ODON, Indiana – Berry Global (NYSE: BERY) is planning a multi-million-dollar expansion for its blown film operations here, according to Bryant Niehoff, executive director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation. The project will include a 40,000 sq. ft. expansion of its facility and the creation of 11 new jobs.
Formerly known as Berry Plastics, Evansville-based Berry Global changed its name in 2017 to better reflect its status as a multi-billion-dollar publicly traded international corporation.
“As the Crossroads of America and the strongest manufacturing state in the country, Indiana is the perfect location for companies like Berry Global to grow, reaching customers here and around the world,” said Elaine Bedel, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). “We’re extremely grateful for Berry Global’s ongoing commitment to creating quality job opportunities for Hoosiers and look forward to watching them continue to thrive in southwest Indiana.”
“The planned expansion represents a competitive situation between Odon and another city, so we are grateful that Berry Global chose Odon,” said Mike Sprinkle, president of the Daviess County Council.
Doug Benjamin of the Odon Town Council added: “The Berry Global project is an awesome, even fantastic development for Odon. We are grateful that Berry, an international company, is willing to make a multi-million-dollar investment here.”
“We appreciate the collaboration from the Daviess County Council, Doug Benjamin of the Odon Town Council, Bryant Niehoff, and the professionals at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, as well as others,” said Zach Hocutt, Plant Manager at Berry’s Odon facility.
The IEDC offered Berry Global up to $100,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.
“Berry Global’s decision is incredibly positive both for the Town of Odon and Daviess County – this expansion of their existing facility and production capacity makes strong strategic sense for all parties involved,” said Niehoff. “The nearby I-69 Exit 76 provides excellent supply chain and distribution connectivity for the company, and we look forward to the extended workforce expansion in the region.”
Council President Sprinkle added that the Berry Global expansion is expected to “help retain and expand opportunities in the region, and also to help further diversify the Daviess County economy in a healthy way—we’re thrilled to support this.”
Benjamin stated, “This development reaffirms both the attractive strength of our workforce in Daviess County and the commitment of Bryant Niehoff and the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation in attracting and retaining high quality businesses and supporting regional economic growth. Berry has proven to be a great partner for Odon and Daviess County.”
The Berry expansion is one of several projects that the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation has been working on in recent months, according to Niehoff. “Like the Berry Global expansion, many of these projects are competitive in nature with other cities or regions, but given our assets in Daviess County, we’re confident that we’re in a good position to keep moving forward – it’s a great time to live, work, and own a business in Daviess County,” he said.
Niehoff also pointed out that Berry Global is a strong community partner, both locally in Daviess County and on an international basis. He noted that Berry is an industry leader in helping to end plastic waste and positively support the environment. Earlier this year Berry Global joined the international Alliance to End Plastic Waste as a founding member. The Alliance will work with governments, multilateral institutions, companies, non-government organizations, and communities to support investments and drive progress over the next five years to end plastic waste.
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About Berry Global
Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE:BERY), headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, is committed to its mission of ‘Always Advancing to Protect What’s Important,’ and proudly partners with its customers to provide them with value-added protective solutions that are increasingly light-weighted and easier to recycle or reuse. The Company is a leading global supplier of a broad range of innovative rigid, flexible, and non-woven products used every day within consumer and industrial end markets. Berry, a Fortune 500 company, has over 48,000 employees and generated approximately $13 billion of sales in fiscal year 2018 on a combined pro forma basis from operations that span over 290 locations on six continents. For additional information, visit Berry’s website at berryglobal.com.
About the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation
As a private/public partnership for county-wide economic development, the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) is working to build a foundation for a better tomorrow in the communities within Daviess County, Indiana. A founding organization of the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park, DCEDC’s mission is to develop a process which improves the standard of living for all citizens by creating, retaining and reinvesting wealth while protecting the environment. For more information, please visit www.dcedc.net.