How many jobs will DrinkPAK create?
DrinkPAK plans to create 174 long-term jobs over the next three years at its Philadelphia plant. These will include jobs mixing beverage ingredients, operating packaging equipment and working on quality control in a lab, Schroeder said.
The company plans to hire the “vast majority” of these positions locally and bring “a handful” of employees from the company’s other existing facilities, she said. Educational requirements for the new jobs will range from high school diplomas to four-year engineering degrees.
DrinkPAK receives incentives from the state
DrinkPAK received a $2 million grant from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development meant for projects that create economic impact and jobs.
The company also plans to take advantage of a tax break for manufacturing companies that increase their taxable payroll and of reductions in certain state and local taxes available under the Keystone Opportunity Zone program.
“Those are important factors in our decision making, and we greatly appreciate the partnerships and the support that we have from the state of Pennsylvania in locating in The Bellwether District,” Schroeder said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro released a written statement praising the company’s commitment.
“My Administration competed aggressively against other states to secure this major investment from DrinkPAK – the first anchor tenant for The Bellwether District that will create tens of thousands of jobs and supercharge the economy of Southeastern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “Our strategic investments in site development are helping us win major deals.”
The Bellwether District is also part of the state’s Permit Fast Track program. It has received several state environmental permits, according to the state’s website.
The latest step in a yearslong redevelopment process
Two other warehouse-style buildings are already built at The Bellwether District along 26th Street, but are not yet occupied.
Amelia Chassé Alcivar, HRP Group’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, said last month that the company was in “late-stage negotiations” with several prospective tenants, but did not specify who those tenants might be. She said she could neither confirm nor deny whether a data center could locate at the site, but said there were no plans to build a traditional power plant there, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The 1,300-acre former refinery site in South and Southwest Philadelphia once housed the largest oil refinery on the East Coast. The refinery closed in 2019 after a fire and series of explosions, leaving the site contaminated from over a century of petroleum-related industrial use.
HRP Group demolished the refinery and is in the process of remediating the site, as well as redistributing soil on the site in order to raise low-lying areas out of the flood plain. The company plans to raise all buildings above the 500-year floodplain.
The company’s plans for the site include an industrial campus, where the DrinkPAK building will be located, consisting of over a dozen warehouse-style buildings near the Packer Park and Girard Estates neighborhoods.
HRP Group also plans to build a life sciences campus with smaller buildings meant to house research, development and manufacturing operations near the Grays Ferry, Point Breeze and West Passyunk neighborhoods. The first buildings in the life sciences section are planned to be completed in 2027.