Orwigsburg firm to purchase, renovate 80,000 sq. ft. Frackville plant; receives $600,000 in state funding for project
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
FRACKVILLE – An Orwigsburg-based manufacturer of recyclable food trays is expanding north of the mountain, announcing today they will purchase and renovate an 80,000 square foot thermoforming plant in Frackville.
For Clearly Clean Products, LLC, of Orwigsburg, the plant will be their seventh location, and will bring 25 new jobs to northern Schuylkill County. The company expects to have more than 125 in the near future, “as the company further expands its line operations and builds out its tooling,” the company wrote in a media release.
“Clearly Clean needed a large facility that would accommodate our additional assets and personnel,” said Jeff Maguire, a managing partner at Clearly Clean. “We decided on Frackville so that we were in the vicinity of our Orwigsburg, Pa., plant — yet able to recruit from a broader geographic region.”
According to the company, the Frackville plant will produce two brands of packaging trays.
“Clearly Clean’s recyclable food trays can be utilized for meat, poultry, seafood, produce, and deli. They can also be customized in terms of size, shape, and color,” the company said. The company cites bans on styrofoam as drivers for the need for recyclable trays.
“We are excited that companies are realizing the benefits of Clearly Clean’s patented smooth-edged, recyclable trays, which are three times the strength of polystyrene, are environmentally friendly, and help mitigate leakers,” said Millard Wallace, a managing partner at Clearly Clean. “We are also excited that this strong demand allows us to bring additional economic opportunities to Schuylkill County. Clearly Clean is rapidly expanding and has been hiring for practically every position, from lawyers to engineers and production line workers.”
“Clearly Clean’s expansion in Schuylkill County is great news for the workers and their families in the region,” Governor Tom Wolf said in a media release. “This administration is committed to supporting manufacturing projects that create jobs and boost the local economy. I commend Clearly Clean for recognizing the benefits of Pennsylvania and choosing to expand its presence here.”
“Clearly Clean’s trays are the wave of the future, and I’m thrilled that Schuylkill County will reap benefits from this environmentally friendly innovation,” said state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-Schuylkill, who represents Frackville. “Clearly Clean and Governor Wolf’s Action Team are making significant investments in Schuylkill County, and these 125 new jobs will boost our economy. I am thankful to all the parties that worked together on this project.”
The company received a pair of state grants from the Department of Community and Economic Development, a Pennsylvania First grant for $350,000, and $252,000 in Job Creation tax credits. The company was also encouraged to apply for a $3 Million loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority.
“The Clearly Clean project is another example of the close coordination of the public and private sector involvement required to encourage this type of investment in not just one, but two Schuylkill County communities,” said David Snyder, chairman of SEDCO. “All efforts were made to obtain a positive decision by the company to grow their business locally with the full support of the Borough of Orwigsburg and the Governor’s Action Team.”
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the company’s website, http://clearlyclean.com/careers/, to apply.
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