Econ-O-Pac / Insight Packaging

Econ-O-Pac is a Canadian plastic packager whose major customers include many large breakfast cereal and snack food manufacturers in the United States. Buffalo Niagara Enterprise (BNE) began working with the company after receiving the lead from our partners at the Canadian Consulate. The major driver for Econ-O-Pac’s expansion in the United States was its goal of increasing US sales by suppressing the negative perception that it is an “outsider” in the industry given its Canadian roots. Although 50% of the company’s sales are in the US, there was plenty of work to be done by BNE and its partners to assist Econ-O-Pac’s expansion.

To complete their expansion, Econ-O-Pac needed to locate a building that was suitable from an operational standpoint. The company also wanted to be in location where they could easily access a large labor pool, while also being close to the Canadian border.

BNE facilitated meetings between the company and our partners who assisted Econ-O-Pac navigate through delicate cross-border issues such as immigration, accounting, legal and human resources. With the help of BNE, Econ-O-Pac began its real estate search in an attempt to locate a building that met all of their requirements. BNE also helped the company identify workforce availability, labor costs, and potential incentives.

With the help of Empire State Development Corporation, Econ-O-Pac received an incentive package through New York State’s new Excelsior Jobs Program, which made the expansion financially viable. After visiting several real estate options, the company agreed to lease terms on a 31,000sf building in Cheektowaga (Erie County). Econ-O-Pac, code named Project Cereal, represents BNE’s fourth Canadian business attraction win of 2011. The company’s US expansion, which is scheduled to begin operations in August, will employ over 60 workers and represents an investment of more than $1,000,000 in Western New York. Econ-O-Pac's Cheektowaga division will be called Insight Packaging, LLC.