EAST UNION, PA — The Packaging Wholesalers, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of packaging materials to the supply chain industry, has announced plans to open a distribution center in 293,493 s/f of industrial space at 63 Green Mountain Rd. in Humboldt Industrial Park, East Union Twp., near Hazleton. The building was developed and is owned by Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services. The company has scheduled a grand opening for December 1st and will use the facility to distribute more than 1,200 sizes of corrugated boxes and shipping materials such as tapes, stretch film, steel strapping and more. The firm expects to hire 40 plus employees. The Packaging Wholesalers is based in Elgin, Illinois where it operates a 500,000 s/f corporate headquarters and distribution center and also has a 300,000 s/f distribution center in Dallas, Texas. The company made the decision to lease space at 63 Green Mountain Rd. to improve delivery lead times nationwide, especially to its customers on the east coast. Company founder and owner Mike Hrbacek said the Mericle facility gives his company access to 42 dock doors in a modern industrial facility just minutes from I-81 and I-80. “This building places us within three to four hours of the east coast’s population,” Hrbacek said. “The new warehouse and offices will support our cost- cutting technological advances to our patent pending delivered pricing program and will allow us to capitalize on aggressive pricing and quicker lead times through our nationally recognized tiered pricing program,” he said. The real estate transaction was coordinated by Mericle vice president Jim Hilsher and Jeff Lockard, senior associate with the national real estate brokerage firm JLL. Hilsher said The Packaging Wholesalers is one of 16 companies that lease space in Mericle industrial buildings in the Greater Hazleton area. Humboldt Industrial Park is one of the largest industrial parks in Pennsylvania and was developed by CAN DO, Inc. CAN DO president Kevin O’Donnell said the agency is excited that Packaging Wholesalers chose Greater Hazleton for its newest distribution center. “Many companies have located to our area because of its strategic location to markets. We are also pleased that Mericle Commercial Real Estate has been successful in bringing yet another company to our community. Mericle has been a strong partner of CAN DO for many years,” O’Donnell said.