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GZ PrintPak invests $7M in Mount Pleasant bag plant, creating 40 jobs
La Risa R. Lynch
Holiday season shoppers might be bringing home a piece of Wisconsin – a shopping bag made in Mount Pleasant.
GZ PrintPak, a global printing and packaging company, this year began manufacturing paper bags for high-end retailers at its new facility, at 13505 Louis Sorenson Road.
The company now plans to expand its Racine County operation to produce collapsible and standard rigid boxes, along with co-packing services.
The company will invest $7.1 million into its 69,000 square-foot manufacturing facility, creating 40 jobs, according to a Dec. 4 announcement.
“We’re really proud to be here, because Wisconsin offers an ideal mix of workforce availability, infrastructure, and location advantages – enabling us to better serve our customers across North America,” said Peter Levenec, chairman and chief commercial officer of GZ Media, GZ PrintPak's corporate parent.
GZ Media, based in the Czech Republic, is the world’s largest vinyl record producer.
GZ PrintPak is the only U.S. manufacturer to have developed an automated system for producing fully recyclable luxury paper bags, according to the company.
The company says it offers an attractive alternative to overseas suppliers by leveraging tariff-free manufacturing and competitive pricing.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is supporting the expansion by authorizing up to $300,000 in state income tax credits over the next three years. The tax credits are contingent on the number of jobs created and the capital invested in the project.
“Wisconsin is known as a global leader in the paper industry, and GZ PrintPak is the kind of innovative international paper manufacturing company that belongs in Wisconsin,” said Sam Rikkers, WEDC deputy secretary and chief operating officer.
The expansion also was praised by officials from the Racine County Economic Development Corp., the Village of Mount Pleasant, and the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development agency.
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Mount Pleasant data center to utilize Microsoft's "zero water" plan
MOUNT PLEASANT — Mount Pleasant will be one of the first locations to pilot Microsoft’s zero-water evaporation design in its new data center.
The initiative aims to significantly reduce water consumption and address the region’s water scarcity, according to Annette Hamilton, senior communications manager for Microsoft data centers.
According to Microsoft’s website, the company in August launched a new data center design that “optimizes” artificial intelligence workloads and consumes “zero water” for cooling.
The data centers will use a “close-looped” system that recycles water, eliminating the need for fresh water once filled, Hamilton said.
This cooling solution will allow for precise temperature control without water evaporation, according to Microsoft.
Hamilton said the new datacenter designs will “eliminate the need for over 125 million liters (about 33 million gallons) of water per year, per facility.”
Mount Pleasant Communications Director Sean Ryan said the village’s policies encourage environmentally sustainable building practices in all new development.
“Microsoft’s use of this water-saving data center technology helps the village, and the region, advance long-term goals like attracting 21st century jobs, and preserving the natural resources that have made this area attractive for generations,” Ryan said.
The design will be implemented in Mount Pleasant’s data center, along with a data center in Phoenix, Arizona, by 2026, according to Microsoft.
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