Georgia-Pacific pushes forward on construction of newest industrial building in Tennessee
By John Caulfield, Senior Editor
Georgia-Pacific’s $425 million manufacturing plant, which is under construction in Jackson, Tenn., about 70 miles east of Memphis, is the largest single investment in Jackson’s history.
This 900,000-sf air-conditioned industrial facility, which is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2024, will span across 241 acres. When it opens, it will produce Dixie-branded disposable tableware such as plates and bowls. It will also support G-P’s Livingware and GP Pro business segments.
This project represents one of the most advanced industrial facilities that its general contractor, JE Dunn Construction, has ever built, according to the GC’s Vice President and Project Executive Eric Magsamen. “You will find modern technologies that are all connected and work harmonious[ly] … to bring new levels of efficiency and ease to day-to-day operations,” he said in a prepared statement.
The plant—for which G-P broke ground in September 2022—will feature printer equipment, associated plate-forming converting assets, advanced automation technology, and connected control systems. The facility will include manufacturing, warehousing, rail dock areas, and maintenance shops. There will also be a separate 16,000-sf office space.
Industrial building will create 220 new jobs
The Building Team includes design architect Randall-Paulson Architects, and structural engineer Bennett & Pless. For this greenfield project, JE Dunn excavated 390,000 yards of dirt and poured 52,000 cubic yards of concrete. JE Dunn also designed and engineered a 22,000-ft wastewater pre-treatment system with nearly a half-mile of underground plumbing, and an IT and electrical infrastructure that uses 58,000 ft of conduit, totaling more than 110 miles of cable.
Georgia-Pacific’s plant, its first new Dixie facility since 1991, will create more than 220 jobs in the region when it’s fully operational. (Currently, G-P directly employs about 460 people and 1,430 indirectly, and operates six facilities in Tennessee whose economic impact has translated to a $250 million capital investment since 2011.)