YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – State and local officials hailed Thursday’s announcement by Kimberly-Clark Corp. that the company plans to move forward on a plant in Trumbull County that is expected to create approximately 500 jobs.
The approximately 1 million-square-foot plant will serve 117 million consumers in the Northeast and Midwest regions, according to an infographic from the Dallas-based consumer paper products manufacturer. Construction is expected to begin in May and take two to three years.
“They’re in fast pace mode now,” said Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority. Trailers are rolling onto the site; two cranes are performing dynamic compaction at the site of the future building’s footprint; and site people are arriving, he reported.
“They’re ready to start as soon as possible,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, interim CEO of Lake to River Economic Development, which is the JobsOhio region formed last year to serve Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.
“Today’s announcement has been a long time coming, and we’re beyond excited to become part of the Kimberly-Clark footprint,” said Sarah Boyarko, Lake to River vice president, economic development.
The new advanced manufacturing facility, on 560 acres of property in Howland and Warren townships that the company purchased from WRPA in December 2023, represents part of $2 billion in planned investment by the manufacturer over the next five years. The company also announced plans for a state-of-the-art automated distraction center in South Carolina and additional upgrades across its supply chain network.
“Ohio’s deep commitment to workforce development further reinforced Kimberly-Clark’s decision to choose Trumbull County for its newest investment,” Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said. “We look forward to partnering with Kimberly-Clark as it constructs a cutting-edge facility and scales its production with skilled talent from the Mahoning Valley.”
As yet, the company has not publicly identified what products would be manufactured at the plant.
“Now is when the real work begins,” Trevena said.
“Bringing a global company like Kimberly-Clark is the result of sustained collaboration, bold site development and the reality that this region is positioned to meet global demand,” he continued. “This project demonstrates what is possible when public and private partners align around a common goal and when we invest in preparing sites that meet the moment. It sends a powerful signal to other companies that the Mahoning Valley is ready.”
He also emphasized the significance of regional coordination and preparedness in bringing global investment to the area. In addition, he noted the plans Kimberly-Clark outlined Thursday will use about 100 acres of the property it bought.
“There’s still definitely developable space,” he said.
Lake to River staff members have been involved with the project beginning with the site selection process, Boyarko said.
“We have the ideal site, a skilled workforce and a team approach to win this deal for Trumbull County,” she said. “The public and private sectors came together and worked at the speed of business to respond to Kimberly-Clark’s needs and support their investment.”
Providing a direct link to the resources of JobsOhio is what Lake to River was built for, Blackann said.
“You’re going to see that in projects like this, this is exactly what we hope for,” she continued. “The excitement our team has to be able to start the project at the local level and then complete it at the regional level, to see it come to fruition, is really meaningful, and it’s exactly what we were hoping this would do.”
During an early meeting, local officials “heard generically what they were conceptually looking to do,” though at the time they had no idea what company was involved, Trevena recalled.
“It’s safe to say the project scale on that date was smaller,” he said. “What they announced today is definitely bigger than what we originally talked about.” After speaking with the local group, he said the company saw greater potential for the project.
Before moving forward with the purchase, the company did substantial due diligence on the site to determine its potential and limitations, he said. As the property owner, WRPA was required to close all the wells on the site.
“To secure a business investment from outside of the market, you have to have a location; you have to have a property; and, in this case, we have the right sites that match with their investment needs, in addition to an available skilled workforce that can be pulled from throughout the region,” Boyarko said. “I also believe that we were able to win this opportunity and beat out other locations because we all came together and worked at the speed of business.”
“Many, many people have been working in the background on this for several years,” Howland Township Administrator James Pantalone affirmed. “This was a great collaborative effort.” He acknowledged there were “pieces of the puzzle that are coming together in the background.”
Thursday’s announcement would not have happened without that collaboration, Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said.
“It’s a huge boost for the local economy and the tax base in general,” he said. “A project of this magnitude will feed a lot of other small businesses, restaurants, the housing market, retail, etc. So we’re really proud about that.”
The mayor also said his city and Howland and Warren townships are finalizing “the finer points” of a proposed joint economic development district, or JEDD, that will need to be in place for the project. “We’ll be able to present a draft in the next few weeks,” he predicted.
Any JEDD proposal would have to go for a public hearing following a 30-day public notice period before the townships and the city vote on the JEDD, according to Mike Keys, Warren community development director.
“Everybody‘s been really involved,” he affirmed. “I’ve never seen a team come together this quickly for the common good of the Valley. It was just really, really impressive.”
Others commenting on the project and praising the successful collaboration include leadership from the port authority and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Regional Chamber, predicted Kimberly-Clark’s investment would bring high-quality jobs and lasting economic impact to the region, and proves the continued attractiveness of the Valley as a destination for industry and innovation. He specifically thanked Boyarko for recognizing the potential of the former BDM Steel site and introducing it to site selectors for Kimberly-Clark, as well as for her perseverance in seeing the project across the finish line
“The achievement also reflects a broader shift across the Valley – away from a rigid, parochial mindset to one that embraces collaboration to advance shared economic goals,” he said. “This stands in stark contrast to the competitive posturing seen during past development efforts, such as those surrounding the V&M expansion project in the late 2000s.”
Martin Loney, chairman of the WRPA Board of Directors, commended Kimberly-Clark’s board. “From the very beginning, our support for this project has been steadfast, and we remain committed through every phase of its development,” he said.
“This generational investment in Howland Township, the city of Warren and Warren Township will have positive impacts in Mahoning and Trumbull counties and support the long-term vision of the Valley,” said Sam Covelli, WRPA vice chairman and chairman of its economic development committee.
“It would not have been possible without the support of many local partner agencies, Gov. Mike DeWine, JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, elected leadership and the Kimberly-Clark team that has been working since the original purchase in 2023 to make this project a reality,” he added.
Keys emphasized the need to build on this success. “Our next step is now to make sure that we keep moving forward and we don’t just sit back and say, ‘OK, we’ve done our job and we don’t have to do anything anymore,” he cautioned.
Several officials also recognized the need to address local housing stock, which the chamber and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments have focused on in recent years.
“This does put us at crunch time in terms of increasing the housing stock. We knew for a couple years this was coming, not just because of Kimberly-Clark but because of lots of new employers,” Coviello acknowledged. “With the help of Eastgate and many others, we’ve laid the groundwork to be able to keep pace, so we think we’re ready for this.”
Howland’s planning director has been looking at the Bolindale area, in the southwest corner of the township, for parcels that can be reconfigured to address the need for new housing, Pantalone said. There are a lot of existing houses for sale, but what is available doesn’t always meet the needs of the community today.
Franklin acknowledged prospects for the Kimberly-Clark plant, along with developments such as the Ultium Cells plant and Foxconn, were discussed when talking to potential developers of the Peninsula project near downtown Warren, not far from the Kimberly-Clark property.
Announced in February by Dillin Corp., the $150 million project will have more than 400 residential units.
“We do know that the workers that will be coming to the Kimberly-Clark site will be looking for housing, schools, quality schools, as well as entertainment venues and places to eat and have fun. We’re going to provide all of those amenities,” Franklin said.
Pictured at top: The site of the proposed Kimberly-Clark facility.