Premier Brands of America plans to invest $15 million to establish its first Pennsylvania manufacturing facility in Scott Township, Lackawanna County – a project expected to create 58 full-time jobs over the next three years. Announced by Gov. Josh Shapiro, the expansion will transform a former newspaper printing facility into a new production site for the health and wellness products manufacturer. The project also provides an example of how existing industrial properties in Northeastern Pennsylvania can be repositioned for new uses.
Former Newspaper Facility to Become Manufacturing Site
The company has acquired the former Scranton Times-Tribune printing facility at 45 Commerce Drive in Scott Township. The property, which had been left vacant, will be renovated for Premier Brands’ manufacturing operations.
The reuse of an existing industrial building is notable for the local market. Rather than constructing an entirely new facility, the company is adapting a property that already has a history of commercial and industrial activity. State officials and regional economic development organizations have emphasized the potential for this type of redevelopment to return unused properties to productive use. The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus also described the project as an opportunity to put the previously unused property back into operation while adding jobs to the area.
Investment Will Support Company Growth
Premier Brands of America manufactures health and wellness consumer products sold through retail and online channels in the United States and international markets. Its portfolio includes more than 150 products across categories such as foot care, first aid, skin care and shaving. Its brands include Arm & Hammer Foot Care and Cutter Poison Ivy.
The Pennsylvania facility will increase manufacturing capacity and help the company respond to customer demand. Additional capacity will also give the company room to develop and produce new product lines.
That expansion could provide even greater flexibility in its manufacturing network. Establishing a Pennsylvania operation also places production closer to customers and distribution networks in the Northeast, although the state announcement does not provide specific details about how production will be divided among Premier Brands’ facilities.
State Funding Helps Move the Project Forward
The Commonwealth is providing nearly $4 million in assistance for the project through several economic development programs. The funding package includes a $3.6 million Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority loan, a $245,700 Pennsylvania First grant and a $64,300 WEDnetPA grant for workforce training. The programs are designed to support the facility’s development while helping the company prepare employees for new positions.
The public investment represents a significant share of the overall project. At the same time, the company’s planned $15 million investment remains the larger component of the project and will finance the broader expansion and facility redevelopment. The project was coordinated through the governor’s BusinessPA team, with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development working alongside regional organizations including the NEPA Alliance and Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
58 New Jobs Expected
Premier Brands expects the facility to create 58 full-time positions during the next three years. The announcement does not provide a detailed breakdown of the positions, expected salaries or specific job classifications.
Those details will be important for assessing the project’s longer-term economic impact. The number of jobs provides one measure of the investment, but the quality of those positions, wages, benefits and opportunities for advancement will help determine the broader effect on the regional workforce.
The project could also produce indirect economic activity as new employees spend money locally and the company purchases services and supplies from other businesses. Those secondary effects are difficult to quantify from the information currently available.
What the Project Could Mean for Northeastern Pennsylvania
The Premier Brands announcement comes as manufacturing and industrial development remain important parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s economic strategy. A regional industrial market report noted that smaller owner-user projects and adaptive-reuse transactions can represent an important part of the area’s development activity, even when they receive less attention than large industrial park projects.
The Scott Township project fits that pattern. It is not among the region’s largest manufacturing investments by job count or capital expenditure, but it combines private investment, property redevelopment and workforce creation at an existing site.
The location also adds another manufacturing operation to Lackawanna County at a time when communities across the region are working to attract and retain industrial employers.
Questions Remain as Development Moves Ahead
The state announcement establishes the investment amount, location and expected job creation, but several details remain unclear. The release does not specify a projected opening date for the facility, the anticipated average wages for the 58 positions, the exact manufacturing processes planned for the site or the amount of building renovation required.
Those details will provide a clearer picture of the project’s economic impact as development progresses. For now, the investment represents a significant new manufacturing commitment in Scott Township and the conversion of a former newspaper facility into a site for health and wellness product production.
Premier Brands’ move also illustrates a broader opportunity for Northeastern Pennsylvania: using existing commercial and industrial properties to accommodate new employers while preserving established infrastructure and creating new economic activity.
