Envelope maker to expand in Bedford County

Forest-based Parkland Direct, a lithographic print and custom envelope manufacturer, will invest $10 million to expand in Bedford County, creating 41 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday.

The company will add 50,000 square feet to its current 60,000-square-foot facility to increase production capacity with the addition of two converters and press machines. The family-owned business started in Virginia in 1978, and its clients include national brands in areas such as finance, insurance and travel. This will be the fourth expansion in the company’s history, the most recent being in 2005, according to Clink Seckman, president of Parkland Direct. Work on the expansion would start in the first quarter of 2024 and take about six months, with the first of the new equipment arriving at the end of the year. Seckman said it’s been ordered and takes 13 months to build.

Parkland Direct currently has 145 employees and the new jobs would be skilled positions with operating the new equipment and some entry-level positions for equipment assistance, Seckman said.

“We are excited for our operational expansion and adding new careers in our community and the commonwealth,” Clint Seckman, president of Parkland Direct, said in a statement. “We are so thankful to [the Virginia Economic Development Partnership], our team and clients who have given us the opportunity to adapt to our evolving industry and provide even better products and service in direct mail marketing.”

Parkland Direct does foiling, embossing and specialty coatings for direct-mail marketing.

“Parkland Direct’s success in Virginia for 45 years exemplifies what startup businesses can accomplish in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Cutting-edge companies thrive in our entrepreneurial ecosystem that is enhanced by unparalleled talent, and I am proud that this homegrown Virginia business is expanding and creating new jobs in Bedford County.”

VEDP worked with Bedford County to secure the project and will support Parkland Direct through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consulting and funding to companies creating jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities.