Former Pickaway County Economic Member Gives Perspective on Medical Glove Manufacturer Buying Mill
Chillicothe — As the soon-to-be production area of U.S. Medical Glove was being returned to normal after Friday’s news conference at the former paper mill, I asked Ross County Commissioner David Glass how the “Response Team” that was dealing with the surprise closure of the mill would do now.
Glass reprised some of his remarks from the podium during the event on October 10th, 2025, explaining that the team will have a new focus on planning, growth, vision, preparedness, lessons learned, and more.
Hear Glass in his own words in the below two parts of his almost 13 minute interview (and learn more in the previous three stories on the news conference*).
The commissioner said he drew largely from his experience in Circleville and Pickaway County – to the point of admitting “I came into this role touting and drawing on my experience as an economic developer – I never dreamed that that would be used four months into the job, helping coordinate a response to a billion-dollar loss to our local economy.”
Glass said the response team needs to focus on continuing growth, and what the long-term vision is. He said he wants to continue the “weekly cadence” of working with stakeholders, and planning – the job is not done. What does community look like in 20 years?
Glass said the team now gets to move on to think more broadly – what to do with not just this approximately 450-acre site, but also what economic partners they might bring in – and investing in site readiness.
The fact that the former paper mill has a larger footprint than what the glove company plans to use immediately, he said is an opportunity – the acres there have utility capacity and access to all things needed by industries, and this is just the beginning of what is happening.
He agreed that no one wants to be caught unprepared like they were on April 15th, with the fallout from the sudden closing of the paper mill. They can’t unravel any past bad decisions or lack of action on economic development, and have learned from that.
Glass said his biggest concern was that the community might end up with something like Circleville’s GE plant: closed, mothballed, and untouchable for a decade.
Glass said the mill is being put to use by an owner who wants to employ people here. I asked if this looks like U.S. Medical Glove is a business that is the opposite of Pixelle owner H.I.G. Capital: engaging and responsive to the community.
(Venture capital H.I.G had been criticized for just wanting to profit from the mill without reinvesting, and not bothering to communicate to the community. U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno had sent them a scathing letter that gained a slowdown of the shutdown…which was only partly followed.)
Glass said the response team hasn’t spent much time with U.S. Medical Glove to know more, but the production line set up in the former paper shipping warehouse in just two days was a good sign.
He said they were the only company that reached out to the response team and expressed an interest in collaborating with the community – and that the donation of gloves to local first responders is also a good sign.
Glass also commented on the local identity of “Paper City” – whether it has meaning now. He said the changeover of the mill is not about identity, but jobs.
(I pointed out that Chillicothe was known as “Porkopolis” before Cincinnati was, so identities don’t always stick. I wanted to point out that we also proudly identify ourselves as Ohio’s “First Capital” – even though that has been gone since 1810.)
And though it is not making paper right now, Glass said there is a possibility that the mill can produce cardboard boxes to package the gloves. He said he understands that one paper machine there might be able to produce what the glove company wants, without too much modification.
He pointed out that the name the glove company chose for this subsidiary, “U.S. Paper Mill Company,” shows their expectations.
Find our three other stories on the news conference:
- U.S. Medical Glove Company to Revive Former Pixelle Paper Mill in Chillicothe, Bringing Hundreds of Jobs to Ross County
- Major Company Investor Speaks on Glove Company that Now Owns Chillicothe Paper Mill
- Senator Moreno Answers Questions in News Conference as Glove Company Moves into Chillicothe Paper Mill
Learn more about Glass in my long-form interview with him in my August 7th “Ross County Commissioner David Glass on Paper Mill and More.”
