Atlanta-based WestRock Company, a manufacturer and distributor of paper and packaging solutions, is closing one of its existing plants in North Chicago to open a new, $140 million corrugated box plant in Pleasant Prairie.
The new box plant will be located at 9423 Koessl Court at the LogistiCenter in Pleasant Prairie. The location is the former site of a We Energies power plant.
Last July, an affiliate of Nevada-based Dermody Properties purchased the land to move forward with an industrial redevelopment of the site, called the LogistiCenter. Once completed, the redevelopment will consist of three industrial buildings with 550,000, 620,000 and 1.1 million square feet of space.
“The village is excited about WestRock choosing Pleasant Prairie for their new industrial building on the former We Energies site,” said Eric Rindfleisch, Pleasant Prairie village administrator. “Dermody Properties is actively preparing the site for this development, representing a significant investment in the community that will drive economic growth and create new employment opportunities for southeastern Wisconsin.”
WestRock selected Pleasant Prairie for its new box plant to support growing demand from customers in the Great Lakes region, according to a press release. Construction will start this year and be completed in 2025.
“Investing in a new state-of-the-art corrugated converting facility elevates our production capabilities and better supports our end market strategy and margin improvement targets,” said David Sewell, chief executive officer of WestRock. “We are pleased to expand our presence in an area of critical demand like the Great Lakes and are confident that by implementing production initiatives such as these, we will continue to solidify WestRock’s position as the supplier of choice.”
The Milwaukee 7 (M7) regional economic development organization, along with Kenosha County officials, worked to attract WestRock to southeastern Wisconsin.
M7 representatives declined to comment on the possibility of WestRock receiving any incentives from the state for building the new plant. They said the final number of employees who will work at the WestRock plant has not yet been determined.
“We’re delighted that WestRock will establish its new production facility in our region, locating on a portion of We Energies’ former power generation site in Pleasant Prairie. It’s exciting to see how WestRock will leverage the existing infrastructure to its full potential,” said Gale Klappa, co-chair of M7 and executive chairman of WEC Energy Group. “WestRock is a leader in the packaging sector. The company’s choice to locate here further underscores the value of our region’s assets.”
WestRock provides sustainable paper-based packaging solutions across multiple sectors including consumer products, food and beverage, healthcare, e-commerce, industrial products, and more.
In 2023, WestRock had net sales of $20.3 billion.
