'Life-changing': Dixie paper plant holds ceremonial groundbreaking, to open 2024 in Jackson

What is characterized as the most significant capital investment made in the city's history, a 241-acre Dixie manufacturing plant with an investment of a $425 million is coming soon to Jackson.

The Dixie Manufacturing groundbreaking ceremony and reception in association with Georgia-Pacific was hosted on Friday at Jackson State Community College.

In the McWherter Center Auditorium, sat notable Tennessee politicians in attendance, including Gov. Bill Lee, District Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, 73rd District, Jackson Mayor Scott Conger and Madison County Mayor AJ Massey.

Dixie, a product division of GP and famous for its disposable paper products, will bring 220 jobs to Jackson across the 900,000-square-foot plant.

President and CEO of the Jackson Chamber Kyle Spurgeon kicked off the ceremony by explaining the process for drawing capital investments to the city.

He explained that the city first received notice of the project back in March of 2021.

“This is a company that’s going to fit in from day one,” Spurgeon noted. “We’re not even to day one of the planned opening, and they’re already a great fit for our community.”

Carrie Shapiro, vice president of Dixie Operations at Georgia-Pacific, spoke at the event, proclaiming her excitement for the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art facility.

“Dixie hasn’t had a new plant in 30 years,” Shapiro said. “So this is a big deal for us.”

Considering that it is the first Dixie facility in Tennessee, Shapiro expressed gratitude to the state, GP employees, city and county mayors and community members of Jackson for making it happen and “welcoming them with open arms.”

“This will help us meet the needs of our customers significantly,” she added. “Our investment in Jackson and across Tennessee drives home our focus on continuously improving our operations to meet the needs of both of our customers, our consumers, our employees, and the communities in which we serve.”

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Stuart McWhorter recognized that the jobs being created as a direct result of the Dixie plant are high-paying jobs that have a wage “above the [Madison] county median wage.”

“This community is on fire right now for a lot of reasons,” McWhorter said. “A lot of it is because of local leadership, but also because there’s a good, workforce-ready population that’s continuing to come into this region.”

Gov. Bill Lee took the podium to share that “what’s happening today here is life-changing.”

“I, just in the last month, have met with company officials from literally all over the world, who are either making a decision or considering a decision to move and rest their companies into this state,” Lee said.

He added that the state has worked hard to foster a business-friendly environment that encourages globally-recognized companies to make an investment in Tennessee.

“And Jackson, Madison County — you ought to be really proud,” Lee added. “When you see major companies make decisions, they have choices all over the country about where they want to place their facilities, and they came here.”

Lee addresses infrastructure throughout state

A big topic of conversation in the coming weeks according to Lee: infrastructure and business developments. He described his obligation to not only current Tennesseans, but for those decades in the future as well.

“We’re excited about our strategies for infrastructure so we can keep making these announcements one right after the other,” he added.

With respect to West Tennessee’s addition of Blue Oval City and now the Dixie facility, Governor Lee explained that “the impact to the entire state is significant, and the future for this region economically is very exciting.”

When asked about specifics of other corporations who might venture over to Tennessee, Lee noted the desire for suppliers of manufacturing plants, like Dixie, to be close to the location where fellow manufacturers operate.

“You see an ecosystem around a big announcement like this, you see other companies who recognize that now there is a manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tennessee that they supply goods and services to,” he said. “Much better for them to be close.”

The Dixie manufacturing plant is scheduled to begin production in 2024, while staffing will continue throughout 2023.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Dixie manufacturing plant holds ceremonial groundbreaking in Jackson