On Thursday, Governor Tom Wolf announced Hollander Sleep Products, LLC, a bed pillow and mattress pad manufacturer, will expand its Pennsylvania operations by consolidating multiple operations into a single facility at the Highridge Business Park in Foster Township, Schuylkill County. The company’s expansion will create 80 new jobs during the next three years.
“It is my pleasure to announce another Pennsylvania manufacturer will be expanding operations,” said Governor Wolf. “Projects like Hollander’s demonstrate my administration’s dedication to the continued growth and success of Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector.”
To meet growing demand, Hollander will combine operations from two facilities in the Frackville Industrial Park, at Exit 124 of Interstate 81, into a single, modern 357,000 square-foot-facility in the Highridge Business Park at Exit 119 of Interstate 81. The project will allow the company to add six new production lines, equating to an increase of 40 percent of current output. Hollander plans to invest $1,730,000 in the project, including renovations and leasehold improvements, and the purchase of machinery and equipment. The move will lead to the creation of 80 new, full time jobs and retention of an additional 225 existing Pennsylvania positions.
“As an industry leader, Hollander Sleep Products is always exploring how to better service our customers,” said Mark Eichhorn, CEO, Hollander Sleep Products. “This expansion initiative provides us a great opportunity to reinvest in our future and our capacity to satisfy increasing demand from customers in the Northeast while proudly creating additional jobs in the U.S.”
Hollander received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development that includes a $125,000 Pennsylvania First Program grant, $36,000 in WEDnetPA funding for employee training, and $80,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon the creation of the new jobs. The company was also encouraged to apply for a $337,000 low-interest loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA).
The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO).
Steve Field, Chairman of SEDCO, noted the move will allow for both improved production efficiencies and room for future growth given the restrictive nature of their existing Frackville operations. “Hollander‘s decision to retain and expand their existing workforce in Schuylkill County should have all of us checking our pillows tonight to make sure they were made in Pennsylvania!”
Hollander started as a family-owned business in 1953 and has grown to become the largest manufacturer of bed pillows and mattress pads in North America. The company has eight manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada, and a product development, sourcing and quality control office in China. Hollander’s strategic facilities located worldwide allow them to be a leader in the industry with products that appear under a number of well-known brand names.
