The announcement recently by Georgia Pacific that it plans to invest $500 million and create more than 150 jobs at its Green Bay Broadway mill is another indication of the strength and resiliency of Wisconsin’s forest products and paper industry, said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).
“WEDC welcomes Georgia Pacific’s latest expansion and we look forward to working with them as they grow in our state,” Hughes said. “Their investment reflects an ongoing commitment to our state, to our forest products industry and to our Wisconsin workers.”
The company announced this week that it plans a range of improvements to the Broadway mill, including building a new paper machine and adding associated converting equipment and infrastructure to enhance the company’s retail towel and tissue business. Work on the facility has already begun, with start-up of the new machine set for mid-2024.
News of the company’s expansion comes in the same week that the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) named Wisconsin one of 60 finalists nationwide to receive a $500,000 regional Build Back Better planning grant. Wisconsin’s project focuses on advancing the sustainability of Wisconsin’s paper and forest products industry.
The state’s project is the result of a coalition led by the Wisconsin Paper Council working with Mid-State Technical College, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Sustainable Resource Institute, UW-Stevens Point’s Institute for Sustainable Technology, Menominee Nation Tribal Enterprises, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry.
“Wisconsin’s paper and forest products industry ranks first in the nation on many measures, whether it’s workforce, value of products, or the presence of facilities in so many of our communities,” Hughes said. “Georgia Pacific’s news and EDA’s investments in our state demonstrate that we will continue to lead in this vital sector of our economy.”