GREENFIELD – A Greenfield business is considering doubling its manufacturing space.
Avery Dennison business leaders appeared before the Greenfield City Council this week to ask for a tax break that would save the company an estimated $5.2 million over 10 years. Avery Dennison still would pay an estimated $4.5 million to county coffers during that time.
The 300,000-square-foot expansion, expected to cost about $69 million, would double the size of the building and make use of vacant land to the west of the plant, said Hancock Economic Development Council director Skip Kuker. It would not add new jobs.
The Greenfield City Council gave the project preliminary approval and will vote again Nov. 8. The project still must be approved by the city’s redevelopment commission before moving forward.
No new jobs are expected to be created through the expansion, but the company would retain all 263 current employees, who earn an average of $25 an hour not including benefits, Kuker said.
“They’re good paying jobs in our community, and we would like to see them staying in our community,” he said.
Avery Dennison, 870 Anderson Blvd., manufactures packaging materials, like product labels, for companies around the world. The company operates in more than 50 countries and has more than 25,000 employees across the globe.
Avery Dennison set up shop in Greenfield in 1993 at Hastings Commerce Park, which previously had been farmland, said Ron Pritzke, the attorney representing Avery Dennison. Since then, the plant already has doubled in size once, he said.
Steve Borse, the Greenfield plant manager, said Avery Dennison is the largest label manufacturer in the world and also produces graphic materials for automotive and building products.
The company’s products are used on Amazon and FedEx boxes, and many other well recognized brands, he said.
“You see our products every day; you probably just don’t know it,” Borse said.
The company is looking to grow and is considering its Greenfield plant, among others, to increase its manufacturing efforts, he said.
Company leaders are in the research stage, trying to get an idea of the incentives they’d be offered for expanding here, he said.
If the Greenfield plant were chosen for the project, construction would start early next year and be complete by late 2019, documents show.
The project was well-received by city officials, who complimented the company on its community spirit and involvement.
Employees are community-oriented, lending a hand to various community organizations, including the Greenfield Parks and Recreation Department and Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen, throughout the year, Borse said.
