Flexible packaging maker Bema to open 70,000 sq.-ft. food packaging film extrusion and warehousing facility in Illinois next year, employing up to 60 people by 2014

Philip Goldsmith

ST. CHARLES, Illinois , October 20, 2011 (City of St. Charles) – Bema Incorporated, an Elmhurst-based flexible plastics packaging company that specializes in extruding, printing, laminating and converting plastics, is opening a new facility at 3620 Ohio Ave. in St. Charles. The new site will occupy 70,000 square feet and employ 15 to 20 people starting in 2012, reaching full employment of 50 to 60 people by 2014.

“We are very fortunate in these economic times to be experiencing a period of substantial growth, and we felt that St. Charles was the perfect community for our expansion,” said Bema President Glen Galloway. “This site will meet our immediate needs and is well suited for our continued growth. As one of the few communities in the Chicago area that has its own electric utility, St. Charles was able to offer us competitive rates and unmatched reliability that made our decision much easier.”

“This is a great opportunity for both Bema and the City of St. Charles industrial business community and employment force,” said St. Charles Mayor Donald DeWitte. “Bema is a quality company with a long and successful history, and we’re very happy to welcome them to our City. Bema’s commitment to our community continues to quantify the benefits of an aggressive business recruitment philosophy, and high quality infrastructure assets, providing an attractive environment in which to conduct business.”

Bema’s expansion plans will include warehousing and film-extrusion at their new St. Charles location. The primary manufacturing will include film-extrusion which processes plastic resin into plastic film. The plastic film is used in such applications as food packaging, pet food packaging and a variety of industrial packaging applications. “This expansion will enable us to be a bigger player in the food packaging industry, which we see as our biggest area of future growth,” said Fred Gross, Bema’s Process Control Manager. “We look forward to getting started right away.”

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About BEMA Incorporated
Starting in Chicago in 1957, Bema Incorporated was founded as “Bema Transparent Bag Company”. After over a decade of continued growth, Bema located to their current headquarters in Elmhurst in 1969. At this point, their operation expanded from not just food package manufacturing, but blown film extrusion as well. The company was purchased in 1999 by current President Glen Galloway and renamed “Bema Incorporated”. In that time, Bema expanded its operations to include 10-color Flexographic Printing, Advanced Pre-press, Solvent-less lamination and expanded Converting operations. Bema Incorporated maintains their current headquarters in Elmhurst.

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