By Kate Bruns
The 102-year-old Georgia-Pacific mill at 1919 S. Broadway in Green Bay is set to grow with the addition of 150 jobs and a new paper machine thanks to a recently announced $500 million corporate investment designed to enhance the company’s retail consumer tissue and towel business.
“We appreciate the local community, Brown County, state officials and all of our employees’ hard work and efforts to continue making our Green Bay Broadway mill more competitive for the long term,” Georgia-Pacific President and CEO Christian Fischer said in a December news release.
The expansion is focused on increasing production of consumer toilet paper, facial tissue, napkins and paper towels for home use. Georgia-Pacific brands include AngelSoft, Quilted Northern and Brawny.
“Of course with Georgia-Pacific being a large company, there were several sites vying for that investment, so we feel fortunate that Green Bay was chosen,” says Georgia-Pacific Public Affairs Manager Mike Kawleski.
Kawleski says the Broadway mill’s commitment to safety and sustainability, as well as the New North region’s work ethic, were major factors in the decision. Since 2006, Georgia-Pacific has invested a combined $700,000 in its Green Bay facilities on both Broadway and Day streets. This latest project increases that figure to $1.2 billion.
The Broadway mill specifically has made headlines for its commitment to sustainability. In 2020, the mill officially phased out coal and converted fully to natural gas; in 2021, it tore down its final 400-foot smokestack.
“The Broadway mill has stopped the use of coal, we have an innovative stormwater management system here, and we’ve received recognition for energy reduction and by a number of environmental groups for our sustainability,” Kawleski says. “And then you talk about productivity; that’s also been a strong suit here. You add it all together and basically the Broadway mill comes out on top.”
The mill currently operates seven paper machines and will be adding an eighth that uses through-air-dried technology — a system first developed in the 1960s that today is considered the gold standard for tissue and towel manufacturing. The mill also will add associated converting equipment and infrastructure.
Kawleski says engineering work has already begun, and the company is awaiting permits to begin construction. Georgia-Pacific officials ultimately anticipate the project will employ as many as 500 construction workers and contractors for two years, with an estimated project completion in the first half of 2024.
Following the expansion, the Broadway mill will boast a workforce of 1,000. Reaching that number is no easy task in Wisconsin’s tough labor market, but Kawleski says the company has a strong culture, is rife with advancement opportunities and is prepared to offer comprehensive training to prospective workers who are willing to learn.
“We’re looking for people who work well on a team, can communicate and always want to learn because technology moves along so fast,” Kawleski says. “If folks have those particular attributes, there’s a lot of training that can be done on the skill side. It will be a long process for the hiring and skilling up of that workforce.”
Among the positions the company will begin hiring in 2022 are technicians, engineers and equipment operators.
Kawleski says the community is embracing the idea of a modern papermaking complex coming to life at the historic mill site and that workers take great pride in producing essential items 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
“We make staples,” he says. “Our challenge is to make sure those new machines are running as much as they can.”
