Paper production is set to resume at the former Pixelle mill in Chillicothe, with new owner U.S. Paper Mill Company announcing the plant will make paper again. According to the report, the announcement came Wednesday, about a year after the legacy mill shut down.
USPM said it is hiring for paper production and will give priority to some of the roughly 800 workers who lost jobs when Pixelle closed in 2025. The company said 13 current employees have been assigned to restart the plant's No. 12 paper machine, known as The Chief, which USPM expects to be fully operational by December.
The mill's path since closure has shifted several times. After the closure was announced, residents worried about economic fallout, and Sen. Bernie Moreno announced that USPM would buy the plant for nitrile gloves and other personal protective equipment. In July, USPM surprised local leaders with plans to convert the site into a technology hub spanning research and development, aerospace design and a data center.
City Councilman Richard McQuirt alleges those other ventures were needed because promised federal contracts for PPE production did not materialize. McQuirt also said residents long believed the town would be finished if the mill closed.
Plant Manager Craig Teeters said he was proud to see The Chief return and looked forward to welcoming more workers as production resumes. USPM leaders said they are in talks with several companies about paper manufacturing and estimate up to 350 new hires could follow within a year. Chillicothe's papermaking history dates to the early 1800s; Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Throne said the industry had anchored Ross County's economy for 215 years.