Atlanta, Georgia based Hood Container announced it is expanding and upgrading its paper mill in West Feliciana Parish, near St. Francisville, Louisiana. The company and the state announced the $50 million project last week. It is expected to support 75 construction jobs.
Hood Container acquired the 61-year-old former Crown Zellerbach and Tembec mill in 2015, after it emerged from federal bankruptcy protection filed by an interim owner. Since the acquisition, Hood has committed more than $100 million in capital investments to upgrade the facilities.
The project will increase the efficiency of the facility’s pulp-refining operation through the installation of two digester blow-line refiners. The expansion also will include installation of a secondary headbox and additional dryer cans, which will allow increased paper production with better paper quality.
The state offered the company a $200,000 Modernization Tax Credit to be allocated over a five-year period. Hood Container also is expected to utilize the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program. Hood plans to retain 306 existing employees and a $23 million annual payroll at the mill.
