Jim Rubright Wins RISI's 2011 North American CEO of the Year Award

RockTenn Chairman and CEO Jim Rubright has been named as the North American Forest Products CEO of the Year by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. Rubright is a two-time winner of this award. He received his first North American CEO of the Year award from the organization in 2008 and received the first ever Global CEO of the Year Award at the 2009 Pulp & Paper International Awards in Munich, Germany, in 2009. Rubright will be honored in October at the 2011 award ceremony at RISI's 26th North American Forest Products Conference in San Diego, CA.

A group of investment analysts and portfolio managers covering the forest products industry selected Rubright for the award based on a survey organized by RISI. Criteria for nomination included leadership, vision and strategic accomplishment. RockTenn’s recent acquisition of Smurfit-Stone was specifically mentioned in his nomination. The organization’s press release stated, "Both competitors and independent converters have responded positively to the acquisition which has brought RockTenn to a new level in the industry as one of the most respected and profitable integrated paperboard and packaging companies in North America.” Rubright cited the award as recognizing the success and global competitiveness RockTenn has achieved through the hard work and innovative solutions of our 26,000 dedicated employees.

In a separate award, Rubright ranked #3 on the 2011 RISI’s Top 50 Power List, the top 50 most influential people in the global forest products industry. The list was released in the publication’s July 2011 issue. He has rapidly moved up on the list from the 30^th position in 2009 to 12^th in 2010 to 3^rd in 2011.

About RockTenn

RockTenn (NYSE:RKT) is one of North America's leading integrated manufacturers of corrugated and consumer packaging and recycling solutions, with net sales of $10 billion. RockTenn's 26,000 employees are committed to exceeding their customers' expectations - every time. The Company operates locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and China. For more information, visit www.rocktenn.com.

About RISI

RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing industries to help them make better decisions.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. More information can be found at www.risi.com.