Two months after Malnove was cleared to lay the foundation for its proposed paperboard packaging plant expansion in Imeson International Industrial Park, the city issued a permit April 24 for vertical construction at a project cost of almost $12.2 million.
Haskew Company & Associates Inc. of Jacksonville is the contractor for the tilt-wall expansion of at least 173,000 square feet of space at 10500 Canada Drive at northeast Canada Drive and Malnove Road. in North Jacksonville.
The city approved a permit Feb. 24 for foundation construction by Haskew at a project cost of $50,000.
AVA Engineers Inc. of Jacksonville is the civil engineer. Codes-ABC Inc. of Orange Park is providing code compliance.
Malnove Inc. of Florida owns the property.
The company proposes adding warehouse and some office space to an existing 184,304-square-foot plant, creating a 357,304-square-foot building.
The online permit summary shows the expansion as 180,200 square feet.
Malnove.com says that Malnove Packaging Solutions in Jacksonville provides package development, manufacturing and shipping expertise on the U.S. East Coast.
The company makes custom folding carton solutions that include printing, custom cutting, finishing and packaging.
AVA Engineers submitted civil engineering plans to the city in June 2024 to add 171,925 square feet to the building. Plans said it was for warehouse space and that no employees or additional trucks are proposed.
The city approved site clearing for the expansion in December 2024 at a cost of $50,000.
Duval County property records show that Malnove acquired the 14.5-acre Imeson property in 1995 and built an almost 240,000-square-foot industrial building in 1998. It added a roughly 4,000-square-foot accessory building in 2024.
Malnove Packaging Solutions President Dale Houck said in July 2024 that the proposed expansion was for warehousing only, reflecting strength in the business.
Founded in 1948, Malnove located its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1976. The original Jacksonville plant opened in 1981 in Southside, moving to Imeson in 1998. A Utah plant opened in 1985.
Malnove installed robotic palletizing in all facilities in 2020.
Houck said the warehouse would store Malnove’s finished goods and the stock it uses to make cartons.
He said the company will vacate warehouse space nearby when the lease expires at year-end 2025 and consolidate the activity at the main Malnove operation.
“We want to have this one by the end of next year,” he said, referring to year-end 2025.