During a tour at CANPACK, Governor Tom Wolf celebrated the 194,000 jobs created and retained through his Governor's Action Team (GAT) since 2015. His 430 completed projects garnered a total of $17.8 billion in private investments to support communities across the commonwealth.
"It's quite an honor to see the manufacturing powerhouse that CANPACK has brought to the Greater Scranton Area," said Wolf. "Five hundred jobs for this community is a really big deal, and it's just one example out of 430 projects that we've made possible across Pennsylvania over the past eight years."
The CANPACK facility in Olyphant is the product of a 2020 GAT deal. CANPACK gave life to a formerly blighted 102-acre brownfield site and developed a 908,000 square-foot aluminum can manufacturing facility that created more than 500 jobs for the local community.
"Since we first invested in CANPACK over 30 years ago, it has grown from a single steel food can manufacturing site in Poland to a true multinational packaging manufacturer with nearly 8,000 employees and 28 manufacturing sites located in Europe, South America, India, the Middle East, and Africa. We are extremely excited to bring CANPACK into the United States, the world's largest aluminum beverage can market," said Peter Giorgi, president and CEO of Giorgi Global Holdings, Inc. "Despite many attractive locations, we chose Pennsylvania not only because it's my home and home for many of GIORGI GLOBAL HOLDINGS' other agricultural and food packaging businesses but also because of the warm welcome we have received from Gov. Wolf and the Governor's Action Team, the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Mid-Valley School District, Lackawanna County and the Borough of Olyphant."
Wolf supported the CANPACK manufacturing facility in Lackawanna County with a $6 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant, this was matched by CANPACK with a $366 million investment. This private investment in Pennsylvania by CANPACK is the 9th largest in GAT history and represents the largest manufacturing project in the Greater Scranton Area since Proctor and Gamble in 1966.
"Over the course of my administration, we've worked hard to bring new businesses, like CANPACK, to Pennsylvania and help those already here to expand in support of our economy, our workforce, and our communities," said Gov. Wolf. "In just the past year, we've created and retained more than 8,300 jobs with an average salary of $55,000 -- that's 8,300 good jobs that pay well, created through government that works."
Governor Wolf's state incentives of more than $396.3 million to support new and growing businesses in the commonwealth has resulted in a record $17.8 billion private investment, $476.15 million in new local tax revenue, and $417.62 million in new state tax revenue over the past eight years which has led to Pennsylvania's economy being among the strongest and most diverse in the country.
For every single public, taxpayer dollar invested in GAT projects under Governor Wolf, Pennsylvania has gained $102 in private support for Pennsylvania's communities and economy. That's a public to private ratio $75 higher than was achieved during the Corbett Administration.
Like the jobs created at CANPACK, more than 67% of jobs created through GAT over the past eight years have been in manufacturing. In 2021, more than 84% of jobs created were in manufacturing.
With the success of Pennsylvania's manufacturing industry in mind, Governor Wolf has long prioritized investments in programs that grow opportunities for hands-on learning in manufacturing. He launched a Manufacturing Training-to-Career program in 2017, along with his Manufacturing PA Initiative, and has since funded 83 projects with more than $17.5 million. Gov. Wolf is committed to investing an additional $4.7 million in MTTC grants by the end of his administration. These investments ensure that Pennsylvanians are trained to succeed when good manufacturing jobs--like those created at CANPACK--are made available.
Categories: Pennsylvania, General, Rural Lifestyle