material and energy costs, cyclical industry conditions, competitive pricing pressure for the company’s products, changes in freight costs and disruptions in transportation services, unanticipated manufacturing disruptions, changes in general and industry-specific laws and regulations, unforeseen environmental liabilities or expenditures, labor disruptions, and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.