U.S. Paper Mill Plans Chillicothe Restart and Aims for 350 Jobs
New owners plan to revive a key paper machine by December and prioritize hiring workers displaced by the 2025 shutdown.
Paper manufacturing is set to return to Ross County just over a year after the former Pixelle Specialty Solutions mill ceased operations. U.S. Paper Mill LLC, which acquired the Chillicothe facility in October 2025, announced plans to resume paper production and estimates hiring as many as 350 workers over the coming year.
A team of 13 employees has already begun work restoring the facility's Paper Machine 12, a legacy unit known as "The Chief," according to the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce. The company said the machine is scheduled to be fully operational and ready to manufacture paper by December 2026.
"We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action," plant manager Craig Teeters said in an announcement. "It has been gratifying to see the joy on our colleagues' faces and it will be a pleasure to welcome more workers into the plant as we prepare to resume paper production in Chillicothe."
The company said its recruitment process will prioritize some of the 800 employees who lost their jobs when Pixelle closed the mill in August 2025. U.S. Paper Mill, a subsidiary of U.S. Medical Gloves Company, currently employs more than 180 people across varied operations at the site while holding discussions with multiple commercial partners exploring paper manufacturing.
The restart represents the latest transition for the sprawling industrial property. Following the August 2025 closure, Sen. Bernie Moreno announced that the new buyer planned to use the facility to make nitrile gloves and personal protective equipment. In July 2026, the company surprised local leaders by announcing plans to transform the site into a technological center focused on research, aerospace design and a data center. Chillicothe City Councilman Richard McQuirt alleged that alternative ventures became necessary because the federal government failed to deliver promised contracts for domestic PPE manufacturing.
For Chillicothe and Ross County, the planned revival touches a sector central to the area's history since the early 19th century. When Pixelle shuttered the facility, Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mike Throne noted that papermaking had served as an economic cornerstone of the county for 215 years.
"We believed for all of our lives living here that if anything happened to that paper mill, this town was done," McQuirt said, describing the significance of the facility's revival for the surrounding community.
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Paper manufacturing is set to return to Ross County just over a year after the former Pixelle Specialty Solutions mill ceased operations. U.S. Paper Mill LLC, which acquired the Chillicothe facility in October 2025, announced plans to resume paper production and estimates hiring as many as 350 workers over the coming year.
A team of 13 employees has already begun work restoring the facility's Paper Machine 12, a legacy unit known as "The Chief," according to the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce. The company said the machine is scheduled to be fully operational and ready to manufacture paper by December 2026.
"We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action," plant manager Craig Teeters said in an announcement. "It has been gratifying to see the joy on our colleagues' faces and it will be a pleasure to welcome more workers into the plant as we prepare to resume paper production in Chillicothe."
The company said its recruitment process will prioritize some of the 800 employees who lost their jobs when Pixelle closed the mill in August 2025. U.S. Paper Mill, a subsidiary of U.S. Medical Gloves Company, currently employs more than 180 people across varied operations at the site while holding discussions with multiple commercial partners exploring paper manufacturing.
The restart represents the latest transition for the sprawling industrial property. Following the August 2025 closure, Sen. Bernie Moreno announced that the new buyer planned to use the facility to make nitrile gloves and personal protective equipment. In July 2026, the company surprised local leaders by announcing plans to transform the site into a technological center focused on research, aerospace design and a data center. Chillicothe City Councilman Richard McQuirt alleged that alternative ventures became necessary because the federal government failed to deliver promised contracts for domestic PPE manufacturing.
For Chillicothe and Ross County, the planned revival touches a sector central to the area's history since the early 19th century. When Pixelle shuttered the facility, Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mike Throne noted that papermaking had served as an economic cornerstone of the county for 215 years.
"We believed for all of our lives living here that if anything happened to that paper mill, this town was done," McQuirt said, describing the significance of the facility's revival for the surrounding community.
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The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
Supporting evidence (4)
Paper Mill LLC, which acquired the Chillicothe facility in October 2025, announced plans to resume paper production and estimates hiring as many as 350 workers over the coming year.
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In addition, U.S. Paper Mill is in conversations with multiple companies exploring paper manufacturing opportunities, and estimates that as many as 350 new employees could be added for paper operations within the next year, the Chamber said.
A team of 13 employees has already begun work restoring the facility's Paper Machine 12, a legacy unit known as "The Chief," according to the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce.
Read supporting passage
Thirteen current employees have been assigned to the task of reviving the plant's 12 Paper Machine, affectionately known as "The Chief." The machine will be fully operational and ready to manufacture new paper by this December.
"We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action," plant manager Craig Teeters said in an announcement.
Read supporting passage
Plant Manager Craig Teeters, said, "We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action. It has been gratifying to see the joy on our colleagues' faces and it will be a pleasure to welcome more workers into the plant as we prepare to resume paper production in Chillicothe."
Medical Gloves Company, currently employs more than 180 people across varied operations at the site while holding discussions with multiple commercial partners exploring paper manufacturing.
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Since buying the Chillicothe mill, U.S. Paper Mill, a subsidiary of U.S. Medical Gloves Company, has repurposed it as a diverse jobs site for a variety of sectors, with more than 180 employees currently working on-site.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/paper-manufacturing-returning-chillicothe-093000248.html
Supporting evidence (5)
The company said its recruitment process will prioritize some of the 800 employees who lost their jobs when Pixelle closed the mill in August 2025.
Read supporting passage
prioritizing some of the 800 former employees who lost their jobs when the Pixelle plant shut down in 2025.
Bernie Moreno announced that the new buyer planned to use the facility to make nitrile gloves and personal protective equipment.
Read supporting passage
Then, Sen. Bernie Moreno announced a new hope: USPM would buy the plant to manufacture nitrile gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
Chillicothe City Councilman Richard McQuirt alleged that alternative ventures became necessary because the federal government failed to deliver promised contracts for domestic PPE manufacturing.
Read supporting passage
In July, USPM took Chillicothe city leaders and residents by surprise and announced the former mill would be transformed into a technological hub, expanding into research and development, aerospace design and a data center. Chillicothe City Councilman Richard McQuirt alleges other ventures were necessary because the government has not provided the federal contracts it promised for PPE production.
When Pixelle shuttered the facility, Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mike Throne noted that papermaking had served as an economic cornerstone of the county for 215 years.
Read supporting passage
Upon the Pixelle plant's closure, Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mike Throne said papermaking had been a cornerstone of the Ross County economy for 215 years.
"We believed for all of our lives living here that if anything happened to that paper mill, this town was done," McQuirt said, describing the significance of the facility's revival for the surrounding community.
Read supporting passage
"We believed for all of our lives living here that if anything happened to that paper mill, this town was done," McQuirt said.