Chillicothe City Councilman Richard McQuirt, who represents the 4th Ward, posted a detailed public statement describing a meeting with representatives of the former Pixelle Specialty Solutions paper mill site, now operated by U.S. Paper Mill Company LLC in affiliation with U.S. Medical Glove Company. In the post, McQuirt outlined concerns about glove production shortfalls, federal contracting practices, and the broader implications for local jobs and national PPE supply.
McQuirt wrote that news of a data center project at the site caught Chillicothe administrators off guard. He said city officials arranged a meeting with U.S. Paper Mill and John Todoroki, identified as a principal owner of U.S. Paper Mill and U.S. Glove Co., to seek information. According to McQuirt’s account of the discussion, Todoroki described plans to diversify the site because of ongoing financial losses on the property.
“He explained that they lied to him about glove orders,” McQuirt stated in the post, attributing the explanation of revenue shortfalls directly to federal government actions. McQuirt recounted Todoroki’s description of post-COVID efforts: the government identified vulnerabilities in domestic PPE production after China and Malaysia could not fully accommodate U.S. orders, leading to a push for American manufacturing. Todoroki, per the post, designed and built machines quickly to fulfill anticipated government nitrile glove contracts.
McQuirt noted that Sen. Bernie Moreno and his team had supported bringing U.S. Medical Glove operations to the site to prevent it from becoming a brownfield. The company has production lines ready, McQuirt wrote, but only limited contracts so far, including one with the TSA and a defense contract for the Army. These, he said, fall short of what was promised.
In the post, McQuirt relayed additional claims from the meeting: “He told us that there are people in Washington that wont release the contracts from China and Malaysia because it would cost too much money. They are also taking USA made gloves and mixing them with the China and Malaysia gloves and boxing them, claiming to be USA MADE GLOVES.”
McQuirt said he contacted the offices of Sen. Jon Husted and Sen. Bernie Moreno to check the statements. “Senator Morenos people have verified everything Mr. Todoroki told us in that meeting is true,” he wrote. He framed the issue as one of local economic survival for Chillicothe, national security through domestic PPE control, and accountability for government commitments. He urged residents to contact their Washington representatives.
Independent reporting confirms key background on the site. Pixelle Specialty Solutions closed the historic mill in August 2025 after earlier announcements, affecting roughly 750 to 800 workers. In October 2025, the facility was sold to U.S. Paper Mill Company LLC, an affiliate of Illinois-based U.S. Medical Glove Company, with Todoroki involved as co-owner. Sen. Moreno participated in the announcement and has publicly supported the transition to glove manufacturing as a way to restore jobs and reduce reliance on foreign PPE.
U.S. Paper Mill has installed American-made machinery and established multiple nitrile glove production lines. The company has employed around 150 workers and received TSA quality and safety approval for its gloves in 2026, allowing supply through a federal contractor for TSA officers. Company statements and related coverage have noted that larger continuous federal orders, rather than continued reliance on imports primarily from Malaysia and China, could support additional hiring. A July 2026 Washington Post examination of U.S. glove manufacturing efforts described ongoing challenges in scaling domestic production and federal procurement, with most nitrile gloves still imported.
In early July 2026, U.S. Paper Mill announced partnerships to redevelop the roughly 460-acre campus into a multi-use hub. These include continued nitrile glove production under a supply and licensing agreement with U.S. Medical Glove Company, collaboration with data center operator Aligned on a high-performance computing campus focused on AI infrastructure (an anticipated $1.5 billion investment), an agreement with Amphibian Aerospace Industries for amphibious aircraft components, and work with U.S. Box Company. Local officials, including Mayor Luke Feeney and Councilmember Gunner Barnes, later stated they learned of the data center component at the same time as the public and lacked prior details on timeline, scale, or power needs. The site is already industrially zoned.
McQuirt’s post centers on the glove production challenges and federal contracting issues as described in the meeting. No independent public records or reporting reviewed for this article independently confirmed the specific allegations of deliberate withholding of contracts for cost reasons or the mixing of U.S.-made gloves with foreign ones under a “USA MADE” label. Company representatives have emphasized investment in domestic capacity and the potential benefits of expanded federal procurement of American-made products.
Hopewell Heritage Headlines previously reported on early data center speculation at the site in June 2026. At that time, the outlet contacted plant administrators, who confirmed active glove production, TSA approval progress, and a focus on manufacturing jobs rather than conversion to a data center. Subsequent official announcements in July expanded the site’s planned uses to include the high-performance computing element alongside ongoing glove and other manufacturing.
The former mill has long been a cornerstone of Chillicothe’s industrial identity, with paper production roots dating back more than two centuries. Its transition continues to draw local attention as officials, the company, and residents navigate the mix of manufacturing revival, new technology investments, and questions about federal support for domestic PPE.
