The new $30-million facility will help company meet growing demand
McKinney, TX: The environmentally focused recycler and plastic film, bag, and resin manufacturer will invest $30 million in a new manufacturing facility. Petoskey Plastics Chairman and CEO, Paul Keiswetter, said, “This expansion is an exciting one for us. We are greatly increasing our ability to service current customers and adding new opportunities for our growing sustainable product lines, while operating in a highly desirable location with a small-town feel.”
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the company over capacity and created high customer demand for its blown film products such as trash bags, construction sheeting, and automotive seat covers. A combination of converting and extruding lines in the new Texas facility will increase output by approximately 15% over the next 12 months to help meet this growing demand. Petoskey Plastics currently manufactures blown film products with post-consumer recycled content in Petoskey, Mich., Hartford City, Ind., and Morristown, Tenn.
“McKinney is proud to welcome Petoskey Plastics to our growing family of companies devoted to sustainability, and I greatly admire their commitment to preserving the environment. We know they will find great success in McKinney,” said Mayor George Fuller. The new facility is located at 2050 Couch Drive in McKinney, Texas, which is a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The property was most recently used as a warehouse and office space for home furnishings company Aidan Gray Living Inc. Company president Jason Keiswetter said, “We are thrilled to announce plans for our fourth production facility. Already, we have had an outpouring of support from our customers, suppliers, new associates, and the city of McKinney.”
The existing building is over 53,000 square feet. Building expansion is scheduled for completion in August 2022 and includes an additional 40,000 to 60,000 square feet for converting and warehouse space, nine silos, and rail spurs. Jason Keiswetter stated, “This facility will give us the opportunity to be closer to our raw material suppliers in the Gulf and will help us service our West Coast customers. We will be cutting our delivery time in half for both raw material and finished goods and will be more competitive, overall. This plant will start production as early as April and receive the most state-of-the art equipment available in the blown film market space over the coming months.”
Petoskey Plastics plans to grow the Texas facility to a total of approximately 130,000 square feet within five years. Plant manager Matt Mihelich said, “McKinney is an exciting and growing area we feel will be a great match for our equally exciting and growing business. We are eagerly looking forward to establishing a best-in-class facility in the community.”
Corporate treasurer Sue Maskaluk worked with the city of McKinney early on and said, “We were able to meet virtually with city officials, including Mayor George Fuller and City Manager Paul Grimes, to understand their process for reviewing expansion plans. We also worked with Madison Clark from the McKinney Economic Development to learn about available training opportunities through the Texas Workforce Commission.”
Company-wide, Petoskey Plastics currently employs 564 associates, 451 full-time and 113 part-time and temporary. Initially, the company plans to hire 20 associates to fill seven positions to open the facility in Texas. After the building expansion, they will add 55 new jobs. Open positions for all locations can be found at https://petoskeyplastics.com/careers/.
Jason Keiswetter said, “Over the next three to five years, we will continue to invest in top equipment and training for our associates. We are very proud of this new expansion and confident it will give us a competitive edge in the future.”
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About Petoskey Plastics
Petoskey Plastics is an environmentally focused recycler and plastic film, bag, and resin manufacturer. Headquartered in Petoskey, Mich., the company provides products and engineered solutions for a variety of industries including automotive, medical, institutional, retail, construction, and home improvement. Petoskey Plastics has facilities in Mich., Ind., Tenn., and Texas. Learn more at petoskeyplastics.com.
About McKinney, Texas
McKinney, Texas is located 33 miles north of Dallas and one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. First established in 1848, McKinney was named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and early settler in North Texas. McKinney is known as a picturesque city with a small-town feel. Learn more at mckinneytexas.org and visitmckinney.com.