Updated — Food packaging manufacturer Genpak LLC plans to move its headquarters from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Charlotte, N.C., by this summer.
“We've been in Glens Falls about 35 years, and we had great run,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Genpak. “We moved here in 1979 or 1980 when Genpak was one factory. Our operations today have 17 plants and two distribution centers spread out in Canada and the U.S. We don't have a plant here [in Glens Falls], so it is too detached from our day-to-day operations,” he added.
Kelly said the company has three operations in Charlotte as well as its research and development arm, so it made sense to put everything under one roof. The company also is relocating its corporate engineering team from Middletown, N.Y., to Charlotte, so all functions can be under one roof. Genpak's manufacturing facility in Middletown will remain open.
“We made the decision early last year and were going to lease a building for our headquarters,” he noted. However, Genpak ended up purchasing a building that will house both its headquarters and more production space. Local papers said it purchased a 330,000-square-foot facility for $15.8 million.
Kelly said officials hope to have the new operations up and running by the end of July.
Kelly said all 62 employees were invited to make the move, and about a third will do so.
“We've diversified from foam packaging to packaging across a lot of materials. It's evolved, and different plants have different specifications,” he said.
The company makes a wide variety of food containers, plates, bowls and platters that are used in food service applications.
Kelly said: “We have a great opportunity. Before, packaging was an afterthought, but now it is part of branding. Packaging is a key part of branding.”
Genpak ranked fourth in the 2017 Plastics News' thermoforming ranking with estimated sales of $500 million.