CHILLICOTHE — Paper production is set to return to Chillicothe about a year after the city’s historic mill shut down, with new owner U.S. Paper Mill preparing to restart one paper machine and hire as many as 350 workers over the next year.
The company’s Paper Machine 12, nicknamed “The Chief,” is expected to be running again by December, the company announced. Thirteen current employees are already preparing the machine, and U.S. Paper Mill has begun recruiting paper-production workers, prioritizing former mill employees.
The restart would mark the first paper manufactured at the site since Pixelle Specialty Solutions closed the facility in August 2025. U.S. Paper Mill acquired the property that October and has since diversified the site with data center, aerospace, medical device and glove manufacturing operations that now employ more than 180 people.
“We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action,” Plant Manager Craig Teeters said in a statement. “It will be a pleasure to welcome more workers into the plant as we prepare to resume paper production in Chillicothe.”
The company cautioned that 350 jobs is not a firm commitment and would depend on additional partners investing at the site. It said it is in discussions with multiple companies interested in paper manufacturing opportunities at the facility.
Mike Throne, president and CEO of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, said the diversification could help the site weather downturns in any single industry. Local leaders previously cited a study estimating the mill closure’s impact at $1 billion on Ohio’s economy.
