Pixelle will transfer its carbonless paper and Defensa security paper franchises to Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, from the Chillicothe, Ohio, mill that the company is closing; other operations will be relocating to the company's Fremont, Ohio, plant

April 16, 2025 (York Daily Record) –

Spring Grove paper mill to get new operations after Ohio plant closure

Pixelle Specialty Solutions announced Tuesday that it will close a 215-year-old paper mill in Chillicothe, Ohio, that employed around 1,000 people and will be relocating some operations to its facility in Spring Grove.

“This was an extremely difficult decision. We value our Chillicothe team and the contributions they havemade to Pixelle,” Ross Bushnell, Pixelle’s president and CEO, said in a news release.

"Our focus remains on delivering high-quality specialty paper products while ensuring a responsible transition for our workforce and operations in Chillicothe."

Operations at the Ohio mill, which has operated for 215 years, will be winding down in phases, according to the company. The first employee losses are expected by June 13, according to a WARN notice filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The release noted that the closure would "strengthen" the company's Spring Grove facility as they seek to maintain their position in the paper market

Pixelle's carbonless and Defensa paper franchises, produced at the Ohio facility, will be relocated to Spring Grove in the transition. Other operations will be relocating to the company's Fremont plant, the company said.

The Chillicothe Paper Mill had been owned by several companies over the last two decades, from MeadWestvaco, New Page, Glatfelter and then Pixelle Specialty Solutions.

The Chillicothe mill became part of Pixelle during a $360 million sale from P.H. Glatfelter to private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg that also included the Spring Grove and Fremont facilities in August of 2018. Pixelle Specialty Solutions is an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg, and took over operation at Glatfelter's facilities during the sale.

While not as old as the 215-year-old Chillicothe facility, the Spring Grove paper mill dates to 1852, originally founded as the Spring Forge Paper Mill within a former iron forge, which had given the town its original name: Spring Forge.

In 1863, local entrepreneur Philip H. Glatfelter purchased the Spring Forge Paper Mill at an orphan’s court sale for just $14,000. In the years that followed, the town would be renamed from Spring Forge to Spring Grove.

Destiny Torres contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Spring Grove paper mill will get new operations as Pixelle closes Chillicothe, Ohio plant

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