
MT. OLIVE (Heartland Newsfeed) — State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) made a recent walkthrough of the Georgia-Pacific corrugated box manufacturing facility in Mt. Olive, joined by the vice president of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Mark Denzler, association and plant leadership and plant employees.
The tour focused on the economic impact of the facility to Mt. Olive, the 125 jobs that the facility currently has and the challenges that they continue to face in Illinois. The tour also highlighted the corrugation process and production lines.
“It was a pleasure to meet the men and women that work in the facility,” said Rep. Bourne. “Through these tours and meetings with local employers, I am able to get a better understanding of what businesses in our area need to be successful – certainty from state government, a qualified workforce, and infrastructure that provides ease of transport of raw materials and final product.”
The Mt. Olive facility was constructed in 1974, where it hosted a variety of manufacturers until the Georgia-Pacific Company purchased it in 1990. In more than a quarter-century in the community, the facility has become a thriving local business providing corrugated packaging products to businesses worldwide.
Georgia-Pacific Company, a division of Koch Industries, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and chemicals. Among their products are Georgia-Pacific copy paper, Brawny paper towels, Quilted Northern toilet paper, Dixie cups, engineered lumber, gypsum panels and a variety of other products surrounding aerospace, mining and facility management.
Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.