TekniPlex Consumer Products Changes Name, Grows in Place in Virginia

TekniPlex Consumer Products, formerly Grupo Phoenix, is a global manufacturer of rigid packaging containers. Based in Columbia, the company established its first North American facility in Pulaski County in 2010. They invested over $20 million, created 240 jobs, and boldly entered the East Coast market as an industry innovator.

Two additional expansions followed in 2011 and 2012, creating an additional 200 jobs and bringing nearly $40 million more in capital investments to Pulaski County.

This success drove the need to expand even further.

Space and Skills in the Southwest

Pulaski County in the New River Valley helped make this success possible. In 2017, doing business at the time under their previous name, TekniPlex Consumer Products had an eye on an available corporate park in Pulaski, which offered additional space and a strategic location, with accessibility to major interstates and available rail transport.

TekniPlex Consumer Products, which is now the second-largest employer in Pulaski, also needed a workforce proficient in robotics, advanced handling and shipping, and various other 21st-century skills.

Enter Virginia Tech, New River Community College, and the New River Valley’s labor force of nearly 400,000. The company maintained a close relationship with both institutions, and they counted on these partnerships to supply a pipeline of talented graduates.

Enthusiastic Partners 

Like Virginia, Pulaski County has distinguished itself as a hub for international business, boasting international companies including Volvo Trucks, Korona Candles, and Red Sun Farms. These major employers have thrived thanks to Pulaski County's flexible incentive and technical assistance offerings.  

County administrators and the Pulaski County Economic Development Authority worked closely with TekniPlex Consumer Products to design a local incentives package that met the company’s unique needs. This hands-on approach from local, regional, and state partners was pivotal. 

The Right Choice (Again) 

In 2017, after a competitive nationwide search, TekniPlex Consumer Products committed to a third expansion in Pulaski County. The $48+ million project included 145 new jobs.

The company completed its railroad line in 2023, directly connecting their site to the Radford terminal to move raw materials, doubling manufacturing capacity to 54,000 tons per year. 

TekniPlex Consumer Products’ continued expansion and investment in Virginia is a strong testament to the wealth of opportunity available to global companies in the New River Valley, in Southwest Virginia, and the larger Commonwealth. 

[TekniPlex] chose Virginia due to a variety of factors, including a central location that allows us to be within 400 miles of 80% of the U.S. East Coast population; a motivated labor force; support from the local colleges and universities to assist us with training specialized technical jobs; and the accessibility and unwavering support of the government to work together within the industry to create jobs.

Alberto Peisach, CEO and President, Grupo Phoenix, a TekniPlex Consumer Products Business (1989–2021)