Winpak’s Sauk Village expansion highlighted at CSEDC spring quarterly forum

Winpak Director of Manufacturing Gary Tsao discussed the portion packaging products manufactured in Sauk Village and South Chicago Heights, as well as expansion plans at the CSEDC spring quarterly forum held 4/22/16 at Glenwoodie Golf Club.

News about the expansion of Winpak Portion Packaging’s facility in Sauk Village was the highlight of the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation’s spring quarterly forum held April 22 at the Glenwoodie Golf Club. (See 4/28/16 groundbreaking photo here)

Winpak plans to add 350,000 square-feet of production and logistics space to the existing 267,000 square-foot structure, along with 100 additional new jobs, said Director of Manufacturing Gary Tsao. Currently, about 40 are employed at the Sauk Village facility. Winpak is a multi-national packaging company that also operates a manufacturing facility in South Chicago Heights. The facilities produce plastic cups and trays for food and beverages, most notably the KGM K-cups and creamer, margarine, applesauce and juice cups. Mr. Tsao’s presentation slides are here.

The forum also featured a video from the April 15 SouthWorks Manufacturing and Robotics showcase, presented by Vernell Glover. Read more about the showcase here. Mr. Glover is the Fine Arts, Career and Technical Coordinator for Bloom and Bloom Trail high schools. His presentation slides are here.

Scott McPherson from the Technology and Manufacturing Association shared information about the 3rd Annual Mayors for Manufacturing Summit to be held on May 10th at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights. The event will be combined with Chicago Community Trust’s On the Table city and community-wide discussion. Download the flyer here.

Richton Park economic advisor Gene Steinmarch discussed CSEDC’s Select Chicago Southland program that advocates for retail investment and development in the region. The program’s municipal representatives will be participating in RECon, a national convention for the shopping industry that provides networking and deal making opportunities with developers and retailers from around the United States. Mr. Steinmarch’s presentation slides are here.

Thornton Mayor Bob Kolosh provided updates on the Thornton Quarry and economic developments in his town. The slides are here. And finally, Glenwood Mayor Ronald Gardiner provided an update on the progress being made in his community and the plans for the Village of Glenwood.  His slides are here. We thank the Village of Glenwood for graciously hosting this event. More photos are here.  The summer quarterly forum is scheduled for July 22, at a location TBD. Please save the date.