I learned about the Pixelle paper mill closure the way most of Chillicothe did – through a text message and Facebook posts one morning last April. For a 200-year mill town, it was devastating. Some families had two people working at the mill and lost everything overnight. The closure affected 830 workers directly, with another 1,100 people in the timber industry impacted. Our community was in shock, grieving what felt like the loss of our foundation. But what happened next revealed something powerful about how Ohio responds to crisis.
Political leadership mobilized immediately. U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno fought to delay the closure and later negotiated a deal where $5.5 million was set aside for former Pixelle workers. Governor DeWine directed the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to assist affected employees. Within 48 hours, we held a rally in the Homeland Credit Union (HCU) parking lot across from the mill, with officials at every level telling workers, “We’re here, and we’re going to help you through this.”
Another “Ohio difference” that kicked into gear was the all-hands-on-deck response from the state’s unique economic development network: JobsOhio at the state level, Ohio Southeast at the regional level, and local organizations like Greater Chillicothe & Ross County Development on the ground. Most states don’t have this. These private economic development organizations move at the speed of business, not bureaucracy. They led the creation of targeted response teams focused on workforce, infrastructure remediation & redevelopment of the site, and an aggressive search for a new tenant – one who would be committed to the local community, not liquidate the asset and move on.
What surprised us was the sustained personal engagement. Between April and December, we logged 144 coordination calls with JobsOhio and OhioSE. We weren’t just working with our regional project manager – we had direct access to OhioSE’s president and JobsOhio’s executive team. Weekly infrastructure meetings brought together our utility partners, county engineer, township trustees, and planning department. With site readiness planning grant dollars from JobsOhio, we’ve undertaken traffic studies, wastewater analysis, and environmental assessments that are preparing our community for future development. The intensity of support was overwhelming at first, but once we learned to manage it, has become empowering.
Local preparation mattered too. We were fortunate that Ross County had just launched our first comprehensive development plan since 1979. When crisis hit, we already had stakeholders meeting weekly – commissioners, mayor, Job and Family Services, Chamber of Commerce – all working together instead of in silos. We created Scioto Valley Forward to help workers access a $2 million federal retraining grant and other resources.
In October, U.S. Medical Glove Company, a small but mighty nitrile glove and PPE manufacturer, purchased the site and began retrofitting. They’ve hired 200 workers so far and could grow to 500. Their vision for mixed-use development of the 400-acre site could bring other diverse employment opportunities. They are also doing something I’ve never seen in my 22 years in workforce development: in addition to revitalized labs for technical training, they are partnering with HCU to provide financial literacy training, savings plans and hardship loans to address life’s little emergencies, like car repairs, and not miss work.
I won’t sugarcoat things: we have a long way to go. Hundreds of mill and supply chain workers are still out of work. But the progress we’ve made and the unwavering support we’ve received give Chillicothe reason for cautious optimism. We’re turning a devastating blow into a source of community resilience and partnerships that will serve Ross County for whatever comes next.
A native of Ross County, Ohio, Eallonardo serves as the Director of Greater Chillicothe & Ross County Development. She is credentialed by the Ohio Economic Development Association, and specializes in manufacturing, workforce development and historic preservation.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Opinion. Mill closure was devastating, the state’s response was rapid
Reporting by Tammy Eallonardo, Special to the Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
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