Tioga, Pennsylvania based Tyoga Container announced that it has broken ground on the the largest expansion in the company’s storied 51-year history. “What we’ve done over the last 50 years has really set us up for a revolutionary change at Tyoga Container,” said the company’s President, Charlie Frysinger, at a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday October 6. “The growth in the box business has been tremendous.”
Chris Morral, Tyoga Container’s Executive Vice President, said the day marked the largest of 12 expansions in the company’s history. The $20 million project will add 14,000-square-feet of office space and 70,000-square-feet of manufacturing space with new shipping and receiving docks and state-of-the-art equipment. The project will also add about 40 new jobs to its current 120 employee-base, putting the company at nearly $10 million in payroll per year, said Morral.
“To say we’re excited for this day is really an understatement. It’s been a long time coming,” said Morral. “Overall, plant space limitations, aging equipment combined with the need for increased efficiency and overall plant flow really limited our ability to reach our operational goals.”
Frysinger said while expansion plans have been in the works for a while, the COVID-19 pandemic only increased the need for the company’s corrugated cardboard containers. “Very shortly after the start of the pandemic, we started seeing an uptick. What happened was, everybody’s sitting at home, pushing that Amazon button,” he said. “I guarantee at your house, every one of you is saying ‘How many boxes are showing up at my house that didn’t show up four or five years ago?’”
Frysinger said due to the growth of online shopping, “There isn’t a box plant in the country that is not over capacity. We are literally turning business down every single day, just because we don’t have the capacity to run. So, this is a great project and a great problem to have.”
Through 51 years and 12 expansions, the company founders and leadership never swayed from staying in Tioga borough, said Frysinger.
“It’s honestly through community partnerships that really make this possible,” he said. “It starts at the borough level and the tremendous amount of support that we get here locally. Then it moves to the county-level.”
County Commissioner Erick Coolidge agreed that partnerships are what’s led to Tyoga Container’s success, something he said the county is proud to support. “This is an investment in not just the business, but in the community,” said Coolidge. “When I heard the passion and commitment to a company by someone who works here, that speaks volumes.”
