Governor Mike Pence was in Valparaiso Thursday to celebrate the expansion of a manufacturing facility. The governor cut the ribbon on Pratt Industries’ new paper recycling facility.
He said the expansion is expected to bring 137 new “green-collar” jobs to the area by the end of 2018, “This investment that will reach its fulfillment today represents $260 million, 250,000 square foot, 100-percent recycled paper facility, right here in the heart of the heartland.”
Pence said Pratt has been making a big impact on the local economy. “Between this exciting new recycled paper facility and the box-making plant next store, which of course is the world’s largest box plant, Pratt Industries has been responsible for creating more than 500 Hoosier jobs since they first came to the Hoosier State,” he said. “And they’ve made an enormous contribution to this state, not just in financial resources but in the jobs and opportunities and careers that have opened doors for Hoosiers.” The governor pointed out that 25 percent of the new facility’s employees are military veterans.
Pence also said that Pratt’s investment says a lot about the State of Indiana, “Thank you for believing in Indiana and recognizing that Indiana is the leading manufacturing state in America and that we’re committed in the state to continuing to promote the kind of opportunities in taxes and in regulation and our commitment to education and workforce that will celebrate that.”
Pence said the Indiana has the nation’s highest concentration of manufacturing jobs, and that the state’s added 89,000 manufacturing jobs since 2009. He says this type of expansion in the manufacturing industry is not only due to Indiana’s business climate and policies, but also the work ethic of the people in the state.
