After 12 years in Wisconsin, Northwoods Paper Converting felt the lure of the giant East Coast print market. After considering locations in New York, New Jersey and throughout Pennsylvania, the company's first expansion is up and running in East Stroudsburg, with an initial workforce of 25 and plans to get to about 80 in the next few years.
Northwoods President Chad Abel says the company liked East Stroudsburg's central location, accessible to New York, Washington, Philadelphia and other eastern cities. Easy access to major airports helped too. And ultimately, he says, “We thought Pennsylvania would give us the best business climate.”
Northwoods has invested about $8 million to acquire and renovate its nearly 250,000-square-foot facility, the former Excel Storage Products facility that laid off 150 when it closed in 2010. The Governor's Action Team coordinated incentives including state loans, grants and tax credits.
The company is running two sheeters at the Monroe County plant – enormous machines that convert paper to the sheet size needed by paper mills and printers for everything from aspirin bottles to books. Abel expects to be running nearly 24/7 by summer.
Northwoods is occupying about half of its new building so far, Abel says, offering ample room for continued expansion for more production lines, warehousing and distribution.
Source: Chad Abel, Northwoods Paper Converting
Writer: Elise Vider