Who We Are
Central National is a global sales, marketing and distribution leader focused on pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, nonwovens & fibers, wood products and metal.
We’re a division of Central National Gottesman, a family owned and operated company that has been a leader in the forest products industry for more than 135 years.
Built over five generations of our founding family, Central National brings thorough understanding of our industry, customers and suppliers in more than 100 countries around the globe.
Our long-standing relationships with industry partners have been built on market knowledge, integrity and adaptability, creating real connections and adding value for clients around the world.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Andrew Wallach
President & CEO, CNG
As the fifth generation of our founding family, Andrew joined the Export Pulp Group at Central National in 1996 and since that time has held various positions within CNG. He was named Sales Manager of the Metro New York Division of Lindenmeyr Munroe in 2001, elected Senior Vice President of CNG in 2003, Executive Vice President in 2004, Member of the Board of Directors in 2005 and President in 2007.
Throughout his 20 year career with CNG, Andrew has assumed positions of increasing responsibility that have given him a broad exposure to all parts of the company’s activities, culminating in his election as CEO in 2015.
Andrew received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lafayette College in 1995, and an MBA from Columbia University in 2000, where he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Deming Center at Columbia Business School. In addition, he serves on several philanthropic and industry association boards.
MICHAEL T. M. Jones
President, Central National
Michael leads the Central National Division, CNG’s global trading business, which includes its global paper, pulp, tissue, packaging, wood, metals, and business products groups. Michael is also responsible for the company’s international office network with locations across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, and its operations and logistics groups.
Prior to joining Central National, Michael was Executive Vice President & CFO of Lambert Media Group. Michael’s responsibilities included the acquisition, management, operations, and disposition of the company’s television stations and interests in television syndication, film finance, new media, and other ventures. Michael also worked previously at Media & Entertainment Strategy Advisors and at Bear Stearns.
Michael has been a board member of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles since 2004, where he has served as Vice President on the Foundation’s Executive Committee. He is also a member of the New York Public Library’s President’s Council.
Michael is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Brown University.
J. Warren Pullen
President, Global Pulp Business
Warren oversees the company’s Global Pulp and Tissue groups.
Warren joined CNG in 1994 from Champion International, where he was a Senior Market Analyst, and has led tremendous growth and expansion the pulp category, as well as into the Asian marketplace. He has also championed innovative partnerships with mills to reduce manufacturing waste and support a more sustainable future.
A Louisiana native and graduate of Vanderbilt University and the General Management Program at Harvard Business School, Warren serves on the board of the Community Fund of Darien, a professional nonprofit that addresses health and human service needs in Darien, Norwalk, and Stamford, CT, through strategic leadership and grants.
OUR HISTORY
Central National adds Nonwovens & Fibers to its product categories, investing in innovative ways to reduce waste and eliminate Single Use Plastics from the environment.
Central National opens a fully owned office in Shanghai.
Central National opens offices in Vietnam and Belarus
Andrew M. Wallach (son of James G. Wallach), a member of the fifth generation of the founding family, is named CEO.
CNG acquires Hudson Trading and the North American operations of DLH, entering the industrial plywood market for the first time.
The Central National Division expands into the sales and marketing of tissue papers-one of the fastest growing areas of the pulp and paper industry.
Another of Ira’s sons, Kenneth L. Wallach, becomes CEO in 1998, leading the company through a 17-year period of significant geographic and financial growth.
James G. Wallach, son of Ira Wallach, takes the helm of CNG, launching the company’s expansion into the North American paper distribution business.
Central National continues to expand in rapidly developing markets, opening fully owned offices in the Czech Republic and throughout Eastern Europe.
Entering the Asia market for the first time with an office in Japan, Central National eventually expands to include 12 fully owned offices in Asia today.
Ira Wallach, son-in-law of D.S. Gottesman, becomes CEO of Central National Gottesman, leading the company until his son, James Wallach, took over in 1979.
Central National establishes a network of sales offices in Latin America, growing to include fully owned offices in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, among others.
Expansion continues throughout Western Europe as Central National opens its headquarters in Vienna, eventually adding eight more offices throughout the region.
M. Gottesman & Son incorporates under the laws of the State of New York.
D.S. Gottesman (1885-1956), who came as a child to America from Hungary, is made partner in the pulp and paper merchant M. Gottesman & Son. Gottesman eventually becomes the company’s sole owner and CEO, as well as a successful investment banker and noted philanthropist.
The company begins importing wood pulp from Europe, primarily Scandinavia.
M. Gottesman & Company, specializing in the sale of raw materials for papermaking, is founded in New York City.
