Georgia Pacific plans Tennessee paper plant

Georgia-Pacific announced Monday it will invest at least $425 million to construct a state-of-the-art Dixie® manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee, and add 220 jobs.

A subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., GeorgiaPacific will focus its new Tennessee manufacturing plant on the production of Dixie® paper plates to support the company’s increase in product demand across its three Dixie® facilities. Construction on the new 900,000-square-foot facility is slated to begin before the end of the year and is anticipated to reach completion by the summer of 2024.

By adding a Tennessee facility, GeorgiaPacific will have a total of six operations dedicated to manufacturing Dixie® products, including four that produce plates and bowls.

“Although we have invested to expand existing sites, this is the first new Dixie® plant the company has built since 1991,” Fernando Gonzalez, president of consumer business for Georgia-Pacific, said in an announcement of the new plant. “This added capacity will help us meet the needs of our customers as consumer demand for high-quality, durable paper plates and bowls continues to grow.”

The new Georgia Pacific plant is being built on a certified industrial site in West Tennessee.

“Having an inventory of shovel-ready industrial sites gives Tennessee communities a leg up when recruiting new businesses to the state,” Tennessee’s chief economic recruiter Stuart McWhorter said in a statement Monday. “We are proud that GeorgiaPacific found its home in Jackson on one of our state’s Select Tennessee Certified Sites, and we thank our partners at CSX who helped to make this site ready for this significant economic development win.”