Green Bay Packaging to expand Morrilton facilities with $1 billion investment

Green Bay Packaging, a packaging solutions manufacturer, announced Tuesday (June 3) it is expanding its existing production facility in Morrilton with an investment of more than $1 billion. This expansion represents the largest capital investment project in the history of central Arkansas.

Green Bay Packaging plans to create 35 new jobs as part of the expansion. Currently, Green Bay Packaging has more than 620 employees in Conway County.

The multi-year project, known as Project PowerPack, will enhance the infrastructure of the mill and underscore the company’s commitment to sustainable practices and operational efficiency, according to a press release.

The project also includes the acquisition of approximately 300 acres of land for future investments and expansion, positioning the mill for the long-term. The company’s strategic investment in the Arkansas Kraft mill facility could more than double its current production capacity.

Green Bay Packaging produces premium linerboard for corrugated materials. This linerboard is made from virgin fiber sourced from Green Bay Packaging’s own lumber mill and it is used to supply over 12 of their corrugator plants and other external customers.

“We are excited to officially break ground on Project PowerPack,” said Matt Szymanski, vice president of Mill Operations at Green Bay Packaging. “This project reflects our ongoing commitment to quality and sustainability, as well as our dedication to our employees, customers, and the communities in which we live and work. We are truly excited for the future.”

“Thank you, Green Bay Packaging, for the important service you have provided for over 50 years in Arkansas, the hundreds of jobs you provide for our state, and for your over $1 billion investment – representing the largest capital investment project in central Arkansas’ history,” said Gov. Sarah Sanders. “We are proud to have you call Arkansas home.”

As part of a multiyear expansion, Green Bay Packaging will be enhancing the Morrilton facility’s infrastructure and replacing key process components, including the recovery boiler and biomass boiler infrastructure. Green Bay Packaging will also install an electric turbine generator to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

“For years, Green Bay Packaging has been an important part of Arkansas’ manufacturing and timber products industries – and their investment of $1 billion in Morrilton will ensure that the company continues to do business and thrive in the Natural State,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “With this expansion, Green Bay Packaging is modernizing its facility and creating new jobs that will make a difference in the lives of Arkansans. We congratulate the company, the city of Morrilton, and Conway County on a history-making economic development win.”

The company has an established presence in Arkansas, operating multiple facilities in the central Arkansas region. In addition to its Arkansas Kraft Division campus, Green Bay Packaging operates two facilities in Plumerville, a facility in Conway, and another facility in Morrilton.

In 2024, six counties (Conway, Pope, Faulkner, Johnson, Saline, White) and one city (Morrilton) partnered with the Arkansas Department of Transportation to relocate Highway 113 enabling the project to move forward.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated shipping container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin containerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll-stock plants, timberlands, a paper slitting operation, specialty converting operations, and a sawmill facility.