U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), Chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, today announced that Ross and Wallace Paper Products, Inc. of Hammond, La. has signed a five-year contract with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).

“The idea of cutting red tape to allow small businesses to succeed seems simple enough. But sometimes these entrepreneurs need extra help navigating the bureaucracy. That’s where I come in, so I can help Louisiana small businesses – like Ross and Wallace Paper Products of Hammond, La. – secure those contracts,” said Vitter. “Even brighter news for the future is that with this contract, Ross & Wallace will be helping our troops and also expanding its business ventures, which will create jobs and grow the economy in Louisiana. I’m just glad I was able to help.”

“We are excited to announce that we have been awarded a contract to provide a portion of the paper bags needs of the federal government’s Defense Commissary System. We will be manufacturing and supplying approximately sixty-five million bags over the life of the contract. During this process we have discovered that doing business with the federal government is extremely difficult and requires technical knowledge that is challenging for small businesses to navigate. We want to think Senator David Vitter and his staff in helping us with this process. It is not an exaggeration to say that without his help I do not believe we would have this contract today. His whole team was wonderful. With this new business we are looking to hire additional people which will be wonderful for us, for our local economy and for the State of Louisiana,” said Ken Ross, President and CEO of Ross and Wallace Paper Products, Inc.

Earlier this year, negotiations between Ross and Wallace Paper Products, Inc. and DeCA were stalled due to the slow-walking by the SBA on proper certifications. Vitter spoke with SBA on behalf of Ross and Wallace in order to finalize the certification process before the contract negotiations with DeCA ended. Ross and Wallace will manufacture 65 million bags over the next five years for the U.S. military.

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