Newly merged paper and paperboard supplier MeadWestvaco Corp. assigns locations for its new corporate groups. In all, more than 2,000 employees across the country are affected, with upwards of 400 potentially losing their jobs.

Groups and locations to be set by 2004 include Engineering (Dayton, Ohio); Finance (Stamford, Conn., and Dayton); Human Resources (Richmond, Va.); Information Technology (Charleston, S.C. and Dayton); Legal (Stamford and Dayton); Procurement and Logistics (Dayton and Richmond); and R&D (Chillicothe, Ohio, and Laurel, Md).

In addition, MeadWestvaco plans to close its Covington, Va., R&D facility, which employs about 50 people, and expects employment at the corporate headquarters in Stamford to remain at the 110-person current level.