Printpack, Inc. of Villa Rica, a packaging conversion company, has announced a $66 million expansion of its local facilities and the addition of 20 new jobs.

“We currently have four separate facilities on the Villa Rica campus,” said Michael Verbeten, Printpack vice president of supply chain. “We’ll be adding a 46,000-square-foot addition, along with recapitalization of all our current equipment within that facility.”

Verbeten said the expansion would also help retain 20 jobs in Villa Rica, jobs which would have been moved to another location without the addition. He said the new positions are primarily production jobs.

“We’re in the very early stages with the expansion design,” Verbeten said Tuesday. “We’re hoping to begin the expansion sometime this spring. The total time frame for the construction and equipment additions is probably a year to 18 months.”

Printpack is a world leader in flexible packaging, specialty rigid containers, labels and medical packaging. The company was founded in 1956 in Sandy Springs, Ga., by J. Erskine Love Jr. He had one employee at the time and the only equipment was one cellophane bag machine. Today, the company is one of the largest and most innovative package converters in the world.

Printpack offers a full breadth of product and service capabilities from 28 manufacturing sites worldwide. Its customer base includes many of the leading global brand owners in a diverse array of end-use markets.

Printpack opened its Villa Rica operations in 2002.

Carroll Tomorrow, Carroll County’s economic development organization, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Power worked closely with Printpack corporate leadership, the city of Villa Rica and the Villa Rica Development Authority to bring to bear the resources and information that would make the expansion a success.

“The addition of such a major capital investment and quality job opportunities for our city is tremendous,” said Villa Rica Mayor Jay Collins.

“Printpack was one of the first company expansions that Carroll Tomorrow participated in back in 2002,” said Loy Howard, chairman of Carroll Tomorrow. “The company is a classic example of being a ‘new company today and an existing industry tomorrow.’ We’re pleased that Carroll Tomorrow’s initiatives surrounding existing industry retention and expansion have paid dividends over the past 11 years, and Printpack is an example of that ongoing effort.”

“Printpack’s decision to invest in advanced technology at the Villa Rica operation is a reflection of Georgia’s skilled workforce, superior logistics infrastructure and other key advantages for manufacturers today,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Cummiskey. “Georgia has tremendous assets, including the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing, which keep us at the forefront of this industry.”

GDEcD regional representative, E. Jane Caraway, was instrumental in the development of this expansion project, Cummiskey said.

“On behalf of Carroll County and the local community, I’d like to express how proud and excited we are for the commitment of Printpack to our community,” said Marty Smith, chairman of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, “and for the hard work of all of our local entities involved through this process, Carroll Tomorrow and the Villa Rica Development Authority.”