Trinity To Expand Rocky Mount Plant

Trinity Packaging Corporation, a manufacturer of food service and industrial plastic bag products, plans a multi-million dollar investment in an additional facility in Rocky Mount that will create 25 new jobs over the next 36 months, bringing employment to 100.

The company has purchased the former Erath Veneer building, which is adjacent to the facility Trinity has operated since 2002 in the Franklin County-Rocky Mount Industrial Park. The company’s investment will include the building purchase, new equipment and expanded infrastructure.

Trinity Packaging, headquartered in Armonk, N.Y., was founded in 1917 as Trinity Bag and Paper Company. In 1979, Trinity entered into the plastics market and throughout the 1990s expanded its plastics product offerings to include retail store bags, mailing envelopes, food service bags and lawn and garden bags.

Trinity operates plants in Lewistown, Pa., Pueblo, Colo. Virginia competed against Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin for this expansion. "Our people are our greatest asset and the work ethic of people in the Rocky Mount area is outstanding," said Dan Mills, Trinity’s vice president of operations.

“Trinity Packaging’s success with its Rocky Mount facility helped drive the decision to expand here,” said Charles Wagner, chairman of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. “In these tough economic times, adding jobs has never been more important. But Trinity Packaging’s decision is also a testament to the excellent business climate in Franklin County and the Commonwealth.”

The expansion will allow Trinity Packaging to increase the capacity of its Rocky Mount plant by hiring additional production workers for its printing and extrusion processes, as well as expanding space for new equipment, raw materials and storage. The company will begin hiring later this year and will work through the Virginia Employment Commission.

The company will benefit from a state and local incentive package, which includes a $100,000 Governor’s Opportunity Fund grant and $100,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds , in addition to local government grants, training funds and rail access funds.