Updated 9:10 a.m. June 2, 2022: This post has been updated with information about the company’s current operations in Chilhowie.
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A packaging manufacturer said Wednesday that it will add 75 jobs and invest $31.1 million to expand its operations in Smyth County.
Scholle IPN will expand its existing 150,000-square-foot facility in Chilhowie by 75,000 square feet to accommodate new manufacturing lines for film extrusion and packaging and will add more than 800 feet of new rail track to support the delivery of resin, a key raw material, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the governor’s office.
Scholle, which is based in Northlake, Illinois, produces packaging for the food, beverage and nonfood sectors. The company currently employs about 200 people in Chilhowie, where it has been in operation for 25 years, according to a company spokesman.
The state provided a $600,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to help Smyth County with the project, according to the release. Among other incentives, Scholle is eligible to receive benefits from the Rail Industrial Access Program through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the release said.
Virginia competed for the expansion with Illinois and Georgia, the release said.