CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – American-made paper will be again manufactured in Chillicothe, bringing jobs and industry back to Southern Ohio. U.S. Paper Mill has begun the process of recruiting and hiring new employees for paper production, prioritizing some of those who worked at the mill prior to its closure in August of 2025. Thirteen current employees have been assigned to the task of reviving the plant’s 12 Paper Machine, affectionately known as The Chief. The machine will be fully operational and ready to manufacture new paper by this December. 

Following the closure of Pixelle Specialty Solutions in Chillicothe, U.S. Paper Mill acquired the facility in October 2025 and has repurposed it as diverse jobs site for a variety of sectors, with more than 180 employees currently working onsite. U.S. Paper Mill is in conversations 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. 

“We are incredibly proud to return The Chief to action,” Plant Manager Craig Teeters said. “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.”