CHILLICOTHE — Paper manufacturing is coming back to Chillicothe. U.S. Paper Mill has begun restarting production at the historic mill site, bringing jobs and industry back to southern Ohio.
The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce announced the news recently. U.S. Paper Mill acquired the facility in October 2025 after the closure of Pixelle Specialty Solutions, and has since repurposed it as a multi-sector jobs site with more than 180 employees currently working on site.
The company has started recruiting and hiring new workers for paper production, giving priority to some of those who worked at the mill before it closed in August 2025. Thirteen current employees have been assigned to the task of reviving the plant’s No. 12 paper machine, affectionately known as “The Chief.”
“We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action,” said Plant Manager Craig Teeters. “It has been gratifying to see the joy on our colleagues’ faces, and it will be a pleasure to welcome more workers into the plant as we prepare to resume paper production in Chillicothe.”
The machine is expected to be fully operational and ready to manufacture new paper by this December. U.S. Paper Mill is in talks with multiple companies exploring paper manufacturing opportunities, and estimates that as many as 350 new employees could be added for paper operations within the next year.
The reopening is a major turnaround for a community that lost one of its signature industries when the mill shut down, and local leaders say the hiring wave will ripple through Ross County’s economy.
