By Jill Lyman - email
EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Berry Plastics Corporation is announcing Thursday that Evansville has been selected as the site for a major expansion of their thermoform operations. The previously announced expansion will be located on the same campus as Berry's corporate headquarters and is scheduled to startup in the first quarter of 2010.
Berry will invest capital of approximately $150 million in building and equipment over seven years and will create more than 360 new production related jobs. In addition, the new facility will house 250 corporate jobs which Berry committed last year when they announced Evansville as the home of their world headquarters.
"We're excited to continue our long history of growth in Evansville where we have enjoyed a terrific relationship with our community, government, and employees since 1967. We are pleased to build on our outstanding workforce in Evansville which serves as the foundation for Berry to continue to strengthen our position as a leading plastic packaging supplier", stated Bill Norman, Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning. "The partnership effort extended by our government officials, including Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, Governor Mitch Daniels, Congressman Brad Ellsworth and Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, was instrumental in selecting Evansville as the site for this important expansion."
Adam Unfried, President of the Rigid Open Top Division, added, "The Evansville thermoforming expansion will support the continued growth of our customers and the markets they serve. The added manufacturing capacity accelerates our ability to deliver on the opportunities in our new business pipeline and strategic plan. Plastic drink cups and related products continue to be preferred in the market due to the performance and value of the packaging. We are thankful to all of our customers which use our products and have provided us with this expansion opportunity during these challenging economic times."
The announcement will officially be made at a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Aztar Conference Center.
"This is such great news for Evansville. In these tough economic times, it's truly an encouraging sign to see hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in new investment coming to our community," said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. "Berry's announcement shows that Evansville is moving forward and we are setting a course to lead Indiana out of its current economic slump. I would like to once again thank Berry Plastics for its continued partnership with the people of Evansville."
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